Hamilton’s Forge FC releases full 2020 schedule as CPL announces new playoff format
Published February 21, 2020 at 8:13 pm
The Canadian Premier League announced its second season will officially get underway on April 11 when Hamilton’s Forge FC hosts Calgary’s Cavalry FC at 3:00 p.m.
The Canadian Premier League announced its second season will officially get underway on April 11 when Hamilton’s Forge FC hosts Calgary’s Cavalry FC at 3:00 p.m. Tim Hortons Field in a rematch of the 2019 inaugural CPL championship—won by Forge.
Canada’s only professional soccer league will see the benefits of a balanced schedule due to the arrival of Atletico Ottawa as the CPL’s eighth team; joining HFX Wanderers, Forge FC, York9 FC, Valour FC, Cavalry FC, FC Edmonton, and Pacific FC.
Ottawa’s first franchise match will take place at Tim Hortons Field, April 18 at 1 p.m.
The season will consist of 14 home matches and 14 away matches for 28 total CPL matches in 2020, as the league departs from its split spring-summer season format used in its inaugural season.
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- Single table format through full season
- Over 90% of the matches will be played on holidays or weekends in 2020
- 2020 will introduce Friday Night Matches – a new tradition for CPL fans to establish
- All 8 Clubs will play on Canada Day
- All the final matches of the season will all be played simultaneously on Oct. 4, 2020.
- At the conclusion of the season, the first place club will earn a bye to the Finals 2020, while the second and third place teams will compete in a playoff game to advance to the Finals.
The Canadian Premier League says it consulted with fans before instituting changes for the 2020 schedule.
“Our second season has a lot to look forward to,” said David Clanachan, Commissioner, Canadian Premier League. “Not only are we going to have a more balanced schedule, we are starting to establish a weekend culture for our fans with twenty-one Friday night matches and we have an eighth team for fans and supporters to come out and see both home and away.”
Home openers for this season are:
- Forge FC vs Cavalry FC – Saturday, April 11, 2020
- Pacific FC vs FC Edmonton – Saturday, April 11, 2020
- York9 FC vs HFX Wanderers – Monday, April 13, 2020
- FC Edmonton vs Cavalry FC – Saturday, April 18, 2020
- HFX Wanderers vs Atletico Ottawa – Saturday, April 25, 2020
- Cavalry FC vs York9 FC – Saturday, April 25, 2020
- Valour FC vs Atletico Ottawa – Saturday, May 2, 2020
- Atletico Ottawa vs HFX Wanderers – Saturday, May 16, 2020
“We are focused on establishing match-day traditions through our schedule that our supporters will want to adopt for this season and the seasons to come,” added Clanachan.
Forge FC 2020 Schedule
