On Friday night, Stade Boréale provides the stage for some TELUS Canadian Championship history.
Fledgling CPL club FC Supra du Québec make their competition debut, hosting another CanChamp debutant, Ontario Premier League champions Woodbridge Strikers (6 p.m. ET, OneSoccer).
For Supra, this will be a special night, because the club's origin is in many ways tied to the competition.
In 2024, CS Saint-Laurent, a club then run by Supra president Rocco Placentino, coached by Supra coach Nick Razzaghi, and featuring many of the players who now pull on the bleu et rouge, entered the CanChamp as Ligue1 Québec representatives.
In the opening round, they pulled off one of the most memorable upsets in CanChamp history, defeating the Halifax Wanderers on penalties at the Wanderers Grounds.
Having been through that experience, they certainly won't be taking Woodbridge lightly.
"We know very well what it's like to be a semi-pro team in this environment," said Razzaghi ahead of Friday's match. "I know what it means to prepare for this, so we have to give 100 per cent for this match."
Loïc Kwemi, who scored FC Supra du Québec's inaugural goal, scored in that win over Halifax. Missing the club's past few matches with injury, Kwemi made good progress this week, and they are optimistic he could be back for Friday's match.
After defeating Halifax in 2024, CS Saint-Laurent were given an even bigger challenge as they hosted eight-time Canadian champions Toronto FC in the two-legged quarter-final.
The first leg, hosted at Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard just six days after the team's triumph in Halifax, saw over 6,000 supporters come out from across the province to support the club.
Razzaghi remembers how special that night was, but also how much hard work went into making it happen. At three in the morning the night before the match, Placentino was among a group painting the lines on the pitch so that it was ready for gametime.
While Saint-Laurent lost 3-0, it was a proof of concept for many in attendance that if a professional team was formed in the area, people would come out in droves to support.
"That night left a huge impression on everyone, to the point that today we have FC Supra," said Razzaghi over the off-season. "So, of course, that's not a night that I'll ever forget, but it goes beyond just what everyone saw there. It goes into the hours of planning, the hours of work.
"Glad it happened, because otherwise we might not be here right now."
Saint-Laurent went on to lose the second leg 8-1 at BMO Field, but by that point, a lasting impression had been made. Now, just two years later, much of that group returns to Canadian Championship action, ready to make more history.
The hope will be that Razzaghi and his group can recapture some of that CanChamp magic and put together another memorable run.
