Did you watch the game? Awesome. You witnessed sports history being written.

If you didn’t get the chance to watch the game or you want to relive the moments, you can follow the game live tonight at 11 PM Eastern Time on CBC’s website:



https://www.cbc.ca/sports/live-at-11-00-pm-et-canadian-premier-league-on-cbc-york9-fc-at-forge-fc-late-night-1.5111067

Streaming

First of all, I am over the moon that the League has finally kicked off! My wife and I streamed the game on CBC’s Gem app and it was a great streaming experience! We did not experience any lag or buffering and the picture quality was good. One thing I noticed during the broadcast were some slow-motion replays that had a low frame rate. I am sure that MEDIAPRO will address those low frame rate replays issues. Other than that, the broadcast was excellent and I am excited for the other games to be covered.

Opening

It was a nice touch for the League to have an opening ceremony with lots of kids involved and to showcase one more time all the different teams and their colours. I hope that over time, the League can get more kids and communities involved to grow the game in the country. On another note, I felt for the fans as it looked really windy and cold at the stadium! Don’t worry, our weather here in Calgary is not much better…

First Half

Let’s talk about the game! It was very clear that both teams were nervous and had difficulty to stick to the game plan for the first 10 minutes. York was able to take advantage when Ryan Telfer slotted past Triston Henry to make it 1-0 after only 3 minutes played and to score the League’s first ever goal. It wasn’t the start that Forge had hoped for in front their own fans. As the game progressed, the teams became more settled and Forge took control of the game and started to become more organized. Throughout the first half, Forge created various chances that should at some point have been an equalizer. Forge looked dangerous on the counter attack on several occasions but lacked the final ball to level the game.

Second Half

The second half was just as eventful as the first half. It seemed as Forge manager Bobby Smyrniotis reminded his players during halftime that they must win today’s game when Tristan Borges had his shot denied by the crossbar in the 49th minute. Ball possession remained with the home team and York had to revert to a more defensive approach for the latter stages of the game. Relieve came for Forge fans when substitute Kadell Thomas scored inside the box thanks to a powerful play by Emery Welshman as he beat several York players on the right wing to deliver a perfect cross to Thomas. Seconds before the end of the game, York skipper Manny Aparicio was sent off in the 95th minute after collecting a second yellow card to make him the first player in the League’s history to be booked and to be sent off. Wow.

Notes

Both teams earned a well-deserved point when the referee blew the final whistle. Lots of people were wondering before the game what kind of level of quality should be expecting. I thought that the level of quality was good with, of course, lots of room for improvement. I noticed that lots of passes went astray or were not chased down as one might expect. Further, bigger players were able to use their bodies to outmuscle the challenges of smaller/leaner players or to beat their man. I can only imagine that the teams will push their players’ strength and fitness to another level over the next few months to be able to handle the physicality of 90+ minutes.

Man of the Match for me was York’s Nathan Ingham played an amazing game as he demonstrated confidence and his shot-stopping ability throughout both halves, especially when he saved Borges’ shot with his left foot in the 60th minute.

Our League

I jokingly asked my wife whether it was Canada Day because of all the Canadian flags that the kids carried and waved. It was important for the League to have kids carry, wave and fly the Canadian flag to show to the country and the world that this is a Canadian League. For Canadians by Canadians. To show that this is OUR League for years to come.