Alberto Zapater waited 20 years between trophies. Nathan Ingham and Ballou Tabla stuck around following a heartbreaking defeat in the 2022 CPL Final. And David Rodríguez moved clubs and countries to push his game to the next level. But on Sunday night, amidst biting winds, snow and a pitch that could’ve doubled as a skating rink, they banded together with their Atlético Ottawa teammates to win the North Star Cup in a match that felt emblematic of Canadian football’s spirit.
You could’ve mistaken the opening moments of the match for a Hallmark movie as floodlights illuminated thick snowflakes and bundled fans in tuques at TD Place. Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. dressed for the conditions and looked every bit a Christmas caroler in his cap and red scarf if not for his passionate outbursts as his side looked to adapt to a final very different from the one that made them champions a year ago. Players, too, rose to the occasion and emerged with a fire to play despite the elements. All but a few, be it Fraser Aird or Daan Klomp, opted for long sleeves or gloves given the temperature dipped to around -8 Celsius amid flurries.
But no one was looking to the weather as an excuse for the result, a 2-1 victory for the home side thanks to perhaps the most memorable championship performance in CPL history courtesy of Rodríguez. There were difficulties, certainly, with snow slowing the ball to near unplayable levels in the second half but also thrilling football in the final 30 minutes.
The fact that Atlético Ottawa completed the storybook ending at home only added to the magic.
“The whole night feels fake,” Ingham said post-match, grinning as his teammates celebrated around him. ”You play us in sand, you play us in snow, you play us on the moon, this team is going to win.”
It would’ve been easy for Cavalry to call foul of their trophy defence given the weather but instead they tipped their cap in a match that was as peculiar, with a 40-minute stoppage time to clear the snow, as it was romantic for Canadian football fans.
“It was a factor for both teams, not an excuse, just another addition to what was another memorable final,” Cavalry midfielder Sergio Camargo told reporters.
Although not the result he’d hoped for, having talked in the days leading up to the final about his club’s lessons from big matches, Wheeldon Jr. took the time to praise his players for their effort.
"The way our lads have done everything they have to be in the conversation, we've defended our trophy up until 10 minutes to the end of extra time in minus conditions, two feet of snow,” he said. “The character is without question."
Atlético Ottawa’s players were defined by character, too. As he promised pre-match, head coach Diego Mejía’s side looked to implement their attacking-minded football and they delivered as Rodríguez’s brace — a sensational bicycle kick amid blizzard conditions followed by a masterful chip — secured the trophy.
There were also moments that felt purely Canadian. Both Ingham and Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci picked up shovels to help clear their boxes during breaks. When Aird scored his penalty in the 33rd minute, he was pelted with snowballs. And the mere fact that snowplows took to the pitch felt surreal, something more aligned with a hockey rink than a football pitch. But it was that kind of night, a contest where Mejía’s players were that bit better to make his claim that he was coaching the best team in the CPL a reality. They rose to the occasion for an unimaginable match.
"The guys start to play in the snow in the same way we do all season. Guys, I think it's fair to say now, the best season ever for a team in the CPL. We are champions,” said Mejía.
It also tied things up nicely as Zapater’s last act as a professional footballer, having a career that saw him nicknamed by Maradona and pitted against Lionel Messi, will be raising a trophy. Ingham, who detailed Atlético Ottawa’s difficult rebuild during his media availability on Friday, is a champion. And 23-year old Rodríguez, a player who said he had never kicked a ball in the snow before and needed to be convinced to take a gamble on the CPL, as detailed by his coach post-match, etched his name in league history.
These are but a few threads from a match that delivered something truly special and, most importantly, purely Canadian.
