More often than not, when rivals Cavalry FC and Forge FC have met over the years, the match has some sort of trophy implications.
That is undoubtedly the case again on Saturday, when top-of-the-table Forge travel to ATCO Field in search of a result that could either clinch the title, or keep them in command of the CPL Shield race heading into the final week of the 2025 season.
Should Forge win, and Atlético Ottawa fail to beat Vancouver FC on Sunday, the Hamilton club are back-to-back CPL Shield winners. Even with a draw in Calgary, and an Atlético Ottawa loss on Sunday, they clinch the Shield. Regardless of Ottawa's results, if Forge collect four points from their final two matches, they are regular-season winners.
A victory for Forge would also put them on 57 points for the season, which would be a new club record, surpassing the 56 they set back in the league's inaugural season in 2019. It would also be the second-best season in league history, behind only Cavalry's point total of 62 from 2019.
The past few times Forge have gone to Calgary, however, there has not been a lot to celebrate. Forge's first trip to ATCO Field this year, on August 30, resulted in their worst loss, and performance, of the regular season in a 4-1 drubbing. It was also the Hamilton club's first loss of the season, ending a CPL record 20-match unbeaten run.
Cavalry, meanwhile, now have their sights set on its own title defence: the North Star Cup as playoff champions. Starting the defence at home is vital, and the Calgary club would love to lock up third place and avoid starting the playoffs in the midweek Knockout Round between fourth and fifth. Following York United's 2-2 draw with Pacific FC on Thursday night, a win for Cavalry on Friday would accomplish just that.
The Calgary club have been excellent at home lately, winning each of their past four home matches and scoring 15 goals in the process. That has been the inverse of their road form, where they are winless in their past six, including a 3-3 draw against Pacific FC this past weekend at Starlight Stadium.
Forge are also coming off a disappointing draw, held to a 1-1 result at Hamilton Stadium by bottom-of-the-table Vancouver FC on Saturday. That opened the door for second-place Atlético Ottawa to make up ground on them in the table, but Atleti also drew on the road against Valour. The Hamilton club won't want to give their Ontario rivals another chance and will be keen to take care of business on Friday.
Can Forge continue to lead the charge in the race for the CPL Shield? Or will their oldest foe be a thorn in their sides once again in Calgary?
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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How do Cavalry manage international absences?: Cavalry FC go into Friday's match without four starters from this past Sunday's 3-3 draw with Pacific. Michael Baldisimo was sent off after recieving a second yellow card in the 63rd minute and thus is suspended. Ali Musse (Somalia), Shamit Shome (Bangladesh) and Mihail Gherasimencov (Moldova) are all away with their respective national teams. Musse's absence, in particular, is significant as Cavalry have not won this season in the four matches he missed (0-1-3). Without their leading scorer, and several other key contributors in an already thin midfield, Cavalry are going to need some of their depth pieces to step up in a big way.
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Can Forge return to dominant road form?: For most of this season, Forge have been outstanding away from home. In fact, if they win on Friday they tie a CPL record for most road points in a season, 28 set by Atlético Ottawa in their CPL-Shield-winning 2022 season. But the 4-1 loss they suffered back on August 30 seems to have altered that course slightly, as they are now winless in their past three away from home, four in all competitions. If all goes to plan, this will be Forge's last road match of the year, as they will be keen to carry home advantage throughout the playoffs. But in order to earn that, they are likely going to need one final big road result on Friday in Calgary.
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Can Forge claim the reward for their incredible season?: There is no doubt that regardless of what happens over the next two weeks, Forge have put together one of the best regular seasons in league history. But to a team where silverware has always been the standard, it will mean nothing. In order to lift the CPL Shield, they will likely need to change the club's historical penchant for finishing the season poorly. As aforementioned, they need just four points from their final two matches to clinch the shield regardless of Ottawa's results. But in a full 28-game season, they have never collected more than three points from their final two matches of the season. In fact, Forge have lost all five of their previous penultimate matches of full CPL seasons. It is worth noting of course, that in most of those occassions they had either already wrapped up the CPL Shield, or regular season seeding was less relevant -- and they went on to reach all six CPL Finals. But this year is different, and with Atlético Ottawa hot on their heels, another slip up could be lethal.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Klomp, Montgomery, Field; Kobza, Camargo; Sellouf, Elva, Ntignee; Warschewski
Forge FC: Koleilat; Rama, Nimick, Achinioti-Jönsson, Jevremović; Hojabrpour, Bekker, Borges; Babouli, Massunda, Wright
ALL-TIME SERIES
Cavalry FC wins: 11 || Forge FC wins: 15 || Draws: 9
Last meeting:
Aug. 30, 2025 — Cavalry FC 4-1 Forge FC
KEY QUOTES
"In terms of the shield, they've got to come through us, so we can have our say on that in that way. So I think it makes for a really good game." - Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
"Securing our spot in the table, that's what's most important, and also the last home game of the season against one of our top rival teams. So we're just looking forward to putting on a show for our fans, and just getting a good result out of this." - Cavalry FC attacker Caniggia Elva
"These are the games that players strive for. Big games, going into Calgary since the beginning of the league, these are two clubs that have been battling for top spots, and it gets exciting." - Forge FC assistant coach Kyt Selaidopoulos
"The boys want to set it right. It was probably our worst performance of the season. So the boys want to set it right, show what we are capable of doing away from home, especially [In Calgary], so I think we'll be ready to go." - Forge FC midfielder Ben Paton on the team avenging their first match in Calgary
