Well, that was fun. 

What a Final we witnessed on Saturday between the league’s original rivals. Congratulations to Tommy Wheeldon Jr and Cavalry FC for finally getting the orange monkey off their backs and defeating Forge 2-1 to become CPL champions for the first time. 

The most amazing part of it all; I actually got a prediction right! I picked Cavalry at the start of the season-  I stuck with them from start to finish and they did not let me down. 

It was special to see a couple of Day 1 players making the difference as well. Marco Carducci got to raise the trophy as the captain, thanks in part to Sergio Camargo scoring what would end up being the winner. 

Honestly, there isn’t too much to really say about the game that hasn’t already been said on The Most Important Podcast In The World. 

The crew went down to Calgary and were able to watch the game live and meet and connect with so many amazing people.  Truthfully,  I was experiencing some serious FOMO not being there.

The best thing about this year’s championship game is simply the fact that so many people tuned in. 

More than 7,000 fans packed ATCO Field to see the home side lift the trophy and CBC Sports saw 609,000 people watch the game.  That doesn’t include everyone who watched on OneSoccer, FuboTV and Telus Optik. 

The fans were treated to a very good match with an even better atmosphere in Calgary to help elevate the match to another level. 

So now, we move into the offseason and there are already some interesting storylines we’re going to be following into 2025.

Firstly, Atletico are saying goodbye to Ollie Bassett. Ottawa’s #10 is the 2022 Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and 2023 Golden Boot winner and his departure is going to leave a massive hole for Ottawa. 

Secondly, Benjamin Mora is saying adios to York United in what is a much less amicable split. Mora took over managing the Nine Stripes midway through the season, helping them qualify for the playoffs and earning a Coach of the Year nomination. 

His departure means the gig is now up for grabs. It’s unsure where York will look to fill the role, but personally I would give Mauro Estaquio a shot.

But with the season over, I just want to take this chance to give many ‘thank you’s’ to everyone who read even just one edition of the CPL Corner this year. 

I loved being given a place to chat about the past, present and future of our league and to the entire Footy Prime crew, I’m extremely grateful you gave me this opportunity and even allowed me to be on an episode of the podcast. It was a really awesome experience and I hope I can do it again. 

Lastly, but most importantly, thank you SO much Carrie Ryan. You’ve done so much for me in the past year with helping me meet people, bringing me into the FPSC and editing this thing every week. You’re the heart of Footy Prime, I’m lucky to call you a friend. 

So that’s it. I don’t know what 2025 will bring for the CPL or the CPL Corner, but I’m going to enjoy the ride. 

Thank you.