One hundred games down. Twelve to go.
After matchweek 25, only three weeks separate us from the Outcome and the end of the regular season, and we still don't know who's lifting the CPL Shield, or who's going where in the playoffs.
Atlético Ottawa put themselves atop the table for about an hour on Saturday when they beat Cavalry 3-0 at home, but Forge one-upped Atleti by beating Pacific 4-0 in Hamilton later that same afternoon.
So, the Hammers remain in pole position for the Shield, with a two-point lead in the table.
On Sunday, York United became the fifth CPL team to clinch their playoff spot this year. Julian Altobelli's return to the lineup was a welcome boost, as the Nine Stripes needed just one goal from their leading scorer to beat Valour 1-0.
Later that evening, York received some more good news with the help of their former coach, as Martin Nash's Vancovuer FC won a second straight home game and beat the Halifax Wanderers 3-1.
York, therefore, have climbed into fourth place. Here's how the table looks now:
It's still Forge and Ottawa at the top in a battle for the Shield, with the three other sides battling for third.
This week, though, we take another detour from the Chase to return to the TELUS Canadian Championship, where we've got an all-Vancouver showdown on our hands.
Vancouver FC, the first ever CPL club to get to the CanChamp Final in a full tournament, look to finish off their improbable Cinderella run against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
It's a mountain to climb, especially against a formidable Whitecaps side featuring Canada stars like Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson, as well as the most decorated German footballer of all time in Thomas Müller, but VFC have defied the odds before... Plus, there's some kind of magic in their cup run this year.
That was a big topic of this week's CPL Newsrrom presented by Volkswagen, where we did a full preview of Wednesday's final.
If the playoffs started today...
Just one change from last week, but it's significant.
York United jumped ahead of Halifax, which would put them in line to host the knockout match that begins the playoffs. They've been excellent at home this year, and the Wanderers have struggled on the road (case in point: Sunday in Vancouver).
That makes this Saturday's game between the two sides in Halifax a huge one. York's lead is just one point, and last time they played at the Wanderers Grounds, as Mauro Eustáquio put it recently, they didn't show up.
Breaking down the run-in
Ottawa, Cavalry and York are the sides with just one home game left in the regular season, and all three sides need to make use of those. For the Cavs, that'll be a tough task as they host Forge for the second time this year, but last time the Hammers visited Calgary it was a great day for the hosts (who won 4-1).
It's generally been a good year for home sides, especially in the last few weeks — the last away team to win in the CPL was Valour at Vancouver FC on Sept. 5, and home teams are unbeaten in the 14 games since then. In week 25, all four games were won by the home club.
So, with two playoff sides (Ottawa and Cavalry) playing on the road against eliminated sides this weekend, Valour and Pacific have a chance to play spoiler.
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Awards Watch
Hoce Massunda is really elbowing his way into the Best U-21 Canadian race, and with goals in back-to-back games he's become an integral part of Forge's attack in recent weeks. The field is particularly strong this year, but he could absolutely find his way into the top three, alongside... Tiago Coimbra? Noah Abatneh? Thierno Bah? Gabriel Antinoro?
As I said, it's a crowded field.
By the way, Nathan Ingham recorded an impressive clean sheet on Saturday, and even saved a penalty to preserve it. He has come up huge for Atleti on many an occasion this year; is it possible he's inching his nose in front of Jassem Koleilat in the Golden Glove race? It could still go either way.
U-21 Minutes Update
York started Shola Jimoh on Sunday in an effort to pull closer to the 2,000-minute mark, and it was a successful endeavour as Jimoh played 84 minutes. They're still just over 150 away from the threshold, so Jimoh will likely get at least one if not two more starts over the next three weeks. We also haven't seen much of Jesse Costa since he joined the club, so perhaps he could be in line for a bigger role soon as York look to snag that third place.
| Team | U-21 Minutes |
|---|---|
| Atlético Ottawa | 7,686 |
| Vancouver FC | 6,838 |
| Cavalry FC | 3,086 |
| Pacific FC | 2,757 |
| Valour FC | 2,582 |
| Halifax Wanderers FC | 2,123 |
| Forge FC | 2,106 |
| York United FC | 1,847 |
Coming up next…
Saturday, Sept. 27
Halifax Wanderers vs. York United — 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT
Forge FC vs. Vancouver FC — 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT (Live on TSN)
Sunday, Sept. 28
Valour FC vs. Atlético Ottawa — 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Pacific FC vs. Cavalry FC — 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT
(Watch all games live on OneSoccer. Plus, this week, watch Forge vs. Vancouver FC on TSN.)
Photo of the Week
Diego Mejía and Tommy Wheeldon Jr. put aside their differences for this hilarious one.
(Photo by Philippe Lariviere)
