Football Manager 20 is free to play in Canada right now, in case you didn't know. If you're in full self-isolation mode and haven't played the Canadian Premier League in-game, this is your chance. We have a few "save game" ideas to get you started. Last week, CanPL.ca finished building Atlético Ottawa's squad in FM20 and the results were pretty realistic, except for the addition of Will Johnson, we'd argue. Our next experiment is far from realistic: What if Bayern Munich and Canada phenom Alphonso Davies joined FC Edmonton this season? Canada's brightest star and one of Europe's most exciting prospects moving home, to his hometown, for a ten-year run with the Eddies. Does he destroy the CPL for years to come? How far does he carry FCE? How does his arrival change the league? Let's find out. SELF-ISOLATION HELP: 10 soccer books to read || 7 CPL matches to re-watch || 5 soccer movies to check out
Dominance didn't come easy
It was a shaky start for Davies in this hypothetical return to Alberta. After a solid debut campaign in 2020 – six goals, five assists, five player of the match performances – Davies and FCE ended a single point out of the playoffs. A similar fourth-placed finish followed in 2021 as Davies looked pedestrian for club and country; a just-above-average 6.96 match rating average and one assist. However, things begin to turn around in 2024 when a then-24-year-old Davies hits his prime, leading FC Edmonton to a first-place finish. The 2025 season, when the Edmontonian was appointed FCE captain, appears to be his best in the blue-and-white. Featuring up top with Gabriel Balbinotti, Davies exploded for 14 goals and six assists in all competitions. His four markers in the Canadian Championship (which included a brace against Toronto FC in a semifinal upset) earned him the tournament's golden boot and the Eddies a spot in the finals. Davies also contributed three goals for Canada in tune-ups for the 2026 World Cup (more on that later). Davies never wins CPL Player of the Year, despite a superb average match rating and averaging over 10 goals a season. He did win Best Under 21 Canadian twice, however, in 2020 and 2022. By 2030, Davies led the Eddies with 321 all-time appearances, 88 goals, and an impressive 7.11 match rating. He had a similar run with Canada, too, appearing in their all-time best XI. The pacy winger scored for Canada at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring in the 21st minute in a 2-0 win over Australia and helping Les Rouges advance to the second round.
Captain Davies leads Eddies to CanChamp success
There's no denying Davies made the Eddies a better side in this experiment. By 2030, FCE had two CPL titles, the first coming in 2027, and made the playoffs in six of the previous eight seasons. Davies worked out of those early slumps to make his hometown club the CPL's premier side. The Eddies also enjoyed some incredible success in cup competitions. Davies led Edmonton to three Canadian Championship finals in 2021, 2023, and 2025, losing to Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps at the last hurdle, respectively. No CPL club other than FC Edmonton had made the CanChamp finals by 2030. Similarly, no CPL side had won the Concacaf League, save for FCE, who did it twice in 2028 and 2029. Concacaf Champions League success was left wanting, however, as they failed to advance past the first round in both opportunities.
Davies' best position never decided
If you can believe it, putting Canada's once-in-a-lifetime talent at Clarke Stadium for a decade gave some interesting results. For one, Davies appears on the CPL Best XI nine of 11 seasons, featuring at left wing, central midfield, and striker. Never at left fullback, I may add. These shifting roles were likely due to a carousel of managers in Edmonton, including current Pacific FC coach Pa-Modou Kah, Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, York9 FC assistant coach Paul Stalteri, and Atlético Ottawa coach Mista.
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Dominance didn't come easy
It was a shaky start for Davies in this hypothetical return to Alberta. After a solid debut campaign in 2020 – six goals, five assists, five player of the match performances – Davies and FCE ended a single point out of the playoffs. A similar fourth-placed finish followed in 2021 as Davies looked pedestrian for club and country; a just-above-average 6.96 match rating average and one assist. However, things begin to turn around in 2024 when a then-24-year-old Davies hits his prime, leading FC Edmonton to a first-place finish. The 2025 season, when the Edmontonian was appointed FCE captain, appears to be his best in the blue-and-white. Featuring up top with Gabriel Balbinotti, Davies exploded for 14 goals and six assists in all competitions. His four markers in the Canadian Championship (which included a brace against Toronto FC in a semifinal upset) earned him the tournament's golden boot and the Eddies a spot in the finals. Davies also contributed three goals for Canada in tune-ups for the 2026 World Cup (more on that later). Davies never wins CPL Player of the Year, despite a superb average match rating and averaging over 10 goals a season. He did win Best Under 21 Canadian twice, however, in 2020 and 2022. By 2030, Davies led the Eddies with 321 all-time appearances, 88 goals, and an impressive 7.11 match rating. He had a similar run with Canada, too, appearing in their all-time best XI. The pacy winger scored for Canada at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring in the 21st minute in a 2-0 win over Australia and helping Les Rouges advance to the second round.
Captain Davies leads Eddies to CanChamp success
There's no denying Davies made the Eddies a better side in this experiment. By 2030, FCE had two CPL titles, the first coming in 2027, and made the playoffs in six of the previous eight seasons. Davies worked out of those early slumps to make his hometown club the CPL's premier side. The Eddies also enjoyed some incredible success in cup competitions. Davies led Edmonton to three Canadian Championship finals in 2021, 2023, and 2025, losing to Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps at the last hurdle, respectively. No CPL club other than FC Edmonton had made the CanChamp finals by 2030. Similarly, no CPL side had won the Concacaf League, save for FCE, who did it twice in 2028 and 2029. Concacaf Champions League success was left wanting, however, as they failed to advance past the first round in both opportunities.
Davies' best position never decided
If you can believe it, putting Canada's once-in-a-lifetime talent at Clarke Stadium for a decade gave some interesting results. For one, Davies appears on the CPL Best XI nine of 11 seasons, featuring at left wing, central midfield, and striker. Never at left fullback, I may add. These shifting roles were likely due to a carousel of managers in Edmonton, including current Pacific FC coach Pa-Modou Kah, Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, York9 FC assistant coach Paul Stalteri, and Atlético Ottawa coach Mista.
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