The Canadian Premier League began its inaugural season in April 2019 to much fanfare, after years of planning and development. The league was touted as “For Canadians, by Canadians” as it aimed to establish itself as Canada’s first division soccer league.



Over the course of the season, however, harsh realities of actually playing in the CPL became apparent. While the league has never officially revealed each team’s salary cap, it is widely believed to be $750,000 CAD (about $533,000 USD at time of writing), a figure that naturally led to average salaries far below the minimum salary for reserve players in MLS. ($63,547 USD in the league’s current collective bargaining agreement with its players’ association).



The financial realities of being a CPL player are, in part, what began initial discussions about a possible players’ union in 2019. But in recent days, those efforts have ramped up, thanks in large part to the CPL’s...