MLS Wants Winter Soccer? Canadian Premier League Final Had Insane Bicycle Kick in Blizzard

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MLS Wants Winter Soccer? Canadian Premier League Final Had Insane Bicycle Kick in Blizzard

If the North American soccer schedule wants to switch to the European calendar, as MLS has proposed, get used to more nights like this. The Canadian Premier League brought one of the wildest finals in world soccer, played under a thick blanket of snow in Ottawa.

Pitting Atletico Madrid’s sister club Atlético Ottawa against Cavalry FC of Calgary, the match quickly became one that neither team would forget, with several snow-clearing breaks and spellbinding moments early.

Cavalry opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute. Their lead didn’t last long, though, as Atlético Ottawa made headlines in the 40th minute with David Rodriguez firing a blistering bicycle kick that hit the bar and settled in the goal.

GOAL 🦖

DAVID RODRIGUEZ ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!!

BICYCLE KICK GOAL IN THE 2025 CANADIAN PREMIER LEAGUE FINAL TO LEVEL THINGS UP FOR @atletiOttawa 🤯🤯🤯

🔴 Watch the #CanPL final LIVE on OneSoccer, TSN & FuboTV pic.twitter.com/4RhNsBI4zH

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) November 9, 2025

With the North Star Cup and a berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup on the line, as well as the looming international break, postponing the match wasn’t an option, which meant snowplows on the pitch in the hours before kickoff, and a slight delay in the kickoff time.

Once the game began, it became even crazier. The ball skimmed across the snow and remained in play for a moment, and the match officials called for snow clearing every 15 minutes to ensure the lines were visible.

Through those snow-clearing moments, even the goalkeepers picked up shovels—likely not something Atletico Ottawa’s Nathan Ingham would have imagined doing in his professional soccer career.

NATHAN INGHAM IS SHOVELLING! ❄️

🔴 Watch the #CanPL final LIVE on OneSoccer, TSN & FuboTV pic.twitter.com/AfS6WIaIcD

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 9, 2025

Midway through the first half, both Atlético manager Diego Mejia and Cavalry manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. could also be heard in a shouting match over what had happened with Ottawa’s substitutes.

Ottawa had left their bench in the locker room to avoid the elements, citing teams at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup taking a similar path to avoid the heat. Cavalry disapproved, and the players were eventually brought back out into the snow.

Fraser Aird scored the opening goal for Cavalry FC and had the perfect knee slide celebration. / Tim Austen/Canadian Premier League

The match wasn’t the only crazy snow game in Canada on Saturday; the two college finals were also played in torrential snowstorms. Yet it didn’t hold many fans back, and it’s a factor North American teams could tackle more regularly with the possible shift to the European soccer schedule.