Final Score: Forge FC 0-1 Cavalry FC
Goalscorers: Warschewski 57'
2025 CPL Playoffs
Contender semifinal
Match in a minute or less
Defending champions Cavalry FC are back in the CPL Final after a professional 1-0 victory over rivals Forge FC in Hamilton on Sunday.
As is his nature, Tobias Warschewski played the hero again for Cavalry in the playoffs with a 57th-minute winner that he chipped over Jaseem Koleilat for the game's lone goal.
From there, the visitors showed tremendous game management to see out a result in Hamilton in the playoff for a second straight year.
For the first time ever in CPL history, Forge will not play in the CPL Final. Cavalry, meanwhile, reach their third consecutive final, where they take on Atlético Ottawa in the nation's capital on Sunday, November 9 (5 p.m. ET).
Three Observations
Defending champions Cavalry put in a spectacular road performance to reach CPL Final
The Cavs put the defend in defending champions on Sunday with a professional road performance to reach the CPL final for a third consecutive season.
Coming into Sunday's match, there were plenty of questions about whether or not Cavalry could deliver away from ATCO Field, something which has been their Achilles heel all season. They had conceded some 16 goals in their past seven away matches, none of which were wins.
On Sunday, they won their first road match since July 20 in Winnipeg. When it mattered most, Cavalry dug deep and grinded out the kind of defensive and collective road performance that has been crucial to their identity for so many years.
"That's the away performance we've needed," said Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. "Against a fantastic side, we need to make sure everybody was willing to defend at every possible moment, knowing that we will create some really good chances. And we did... but what pleased me today was the way which we played for each other."
Cavalry spent a lot of the match defending, particularly once they opened the scoring in the 56th minute -- with 30.9 per cent of the action on the night in their half. But the Hamilton side were limited to just 0.82 expected goals and two shots on target.
In particular, they did exceptionally well against the Hamilton club's aerial threats. Forge attempted 30 crosses during the match -- one about every three minutes. But they completed just six, as time and time again Cavalry bravely defended their box, clearing cross after cross.
Forge FC's attempted crosses during the match (Courtesy: Opta)
Critically, as well, in the 57th minute, Cavalry opened the scoring, a position from which they have not lost all year.
Once they had that goal, their game management was brilliant. This is a team now that has consistently shown they know how to hold leads in the postseason, and be that with the way they slowed down the game at times, or sped it up, they saw out the remaining 33 minutes, plus eight of stoppage time, exceptionally.
It looked far more likely in the dying moments that they were going to be the ones to score a second, versus Forge equalizing, as they created several excellent chances in transition, particularly through Goteh Ntignee.
"Moments like this, grinding it out, defending the box for our lives, that's stuff we've done before," said Cavalry FC midfielder Shamit Shome. "We've done it against Forge last year in the semifinal to win in the same result, same way."
Now, Cavalry have their biggest road match of the season, in the nation's capital, against Atlético Ottawa, to lift a second straight North Star Cup. But they will go in with a blueprint, in mentality at least, of what it will take to once again taste the champagne they seek.
Tobias Warschewski delivers again on the biggest stage for Cavalry
The dragon slayer.
That is what Wheeldon Jr. called Tobias Warschewski after he scored in a third consecutive playoff match against Forge FC -- and the lone goal the past two times they met in Hamilton in the postseason.
For 57 minutes, the Cavalry striker cut a frustrated figure. Moments earlier, he was slammed to the ground by Nana Ampomah, the fifth time he had be fouled in the match. Forge, playing a double pivot of Alessandro Hojabrpour and Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson had done well to time away his time and space on the ball.
But early in the second half, Warchewski finally got his chance. A poor touch at the back from Malik Owolabi-Belewu played Warschewski through on goal, and he deftly chipped the ball over the Jassem Koleilat to open the scoring. It was the only shot Warschewski attempted during the game.
"Listen, he's a player for big occasions," said Wheeldon Jr. "He's so entertaining to watch.
"Tobi loves a big goal and big moments, and again he's going to tell me he's undefeated in playoffs."
The goal was Warschewski's CPL-record fifth in playoff action, and his sixth playoff goal contribution in four playoff matches.
As always, though, even if he spent a lot of the match struggling to get on the ball in dangerous areas, the German influenced the match in other ways. Warschewski won 12 of 19 duels, and made four duels. His defensive work rate in putting Forge under pressure throughout the match across the field.
But as much as Warschewski has said that he doesn't define his game by goals, and even during an up-and-down season, it is his continued ability to show up and deliver them in the biggest moments of the season that have truly written his name in the CPL history books.
The double remains elusive as outstanding Forge season comes to a disappointing end
For the first time ever, the Canadian Premier League final will not feature Forge FC.
This year's CPL Shield winners missed two opportunities to reach a seventh straight CPL Final, losing back-to-back playoff matches for the first time in club history.
It was a disappointing end to another spectacular season from the league's most successful team, where they set club records for points and goals and went a CPL record 20 matches unbeaten.
But the team that ended that unbeaten run in Calgary earlier this season, Cavalry FC, also got the last laugh in the playoffs as well. Forge were the side on the front foot for most of the match, creating good control over the game with a double-pivot of Alessandro Hojabrpour and Alex Achinioti-Jönsson, which allowed them to play out of the Cavalry press, while allowing them to counter-press incredible well and largely dominate the centre of the park.
What was missing, however, was perhaps the bit more creativity a second number eight like Tristan Borges would have offered in the attacking third. They got into good attacking situations well enough, but lacked that last clinical action to turn that territorial dominance into a final product.
In the end, just two weeks after lifting a trophy as CPL regular season winners, Forge's season 2025 season is over.
"Maybe you're not as hungry, and that's not to say our guys didn't want this, but something when you eat at a nice steakhouse, you're not ready for the next meal right away," said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis of his team winning the regular season but then failing to lift the North Star Cup for a second consecutive year.
An emotional Smyrniotis spoke at length after the match about how special this Forge team was this entire year. What hurts the most he says, an emotion echoed by Forge captain Kyle Bekker, is that this is the last time this exact same squad will get to play together.
"This is a fantastic group," said Smyrnitios after the match. "I know you guys will get busy talking about the final, but this Forge team is the top. It's the top that this league has seen. There's no doubt in my mind that's there, and all the statistics, and all the background statistics and all of that. So that's what makes this one tough, and the toughest thing again for me is that I don't get to work with the same group of guys again on the pitch."
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Tobias Warschewski, Cavalry FC
Always the man for the moment, Warschewski delivered again with an artful chip in the 57th minute for the game's lone goal, and his CPL record fifth playoff tally in just four matches.
What’s next?
Cavalry FC advance to take on Atlético Ottawa at TD Place in Ottawa in the CPL Final on Sunday, November 9 (5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT). Forge have been eliminated from the playoffs.
Watch all of the CPL Playoffs live on OneSoccer and TSN. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.