TORONTO — The Canadian Premier League revealed Friday it will open its inaugural season with a pair of fixtures at opposite ends of the country.

A day after Forge FC hosts York9 FC in the CPL’s inaugural match on Saturday, April 27 (1:00 p.m. EST) at Tim Hortons Field, Pacific FC will host HFX Wanderers FC at Westhills Stadium on April 28 (7 p.m. EST).

“It is part of history, but once you’re in it, you have to do your job,” Pacific coach Michael Silberbauer said of his club’s first match. “Only after do you sit down and think about the fact that you’ve made history.”

Part of that history will see coach Stephen Hart’s Nova Scotian outfit travel some 4,500 kilometres in advance of the league’s first sea-to-sea contest.

“None of us know how the players will travel yet,” Hart added. “That’s the biggest adaptation to playing in this league – how well the players will travel.

“We have to educate our players on acclimatizing themselves quickly and how to go about it, how they’re nutrition relates to travel and all of that, and adapting to time zones.”

Hart’s side will return to Wanderers Grounds a week later when it opens its home schedule against visiting Forge FC (May 4, 1 p.m. EST).

“It’ll be about this team; how it performs, how it excites, you hope that will be the main focus,” Hart said of his club’s homecoming.

“You also hope that the crowd brings something to the game … Hopefully it’ll be loud and festive and it can be an enjoyable experience.”

The league’s first triple-header will also see Cavalry FC open its inaugural season at Spruce Meadows on Saturday, May 4 (3:30 p.m. EST) against visiting York9.

“We get to start at home, we’ll be on grass and it will give us an extra week to prepare,” Cavalry coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said.

“Bring your plus ones,” Wheeldon Jr. added. “It all starts with telling people what is happening: Tell the story of why CPL is being harvested, why it’s important to Canadian soccer and Calgary.

“There is a great movement here. As soon as they have the story they will be ignited by that.”

From Halifax to Calgary and, finally, to Winnipeg, Valour FC wraps the May 4 tripleheader at Investor’s Group Field vs. FC Edmonton (6 p.m. EST).

“Every soccer fan wants to cheer on one of their own and we’ll have quite a few of them representing us on that day,” Valour coach Rob Gale said.

“It’s going to be an exciting time for all soccer fans, young and old, who know that there’s a long and rich history of soccer (in Manitoba) over the years, and we’re delighted to be reigniting that.”

The league’s penultimate home opener will see the Eddies open Clarke Stadium against Pacific FC (3:30 p.m EST), bringing professional soccer back to the City of Champions for the first time since 2017.

“To play at home late like this, I love it,” coach Jeff Paulus told CanPL.ca. “I’m not bothered by the timing of it. We get to see extra game film, we get to break them down, and they come into the unknown a little bit.”

Nearly a full month after the league kicks off in Hamilton, York9 will host a second 905 Derby, welcoming Forge to York Lions Stadium on May 25 (3:30 p.m. EST).

“It’s always special winning a derby game,” Y9 coach Jimmy Brennan said. “In Europe, I played in a lot of derby matches, where the opposition was in the same town, so I love the rivalry here, since Hamilton is not far from where we are. It’s a great rivalry. These are the big games that you want to be involved in, the passionate games.”

Commissioner David Clanachan confirmed this week the rest of the CPL’s inaugural schedule will be revealed next Wednesday.

“We are beyond excited for our founding clubs to kick-off their inaugural seasons with their first official home games and as a fan, I am excited to see what every club has to offer.” Clanachan said.

“This is an opportunity for Canada to showcase the homegrown talent we have in our midst and finally have the dream of the CPL become a reality for our seven cities.”

2019 CPL HOME OPENERS

Forge FC – April 27 vs. York9 FC (1:00 p.m. ET) – Full Story | Tickets

Pacific FC – April 28 vs. HFX Wanderers (4 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. ET) – Full Story | Tickets

HFX Wanderers – May 4 vs. Forge FC (2:00 p.m. AT/1:00 p.m. ET) – Full Story | Tickets

Cavalry FC – May 4 vs. York9 FC (1:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. ET) – Full Story | Tickets

Valour FC – May 4 vs FC Edmonton (5:00 p.m. CT/6:00 p.m. ET) – Full Story | Tickets

FC Edmonton – May 12 vs. Pacific FC (1:30 ap.m. MT/3:30 p.m. ET) – Full Story | Tickets

York9 FC – May 25 vs. Forge FC (3:30 p.m. ET) – Full Story | Tickets