2025 CPL Regular Season — Match #103
Valour FC vs. Atlético Ottawa
October 5 at 2 p.m. CT/ 3 p.m. ET
Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Live: OneSoccer // Tickets available here
Atlético Ottawa travel to the prairies on Sunday in search of a crucial three points and the season sweep against Valour FC.
The capital club have won all three previous meetings between the two clubs this season, and are unbeaten in their last eight against Valour.
Still sitting two points behind Forge FC in the CPL Shield race with three matches remaining, they know that only wins at this stage in the season will keep their hopes of a regular-season title alive.
With 51 points already collected, Atlético Ottawa have already set a club record for points in a season, including when they won the Shield in 2022 with 49 points. But in what is the most competitive CPL Shield race ever, they will need three more at the bare minimum -- and likely nine just to have a chance with how consistent their rivals from Hamilton have been.
Atleti have not traditionally been very strong at closing out seasons. In fact, their CPL Shield-winning campaign in 2022 was the only time they won more than once in their final three matches of a campaign.
This past weekend, Valour were eliminated from playoff contention following a 1-0 loss to York United at York Lions Stadium. With Sunday being their penultimate home match of the season, however, they will be motivated to finish their year on a strong note.
The Winnipeg club has been quite solid at home lately, shocking Forge 2-1 in their most recent match at Princess Auto Stadium. They have just one loss in their past five at home, which came against Atleti on August 10, by a score of 2-1.
Sam Salter scored the match-winner on that day, and the Golden Boot leader has scored in each of the three meetings between the two clubs this season, including his historic four-goal performance in a 5-2 victory back on May 10. The 25-year-old has scored 10 career goals against Valour, more than any other CPL club.
Valour will be fighting for pride on Sunday, and to finish their season well. For Atlético Ottawa, the Shield is still in their sights.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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Can Atlético Ottawa break the CPL's goal record? Atlético Ottawa's attacking prowess has been well-documented throughout this season. Now, it might well go in the history books. With 50 goals scored during the 2025 CPL campaign, Atleti are just one away from tying 2019 Cavalry FC, who had 51, for most goals scored by a club in a single regular season. For a team that has really developed a sense of pride in its attacking identity this year, it would be a meaningful milestone for the club to accomplish.
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Valour aim to finish the season on a high note: The Winnipeg club's playoff dreams may have come to an end this past week, but there is still plenty of motivation both on an individual and collective level to finish the season on a high note. particularly after finishing the past two campaigns at the bottom of the CPL team, the group will be desperate not to have that be the case again. Currently in sixth, they are a point up on Pacific and five on Vancouver FC. Asked if the team has any motivation to play a role in the CPL Shield race this weekend by taking points off of Atlético Ottawa, he said that it didn't really factor into how his group was preparing at all. "I think it's important for us to show up for the right reasons," he said. "That needs to be Valour FC, and us finishing with pride and trying to stay as high as we can in the table. If we can't finish fifth, fourth, third, let's try and secure that sixth spot and finish strong."
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Can Ballou Tabla follow up fantastic September?: For much of this season, the focus has been on the other two points in Atlético Ottawa's attacking trident. Sam Salter, of course, has been leading the league's Golden Boot race for most of the uear, and David Rodríguez was discussed as a Player of the Year candidate from the opening month of the season. In September, however, Ballou Tabla finally got some deserved recognition by being named the league's Player of the Month. Always a highly-skilled and dangerous attacker on his day, Tabla has found the end product this year, with nine goals and three assists. That is his best goalscoring (and goal contributions) total in the league to date, eclipsing the seven he scored in 2022 when he was nominated for the league's Player of the Year award. If he can continue to stay in top form, it couldn't be vital to Atleti's success in these final three weeks of the season and beyond