AS IT STANDS: Shield race back on? + Cavalry topple Forge

A high-scoring Labour Day weekend offered a handful of surprises in the Canadian Premier League, including some history being made, and an attempt at history getting stopped in its tracks.

Week 21 kicked off in Calgary, where Cavalry hosted Forge for the first time since the 2024 CPL Final last November. The visiting Hammers, riding a wave of momentum with six wins in a row and 20 straight league matches unbeaten, saw their streak meet an abrupt end. Cavalry were relentless en route to a 4-1 win, handing Forge their first defeat of the campaign.

So, Forge's quest for the CPL record books ended on Saturday, but Sam Salter's continued apace in Ottawa. The Atlético striker scored again in a 3-1 win over Vancouver FC for his 14th league goal of the season, tying João Morelli's 2021 total for the single-season record. With seven games left to play, it feels inevitable Salter sets the new mark sooner rather than later; in fact, he nearly did it on Saturday, but Aidan O'Connor knocked Salter's chance into the net for an own goal instead.

Sunday afternoon saw Valour's newcomer Diego Konincks make an impact in his first start for the club, scoring an early goal, but Alejandro Díaz netted from the penalty spot and Pacific managed a 1-1 draw in Winnipeg.

The holiday Monday, as it so often is out east, was a real party as the Halifax Wanderers routed York United, 4-0. Two goals from Jason Bahamboula and a formidable all-around performance meant the home side sent their fans away satisfied after two consecutive four-goal games at the Wanderers Grounds.

Here's how the table looks after matchweek 21.

Suddenly, it feels like we've got a title race back on? After Atlético Ottawa's big win and Forge's loss, perhaps the Hammers aren't quite pulling away entirely. The gap at the top is just three points now, and with one more Ottawa-Forge meeting left on the calendar, this could still go either way.

Atleti also became the second team to clinch their postseason berth this weekend, so they'll return to the playoffs for a third time in club history.

Meanwhile, the race for third place remains as tight as ever. Just when Cavalry thought they might put some room between themselves and the two sides below — perhaps hoping for a Halifax-York draw on Monday — the Wanderers kept pace. The Cavs also have to play York United on Friday, where they could either build some more separation, or find themselves pulled right back into the pack.

It would still be very difficult for any of the bottom three to crack into the top five and make the playoffs, but crazier things have happened. Vancouver FC's last chance to make any kind of run might be this Friday night, when they play Valour; they would be eliminated from playoff contention if they lose and York United pick up a point.

Aside from these races, there are some key storylines to keep an eye on this week, particularly in Ottawa. Atleti play host to Pacific on Sunday, where a couple individual accolades are on the line.

Of course, Salter needs just one tally to set the new CPL record for goals in a season. Plus, he's also tied for the league's all-time single-season goal contributions record; with 14 goals and three assists (17 total contributions), he needs just one to break that record. Worth watching here, though: David Rodríguez has 15, and could arguably even compete with Salter for that mark by the end of the year. Halifax's Tiago Coimbra has 14, by the way, so he's in the mix as well.

This is going to be a busy weekend in Canadian soccer, with the men's national team taking on Romania on Friday afternoon, then Wales next Tuesday. The Romania game will kick off a triple-header, leading straight into the York-Cavalry and Vancouver-Valour matches in the CPL, so make sure to stick around for it all.

Breaking down the run-in:

With just seven games left on the schedule for each team, it's high time we start looking more closely at what each side's final few weeks look like.

All eight CPL clubs are still in the running (we'll remove any as they're officially eliminated), and here's what they have to look forward to in the next few weeks. In the table below, green squares are home matches and red are away.

As you can see, Ottawa, Forge, Vancouver and York each have four home games left, and the other clubs have three. Every side still plays each of the other teams once more, so it's quite a balanced schedule to come. This is an important upcoming stretch for York United, who have back-to-back home games against Cavalry and Atlético Ottawa. Atleti, meanwhile, go from that date at York to a pair of home matches with Forge and then Cavalry, which could end up settling the title race.

Awards Watch

We're hoping we didn't jinx Tiago Coimbra, who picked up an assist for the Wanderers on Monday then left the game with an injury in just the 19th minute. It would be a massive blow to Halifax if he's out for any significant stretch, and could do damage to his own U-21 Player of the Year campaign.

However, the Player of the Year battle remains interesting, even if it is largely centred on Ottawa. David Rodríguez has long been considered the front-runner, and he provided another goal and assist this week. However, with Sam Salter likely to fly past the single-season goals and goal contributions records, surely he deserves attention there too. The question is, are we likely to see both Atlético Ottawa men nominated? There are five nominees for this particular award, and there have been teammates included before...

One other name we don't talk about enough in Player of the Year conversations is Nana Ampomah, who scored again on Saturday and now has seven goals and three assists, and has played a huge role in Forge's attacking success this year. Don't be surprised to see him get a nod, either.

U-21 Minutes Update

Forge and York continue their march toward the 2,000-minute threshold, as the only remaining sides still below the mark. Neither will have trouble getting there, with the likes of Hoce Massunda and Shola Jimoh continuing to play important roles for the two clubs.

Teams across the league continue enjoying outstanding contributions from their youngsters. Atlético Ottawa, who lead the way with 6,408 U-21 minutes, have slowed a little in the last few weeks, with Loïc Cloutier and Noah Abatneh out injured. However, Joaquim Coulanges did a great job for them at left wing-back on Saturday night. Cloutier and Abatneh should be back soon, although Sergei Kozlovskiy is about to head out on international duty with Canada's U-17s.

Coming up next…

Friday, Sept. 5

York United vs. Cavalry FC — 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT
Vancouver FC vs. Valour FC — 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT

Saturday, Sept. 6

Forge FC vs. Halifax Wanderers — 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (Live on TSN)
Atlético Ottawa vs. Pacific FC — 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

(Watch all games live on OneSoccer. and this week watch Forge vs. Halifax on TSN.)

Photo of the Week

Things got a little heated between Cavalry and Forge this weekend...

(Photo by Mike Sturk)