VANCOUVER, BC – The Canadian Championship is back for another year – with a twist.
This year’s competition, which begins for Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Tuesday night vs. Montreal Impact (7 p.m. PT at BC Place – tickets still available), will have a slightly different look than in years past. Here are three things you need to know.
BATTLE OF THE NORTH
This year’s Canadian Championship is being dubbed the “Battle of the North,” for obvious reasons. As stated by Canada Soccer general secretary Peter Montopoli, “it really is the pinnacle of Canadian club soccer, and the only competition that gives Canadian professional clubs an opportunity to advance to the international stage.”
CANADIAN CONTENT
For the first time ever, the Canadian Championship will have a Canadian content requirement this year. Every team will be obligated to start a minimum of three Canadians in each match, which will result in more Canadians taking the pitch than in any previous edition of the tournament. For the purposes of this competition, a player must be a Canadian citizen and/or hold a Canadian passport in order to qualify as one of the three Canadians.
ONE-MATCH PLAYOFF
This year only, there will be a special one-match playoff between the winner of the 2017 Canadian Championship and Toronto FC – last year’s Canadian champion – to determine which team advances to the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League. The playoff, which will only be played if Toronto FC does not repeat as champions, is set for August 9 in Toronto. This year, there will be no CONCACAF Champions League as the tournament shifts to a new format for 2018, which is the reason for the playoff.
