The Canadian Premier League is set to debut in 2019, featuring soccer clubs based across Canada in a new league designed by and for Canadian soccer fans. While MLS teams such as Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Montreal Impact continue to hold it down for Canadian teams, the CPL aims to provide a more dedicated platform for Canadian soccer.

With the success that the country has seen in the sport recently, there hasn’t been a better time to embrace grassroots. The CPL has already announced teams in Hamilton and Winnipeg, with eight or ten teams expected by the league’s launch date.

Which Canadian cities should field teams, and how should those teams be branded? With the hope of showing some love to Canadian cities and cultures that don't garner enough recognition for what they are, we submit a few ideas:

Hamilton Steelworkers

Although the city often finds itself overshadowed by nearby Toronto, Hamilton has eked out a resonant culture of its own. Known as the steel capital of Canada, or to be more on the nose about it, its Steeltown nickname, there's a blue-collar grit to Hamilton that makes itself easily transferrable to sport. Teams like the NHL's Edmonton Oilers or the NBA's Detroit Pistons have made reference to cultural identifiers in their manufacturing industries before, but as a word, 'Steelworkers' openly presents itself as a great sports team name, and one that nods to the city's self-dependence outside of the much larger Toronto media atmosphere.

Winnipeg Winter

With a sport such as soccer that tends to find itself vulnerable to ice storms, the notoriously snowy Winnipeg may run into some logistical difficulty fielding a team, even in the domed Investors Group Field. However, fans in the city are already proving their resolve to support their teams regardless of the weather, so why not lean into the Whiteout tradition and the weather? With a team name like the Winter, Winnipeg's soccer team can take ownership of the city's weather conditions and frame it as an obstacle for opposing teams. Honestly, there is so much potential there for creative branding promotions and gimmicks.

Calgary Derby

The CFL's Calgary Stampeders have already taken the low-hanging fruit here, but that's fine. Let's get creative! In soccer, the term 'derby' usually defines a local rivalry, and of course, it would also pay homage to the Stampede's signature Rangeland Derby event. The branding might be tough to visualize, but really, there's a lot of latitude there in terms of coming up with the imagery behind passionate play. The really great thing here, though, is that immediately, the team would be able to play up a Battle of Alberta rivalry with the next team on this list...

Edmonton Keepers

Here's another soccer pun for your butts, because you see, the city of Edmonton is often referred to as the Gateway of the North, and also, teams won't score on them at all! This, however, may backfire on them in the event that a team does put up numbers on the board against them, but, hey, when you can combine city iconography with relevant sports lingo, take it and run. The city used to field the FC Edmonton team that played in the North American Soccer League, but that team folded in 2017, so there's a readymade opportunity -- stadium and all -- for a new team to fill a void as part of the CPL.

Halifax Hatties

Hat tricks! On its face, there isn't too much happening in this name, but you see, the genius of it comes from the ability to hinge your identity on hat-tricks and stoke fan excitement by building up possible hat tricks in each game. Whether it happens or not is beside the point! Even if a player scores just two goals, there's already a built-in sideshow that has every fan in the stadium cheering for more. And when a hat trick does happen, you've ensured that an entire stadium of fans is ready to get rowdy. As a start-up sports league, why not have more fun?

Moncton Minnows

A team based in Moncton (where there is reported interest in fielding a CPL team!) would probably have the leeway to name itself as a New Brunswick team instead of Moncton, but look, you can't pass up the alliteration. Nobody is about to be intimidated by a team named after minnows, but it plays to the maritime angle as well as the self-evident underdog status of any sports team based in New Brunswick. Like, it's New Brunswick, my guy. Forcing some kind of heavy-handed name like, say, the Golden Knights to strike fear into opposing teams will never fly. An offbeat and wacky name, like New Orleans with its Pelicans NBA team, will deliver character in spades. Sports culture needs more minnows.

Saskatchewan Cyclists

This is corny, yes, but it's also great, because bicycle kicks are awesome and there needs to be a soccer team that can build its team imagery around just bicycle kicks. Soccer is the only sport where a reference to bicycles would work! The connection to Saskatchewan is admittedly tenuous (hey, it has really good biking trails!), but frankly, we're not about to 'Wheat Kings' this one. The cities of Saskatoon and Regina have both been linked to potential CPL teams.

Markham/York United

Another team in the general area of Toronto sounds silly when Toronto FC is bound to dominate, but former Toronto FC captain Jim Brennan has been linked to an effort aiming to bring a team to the York Region, and there was previously an attempt to bring a NHL team to the city of Markham. Besides, sports oversaturation is a Toronto hallmark, so this isn't actually making it any more outrageous than it already is. Markham in particular provides a neat branding opportunity, as the city is highly diverse and few sports teams have the capacity to lean into multiculturalism more than Markham, which would already benefit from establishing a niche in Toronto sports landscape. A number of sports teams are named the 'United' -- there are three in the MLS alone -- but for Markham, there is a much more cohesive identity that can result from the name. Let's get Canadian!