The Quarterfinals have passed and only 4 clubs remain in the Canadian Championship. The battle for the Voyageurs Cup has lead to some fantastic ties, and with only more excitement to come, it can only get better.

Being in its inaugural year the Canadian Premier League (CanPL) clubs are getting their first taste of cup action, and their first swing at the Voyageurs Cup. With three CanPL clubs making it to the quarterfinals, they did not disappoint.

York9, Cavalry FC, and HFX Wanderers had the rest of the league at their backs. They put on a spectacle and proved their worth against MLS and USL clubs. But what does this mean for the CanPL? Is it the beginning of something special, or just a flash in the pan?

Wait, what happened?

The CanPL is very new in the world of soccer, that’s just a fact. It can take a while to build potential and gain credit on both the national and international stage. The performances put on by York9, Cavalry & HFX Wanderers have shown that the CanPL is up to the challenge.

Looking at the York9 & Montreal Impact tie on paper, no one would have blamed you for thinking Montreal would have no problem moving onto the next round. York9 put on a show, proving to themselves, Montreal, and the rest of Canada, that they can hang with the big name clubs in Canadian soccer. Although by perception a “lower quality league team” York9 worked to show they deserved to be where they were.

In the first match York9 looked as though they were in a position to go into the second leg with a 1 goal lead on multiple occasions. Even in the Second match they proved a tough nut for Montreal to crack. The fact that Montreal walked out with a 3-2 win from two penalties, and a giveaway goal in the 6 yard box, shows that York was more than capable of knocking down this giant. This is not to take any credit away from Montreal, they played hard and deserved the win, but it is not a far fetched idea that York9 could have pulled out the win.

HFX Wanderers faced off against USL side Ottawa Fury. In their tie the two sides were evenly matched through both games and provided many exciting and beautiful moments. The tie could have gone either way and no one would have batted an eye.

HFX Wanderers came out fighting in the second leg after a heartbreaking loss at home 3-2. They came into Ottawa looking to play spoilers and looked as though they would do it. However, some excellent defensive moments and key attacking performances saw Ottawa Fury through to the Semi finals.

Finally, the big news story, Cavalry FC eliminated MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps in a hard fought victory away from home. After a 0-0 draw in Calgary in which the two sides were extremely even, A struggling Whitecaps squad was looking to capitalize at home.

What followed was an exciting game in which Cavalry came out the gate fast, scoring their first goal 7 minutes into the match. Vancouver started to show some signs of life in the second half, and scored their first to tie the game in the 67th minute. Less than 5 minutes later, Cavalry shut down any glimmer of hope they had by scoring the eventual game winner.

The CanPL: A flash of luck, or a sign of things to come?

There are a few things we can glean from these quarterfinal ties.

The CanPL has a lot of potential. They are young, they are hungry, and they are ready to prove themselves. This goes for both the players, and the league itself. These players are not only excited about their careers (I mean who wouldn’t be), but also excited to show the strength of Canadian soccer, and the CanPL.

The CanPL is gaining credit on the national level. they are proving that they are worth watching, worth cheering for, and worth investing in. This young league, and these young teams, are ready to grow and grow fast. They are ready and willing to push themselves to new levels and new heights in terms of their performance and abilities.

Grudges aside, Ottawa Fury would have been a great addition to the CanPL. The fact that this cup tie was so even only makes it more clear how perfectly Ottawa Fury would have fit in with the rest of the CanPL. They are evenly matched, they are entertaining to watch, and it’s just good Canadian soccer. I think both the team and the league would benefit from Ottawa joining the CanPL, but it remains to be seen what will happen in the future.

Where to from here?

Canadian soccer is starting to grow in popularity and skill. Having the CanPL do so well in the Canadian Championship is like a springboard that will only help Canadian soccer grow. Just the fact that the Canadian Championship has grown from 5 teams to 13 teams speaks volumes to how this is already occurring. As the CanPL grows and succeeds, Canadian Soccer will continue to do so as well.

More Canadian players are going to be discovered, developed, and achieve success than ever before. As our young players grow in skill and experience, they will no doubt have an impact on the international stage as well. I for one am excited to see how much Canadian soccer grows in the next few years.

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Nathan Verbaan Nathan is a Philosophy and small business management undergrad. His love of the beautiful game began while playing as a child. It was rekindled through seeing the TFC 2018 CONCACAF champions league run, and the Canadian womens national teams continued success. His hope is to see Canadian soccer continue to grow in both popularity and quality.

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