The 2025 Canadian Premier League campaign has seen records shattered across the board.
We've seen the most goals scored in a CPL season, the most goals scored by a single club, and heck, even the most scored by a single player with Atlético Ottawa's Sam Salter. The clean sheet record, saves record, and longest unbeaten run fell as well.
But ahead of the final match of the 2025 campaign, Sunday's CPL Final at TD Place between Atlético Ottawa and Cavalry FC (5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT on OneSoccer, TSN3), one less measurable question remains: who is the best team in the Canadian Premier League this year?
Throughout the season, Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía has told whoever will listen that his side are the league's best, and are playing in a way that is transforming how clubs in this league play.
"This season for us is a historic season in CPL, guys," said Mejía after beating Forge in the Championship Semifinal to book a spot in the CPL Final. "I've never seen a team player in this way, so sorry but I have this feeling, I have this thought, and I think the players deserve to play in this final."
Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis, meanwhile, whose side won the regular season and lifted the CPL Shield, said that he believes his group are the best the league has ever seen. Having reached every final in CPL history prior to this year's, he certainly has the credentials to make this sort of declaration.
Ahead of the 2025 Final, Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr., whose side are the defending champions, had a chance to respond.
"Listen, I don't think I'm even the best Wheeldon in my house," joked Wheeldon Jr. "So I think it takes a little bit of humility to win as well, but it also takes confidence. That's up to him to say what he says to boost his team. And I'll say my things to boost my team."
But he believes, as his club prepares for their third final in as many years, that the legacy they have put together since the league kicked off in 2019 speaks for itself, and could be further cemented with a victory on Sunday.
"Let's not forget as well, this football club was the first [in the CPL] to beat an MLS side," said Wheeldon Jr. "This football club was the first to beat a Liga MX side. So if you're talking about one of the best football teams this league's produced, I think history will show that."
It is abundantly clear that Mejía's comments have been discussed throughout opposing dressing rooms all season, as evidenced by Cavalry FC midfielder Sergio Camargo's comments when asked what he thought of the proclamations that Mejía has made.
"All I know is it's going to be the biggest honour of my life playing against the best soccer team that Canada has ever seen," said Camargo, tongue firmly planted in his cheek. "So I'm thankful of that fact, and I hope that we can live up to the opponents ahead of us on Sunday. And I just want to remind Mejía that we also have weapons of our own, we have used them in the past, and we'll use them again."
For his part, Atlético Ottawa goalkeeper Nathan Ingham isn't so worried about the conversation surrounding which team is the best in the league this season.
"Externally, winning and losing changes things," Ingham told the media. "A good example is what [the media] just did with Forge, right? Bobby [Smyrniotis] is talking about how he's the best team and then the media's going 'Well, can you really say that, because previous Forge teams have won'. Maybe they didn't go up against teams as strong as Cavalry and us, right?
"These are narratives and no matter how you look at narratives, you can spin it any way you want, or find the stats to support what you want."
There is no doubt that the conversation around this season for both Cavalry and Atlético Ottawa will come down to the result of Sunday's final. At the end of a strong, and in some cases historic, campaign for both of these clubs, one of them will have no trophies to show for it.
But neither side is focused on the pressure of being considered the best, instead looking to embrace the opportunity that their incredible work all season has afforded them: the chance to play in the final match of the CPL season.
