Only 10 games remain in each team's regular season schedule, which means we're rapidly approaching the homestretch of the 2025 campaign.
Nothing in the order of the table changed in matchweek 18, but we have a pretty good picture of what the major battles are going to be over the next two months. Forge and Atlético Ottawa are in a heavyweight clash for the CPL Shield, while Cavalry, York United and the Halifax Wanderers jockey for third — unless Pacific FC have anything to say about it.
This weekend, Forge stretched their unbeaten run to 18 with a 2-1 win over York United. Later that afternoon, Cavalry and Halifax battled to a 0-0 draw at ATCO Field, as neither side managed to solve the other despite chances at both ends.
On Sunday, Atlético beat Valour 2-1 in Winnipeg thanks to goals from their biggest stars, David Rodríguez and Sam Salter. Then, to cap off the weekend, Pacific FC and Vancouver FC went toe-to-toe in an exciting Salish Sea Derby, where the hero was Alejandro Díaz in a 3-2 PFC win. The former Vancouver striker reintroduced himself to the Tridents faithful with a brace, making him the CPL's new all-time leading scorer with 41 goals.
Here's how the league table looks after a big weekend for the away sides:
Credit must be given to Forge for this incredible run; at this point, with just 10 games left, it's hard not to start believing they really could go all the way and complete an undefeated season. No CPL team has been able to stop them yet...
This upcoming week could decide a lot for the next few weeks. Saturday night features a must-win clash for Pacific, who host the Halifax Wanderers. With a seven-point gap between the two, this might make or break Pacific's slim hopes of getting into the playoffs. If they win, a four-point margin suddenly doesn't feel all that big. If they lose, then 10 points might be insurmountable.
On Sunday, Forge host Atlético Ottawa in a top-of-the-table clash that could define the title race. A win for Forge would give them their first real separation, while an Ottawa triumph would put Atleti back on top with a two-point lead. Expect a fierce battle in Hamilton.
Before all that, however, there's some serious business to take care of in the TELUS Canadian Championship. Both semi-finals kick off with Leg 1 on Wednesday night, and three CPL teams are involved.
Forge host the Vancouver Whitecaps (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT), hoping to beat an MLS team for the second consecutive round. Later, Vancouver FC take on Atlético Ottawa in Langley, B.C. as those two CPL sides battle for a spot in the final (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).
Awards Watch
The usual suspects are at it again. David Rodríguez was in the goals again on Sunday for Atlético Ottawa, as was Golden Boot leader Sam Salter, who now has a three-goal lead above Julian Altobelli with 12 in total.
Last season's Player of the Year, Tristan Borges, delivered arguably his best performance of the season on Saturday for Forge, scoring a goal and creating several good chances. His season has been a bit too injury-plagued for him to be a likely award candidate this year, but you never know; if he stays in top form over the next couple months and leads Forge to silverware, his name is always bound to pop up.
The Defender of the Year race is always hard to gauge, but Dan Nimick has played at a consistently outstanding level all year for the Hammers; he seems a near-lock to be one of the three nominees come October.
U-21 Minutes Update
No change in the leaderboard this week, as the four teams still below the 2,000-minute mark keep working their way toward the quota. Vancouver FC's Thierno Bah had an impactful weekend, scoring in the derby for his club; he's certainly one to watch over the next few weeks as he remains one of VFC's standout attacking players.
Atlético Ottawa played an entire back five of U-21 eligible players; not only did they go with their usual back three of Sergei Kozlovskiy, Noah Abatneh and Loïc Cloutier; they also had youngsters Gabriel Antinoro and Joaquim Coulanges patrolling the flanks.
It certainly paid off, as Antinoro had an assist and Atleti held Valour largely at bay in a 2-1 road win.
| Team | U-21 Minutes |
|---|---|
| Atlético Ottawa | 5,755 |
| Vancouver FC | 5,117 |
| Cavalry FC | 3,014 |
| Pacific FC | 2,214 |
| Halifax Wanderers FC | 1,923 |
| Valour FC | 1,858 |
| Forge FC | 1,586 |
| York United FC | 1,548 |
Coming up next…
Saturday, Aug. 16
Pacific FC vs. Halifax Wanderers — 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT
Sunday, Aug. 17
Valour FC vs. York United — 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT
Forge FC vs. Atlético Ottawa — 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT (Live on TSN2)
Cavalry FC vs. Vancouver FC — 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
(Watch all games live on OneSoccer. and this week watch Forge FC vs. Atlético Ottawa on TSN2.)
Photo of the Week
York United celebrated Pride this weekend, and the supporters did their part to add to the atmosphere -- when the wind cooperated, that is.
(Photo by Denys Rudenko)
