We have a new leader at the top of the table!
After a remarkably impressive 2-0 win over Atlético Ottawa, the Halifax Wanderers currently find themselves in first place in the Canadian Premier League thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker. They outplayed Atleti at the Wanderers Grounds on Saturday to hand Ottawa their first loss of the year, and both clubs now sit at 17 points.
Later on Saturday afternoon, Pacific and Forge went toe-to-toe in a scrappy game on Vancouver Island, but Forge's 19-year-old Hace Massunda played the unlikely hero in the end, scoring the winner with a great strike from the top of the box as the Hammers won 1-0. They're now the only undefeated team left standing in the CPL.
Sunday began with York United hosting Vancouver, looking for their first home win of the league campaign. They got it, thanks to Julian Altobelli's great finish -- with an even better assist from Oswaldo León -- and they held VFC off the rest of the day to see out the 1-0.
Finally, Cavalry scored early and often against Valour for a second consecutive 4-0 win at ATCO Field, and they've now won four league matches in a row.
Here's how the league table looks through eight matchweeks, with every team now through a quarter of their campaign.
Cavalry are probably the most in-form team in the league right now, and the difference between their April and May in remarkable. They still haven't won a CPL match in the month of April, but as soon as the calendar flipped over they seemed to find a new gear. Cavalry have won every game they've played in May, and outscored opponents 13-1 in that four-game span.
Meanwhile, the Wanderers are on top for the first time every, and they deserve a lot of credit for how effectively they dealt with a very strong Ottawa side on Saturday. Now, Halifax will head into their CPL On Tour match in Québec City next weekend with a little extra swagger, knowing they can keep themselves in first place with another win.
York United also go into that On Tour game with their heads a little higher than a week before, thanks to finally getting back in the win column against Vancouver. They had a frustrating time out against Halifax last time they met, having led at one point before the Wanderers' Tiago Coimbra scored late to steal all three points.
That game in Québec is just part of an insanely packed Canadian soccer weekend, by the way. That same day, we've also got a CPL Final rematch between Forge and Cavalry, live on TSN.
Before either of those on Saturday, though, Desiree Scott gets her Canadian women's national team swan song in a friendy vs. Haiti in Winnipeg. Plus, the weekend has more CPL action on Friday and Sunday, and it all wraps up with the Concacaf Champions Cup final between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Cruz Azul later Sunday evening. All of that is available to watch on OneSoccer, by the way (and if you're looking for another reason to jump aboard, use the code CONCACAF2025 to get the first month of a new monthly OneSoccer subscription for just $9.99).
Awards Watch
Julian Altobelli is back on level footing with Sam Salter, with the York and Ottawa strikers now both on six goals.
Meanwhile, with no David Rodríguez in action this week, a few other players around the league took their chance to take over the spotlight. Lorenzo Callegari, for instance, looked incredible for Halifax; he's certainly got the quality to be a Player of the Year candidate, even if his contributions are a little quieter sometimes.
Plus, Tobias Warschewski continued to dominate in Cavalry's attack. He has five goals and an assist now, and he looks almost unstoppable on the counter-attack.
U-21 Minutes Update
Congratulations to Atlético Ottawa and Vancouver FC! Both sides have officially crossed the 2,000-minute threshold, meaning they've filled their quota of U-21 playing time for the whole season -- not that either team is at all likely to play their youngsters any less. Atleti's U-21 players remain crucial to their defence, between the likes of Noah Abatneh, Sergei Kozlovskiy and Loïc Cloutier.
Forge took a big step up the leaderboard this weekend, with a start for Keito Lipovschek. Their hero, though, was 19-year-old Hoce Massunda, who came into the game late and scored a lovely goal to win it for the Hammers at Pacific.
| Team | U-21 Minutes |
|---|---|
| Atlético Ottawa | 2,351 |
| Vancouver FC | 2,021 |
| Pacific FC | 1,244 |
| Cavalry FC | 1,113 |
| Halifax Wanderers FC | 895 |
| Forge FC | 550 |
| York United FC | 497 |
| Valour FC | 447 |
Coming up next…
Friday, May 30
Vancouver FC vs. Atlético Ottawa — 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Saturday, May 31
Forge FC vs. Cavalry FC — 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT
York United vs. Halifax Wanderers (in Québec City) — 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Sunday, June 1
Valour FC vs. Pacific FC — 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
(Watch all games live on OneSoccer, and this week catch the Forge vs. Cavalry match on TSN.)
Photo of the Week
A lot of good ones this week, but it had to be this. Thomas Meilleur-Giguère has fit in beautifully in Halifax, and it seems he's quickly becoming a fan favourite.
