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The Canadian Premier League’s snowy final, which featured a snowstorm and a daring bicycle kick, has generated more than one billion views, according to a league spokesperson.
Scenes from Atlético Ottawa’s 2-1 victory over visiting Calgary on Sunday went viral on social media, with David Rodríguez’s incredible game-tying goal generating most of the buzz.
The league’s director of communications, Laura Armstrong, told CBC that videos of the final reached 786 million people in the first 48 hours and have since surpassed one billion views with coverage in 174 countries.
He described this moment as “lightning in a bottle” for the CPL, which typically doesn’t get the same level of international attention as North America’s Major League Soccer.
“We’ve had a lot of people come in from all over the world to try to understand more about our league, which is phenomenal,” Armstrong said. “In terms of participation and reach, I think we can say pretty confidently that it was the most-watched (CPL) match.”
The Atlético Ottawa forward scored an incredible goal in the CPL final and has been attracting international attention, including from content creator ishowspeed.
As it was snowing heavily at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Rodriguez launched a bicycle kick that hit the underside of the Cavalry goal crossbar and fell behind the goal line.
The goal quickly became known online as the “icicle kick.”
“It was an incredible goal on a pretty memorable night,” Armstrong said.
Rodríguez scored his second goal of the game in extra time to secure Atlético’s dramatic victory.
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch, who was at the game, says he received “between 20 and 30 text messages” from people in Europe about the CPL final.
An iconic moment in Canadian sport
Some had questioned whether the game should have been played in blizzard conditions, but Armstrong said the league prepared a contingency plan.
An orange ball was used and additional corner flags were placed along the sidelines in an attempt to improve visibility.
Soccer player David Rodriguez tells The National about the time he scored a bicycle kick in the snow, known as an icicle kick, in the Canadian Premier League final to tie the game and propel his team, Atlético Ottawa, to the championship.
The match was also stopped overnight to allow teams to clear snow from critical areas of the pitch, including the 18-yard boxes in front of the goals.
“Ultimately, it’s a matter of protecting the integrity of the competition while also understanding that it was a final and there would not be another opportunity to play that game,” Armstrong said.
“So we wanted to walk that fine line of making sure everyone was safe and happy on the field.”
