York9 and Forge FC to contest first regular-season match in CanPL history

The Canadian Premier League’s first game will see York9 making the short drive south to Hamilton to face Forge FC.

The two teams will play April  27, exactly one year after the league launched its identity and branding.

(It is also my birthday, so I’d like to thank the CanPL for recognizing that two years in a row).

It’s not a surprise that Forge FC and Hamilton Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young, who was an engine in founding the league, gets the reward of having the first CanPL game played in his backyard.

Volkswagen first major founding partner, and will be a jersey sponsor for one of the teams. The CanPL announced that it is a multi-year partnership, but no dollar figures were revealed.

League commissioner David Clanahan said “I’ve told everyone that the world started spinning very fast on January 1 of this year, and a lot of things are going on in the league office. The next few months are going to be busy and filled with excitement.”

Of course, that means a lot more announcements to come, including a full schedule and when and where the other five teams will open their inaugural CanPL seasons.

Later on Tuesday, Forge unveiled another player who may figure in the game — Kwame Awuah, a former first-round pick in the MLS SuperDraft who was used very sparingly by NYCFC over the past couple of seasons. His Forge teammate, Marcel Zajac, another touted Canadian who was in the U.S. college system, decided to forgo his senior year and turn pro — to avoid the kind of fate that befell Awuah. That is, going to MLS and getting really well accommodate with the bench.