The first-ever No. 1 pick in a Canadian Premier League draft is Carleton University’s Gabriel Bitar.
The first-ever No. 1 pick in a Canadian Premier League draft is Carleton University’s Gabriel Bitar.
The task is daunting. The CanPL coaches are building a soccer league in a country that has never really embraced one. Success on the field, in the stands, and with player development may be elusive for years.
But, in the end, it was the Everton supporter coaching the team wearing red getting one over on the Liverpool supporter coaching the team wearing blue. The teams finished 90 minutes of play level at 1-1, but the Calgary-based side won the exhibition match/trialist evaluation on penalties, 3-2.
"Everybody across the table is someone you can rely on," said Wheeldon as the coaching staff was officially introduced to the media at a press conference Tuesday at Spruce Meadows.
"Your whole front of the ship is in the ocean. At 19 years old, a guy from Toronto having this experience, I was terrified. You’re hoping the ship comes back up. It always does, of course.”
Cavalry FC will kick off the 2019 Canadian Premier League season at Spruce Meadows, Canada's premier show-jumping facility.
The 11 offers insight, interviews and commentary by respected soccer journalists. It is affiliated with the Canadian soccer magazine, Plastic Pitch. Our editor, Steven Sandor, has covered Major League Soccer, United Soccer Leagues, World Cup qualifying, CONCACAF Champions League, women’s soccer and the Canadian Soccer League and has won numerous awards for his magazine work. His work has appeared in the Sun chain of newspapers, Soccer 360, World Soccer, Soccer Canada, Philadelphia Daily News and the Deseret News. His work has appeared in publications in Canada, the United States, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and Namibia.