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Casual Friday: Animal Kingdom Edition
By It’s that time again! Definitely because it’s overdue (even though our latest episode was called The Belated Edition), and not because I panicked for Friday Content while travelling for a pal’s wedding. But honestly…there’s a lot here to go through. The CPL vibes have been fun.
Editor’s note: that wedding was in July. I am timely on publishing this.
If you’re unfamiliar with Casual Friday, sit back, relax, put on a beachy shirt and enjoy some random oddball moments of CPL culture:
Okey-Dokey, Halifax!
The Halifax Wanderers now have a season ticket waitlist as they continue to sell out their pop-up stadium, with the club having pitched a $40m permanent stadium solution to the city last fall as a new pro soccer team aims to launch next year.
Support for the stadium has been publicly plentiful but not unanimous, with a group called the Friends of the Halifax Commons not wanting a stadium placed there at all – though it’s fair to say the grounds were quite unloved by those same friends before the Wanderers revived the space. Politics aside, though, the Fallout tweet is a pretty damn good response to them.
Prime #CanPLNoContext Material
The Canadian Premier League celebrates its sixth season by creating some truly unique photographs with English photographer Yis Kid, and the results are…very unique.
If Year One saw the league collaborate with the band Kiss and Year Six sees Yis Kid in the midst, the skew from old artist to young over the years will probably see Year Ten land the league a wicked baby food sponsor (no, GoGo Squeez doesn’t count).
Older readers who want to get some MySpace-inspired flashbacks should give Yis Kid’s website a look, and then return to feeling old.
Together, From Aways…But For Pacific
Perhaps one of the neater things about Japanese veteran Kengo Nakamura joining Pacific for a coaching course is the unique exposure that brought Vancouver Isle from the other end of the ocean.
The J-League star was a one-club man for Kawasaki Frontale, having also representing Japan no less than 68 times. As we can see from above, at least one Japanese fan was so excited to see Kengo at the club level again – even though not as a player – that they bought a Pacific kit.
You love to see where the league pops up through these things.
The Ol’ Jimmy B
Lads, I’ve made it.
Stewie Is The Best CPL Mascot, Don’t @ Me
Seriously. From googly eyes eyes to backflips to boarding around on whatever that thing is, Stewie the Starfish is just on another level when it comes oddball mascots.
If you’re remembering that uncanny valley Rally Rabbit of FC Edmonton right now, or specifically that creepy on-the-couch Christmas photo…you’re in too deep for CPL lore. Please step outside.
CPL: A Development League
You love to see it: one day a raccoon is making his debut at York Lions Stadium, and not long after he’s a Major League Soccer star in Philadelphia. It’s all we hoped it could be. He’s even younger than Cavan Sullivan, too.
You’ve Gotta Do What You Gotta Do
Mississauga was the centre of expansion talks aplenty back when the Canadian Premier League launched in 2019, but a lack of stadium infrastructure has stifled in area that, otherwise, has a lot of numbers that make sense. We’ve written on it a lot…but at the end of the day, maybe an alternative route is best.
…maybe we’ll just let Rob find out. We’re a PG outlet.
Penny For Your Thoughts?
Ah, the ol’ one cent discount – a sale that Loblaws would be proud of. It’s not triple digit figures, though, so it’s still cheaper than a modest grocery shop.
Hot Diggity Dog
If you’re gonna be an attendance leader in the CPL, you’ve gotta bring the fans what they want: and Atletico Ottawa fans want wiener dog races, darnit. They’ve been saying it for years!
What was a fun half-time show at TD Place went viral online as the footballing world took notice of an easy sell: lots of dogs, lots of cuteness, and lots of chaos. What isn’t to like? Affordable hot dogs were present, too…take note, York Lions Stadium (please).
Oh Edmonton, What Could Have Been
This tweet isn’t wrong: this’d be the perfect collab post between the Edmonton Elks and FC Edmonton if the latter remained standing. A collaboration between the two was actually a subject of interest last fall, when the Elks President said he’d like to share a new stadium with a CPL team.
While FC Edmonton has gone the way of the dodo for now, we hope some day we’ll see some nice banter between the Edmonton Elks and whatever team proves to be a spiritual successor to the Eddies. It’s a city that, above all else, deserves a professional soccer team – the conditions for sustainability just have to be there.
No Love Lost
Jose Escalante is, without a doubt, one of the most polarizing players to ever step foot in Canada’s top flight. In Forge territory, he’s probably enemy number one. When the Honduran announced his retirement from professional football, we couldn’t help but laugh when seeing one of the first people to like the news:
Well done, Forge Admin. Well done.
That’s a wrap for Casual Friday. I hope you’re ready to enjoy the weekend: Relax, take in some football, m̶a̶y̶b̶e̶ definitely take a peek out our Patreon. I’m not your boss.
…that’s the person standing behind you.
