A major storyline in the opening round of the TELUS Canadian Championship is the provincial champions, who look to earn big results against professional opponents.
Who can forget TSS Rovers' famous win at Swangard Stadium in the 2023 competition, or CS Saint-Laurent stunning the Halifax Wanderers on penalties in 2024 -- and getting to play two legs against Toronto FC.
Saint-Laurent is back in this year's edition and will face Inter Toronto on Sunday, confident that they can pull off a big result once again.
This year as well, three PLSC teams enter the competition for the first time, looking to make history of their own.
Here is a key player from each to watch this week:
F - Omari Cotterell (Woodbridge Strikers)
Woodbridge may be making their Canadian Championship debut, but Omari Cotterell will bring them vital experience as they face FC Supra du Québec on Friday, May 8 (7 p.m. ET).
The 26-year-old played 90 minutes for Scrosoppi in their 2-0 loss to Atlético Ottawa in the 2025 edition.
Cotterell was named an OPL All-Star with Scrosoppi last season, scoring four goals for the side that finished just two points behind Woodbridge in the table.
This past weekend, he opened his account for Woodbridge in a 5-1 victory over Scrosoppi, no less, in OPL action.
He also played in the NCAA for LaSalle, where he had six goals and five assists in his fifth and final season in 2022.
F - Brody Thomas (Langley United)
The first-ever signing in their BCPL history for Langley United, Thomas has been with the club since the age of five, progressing through the ranks.
Now the club's captain, Thomas finished second in the BCPL in scoring last season with 10 goals in 14 appearances.
He also has a pair in 2026 through two matches already. The composed and intelligent Thomas will be counted on as a key leader for Langley against Vancouver FC on Sunday (6 p.m. ET).
He also has experience at the collegiate level with Simon Fraser University.
MF - Gianmarco Plenzik (Calgary Blizzard)
Another homegrown player within his PSLC club is Calgary Blizzard midfielder Gianmarco Plenzik.
The Calgary, Alta. native led the Blizzard in scoring last season as they won the APL title, with 10 goals -- the third most of any player in the league.
He also captained the Calgary Dinos in U SPORTS, for whom he started all 14 matches this past season in Canada West.
A key leader for the club, Plenzik will play an important role for the Blizzard as they face a significant first-round test against MLS side CF Montréal on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET).
MF - Cédric Toussaint (CS Saint-Laurent)
After spending last season playing abroad in Japan, 25-year-old midfielder Cédric Toussaint is back in Canada playing for CS Saint-Laurent this season.
He has over 100 matches of experience with CPL clubs, spending one-and-a-half seasons with Inter Toronto, before being traded to Pacific in 2022. He was with the Tridents until 2024.
Toussaint also has a cap with the senior Haitian national team, and spent time in his youth with the CF Montréal academy.
To make things more interesting, Toussaint will face Inter Toronto on Sunday (3 p.m. ET), the club that gave him his professional debut back in 2021 -- and for whom he played 38 times -- in the first round of this year's Canadian Championship.
