The race for the Canadian Premier League Shield heats up on Sunday when the league's top two sides, Forge FC and Atlético Ottawa, lock horns in Hamilton.
These two clubs are the main challengers for this year's regular season title, separated by just one point at the top of the table with a 13-point gap to the rest of the pack.
Forge, this weekend's hosts, sit on top with 40 points. Through 18 games of the regular season, they remain unbeaten (11 wins, seven draws) and with just 10 to go they have legitimate ambitions of completing an invincible campaign.
Last weekend, the Hamilton side beat 905 Derby rivals York United 2-1 to hold onto the league's top spot. Then, on Wednesday night, they took on the Vancouver Whitecaps in Leg 1 of the TELUS Canadian Championship semi-final. Forge went toe-to-toe with the MLS side, finishing with a 2-2 draw to carry into next month's second leg.
Ottawa, likewise, played a team from Vancouver in the CanChamp semi-final this week, but it didn't quite go their way. They find themselves down 3-1 on aggregate to CPL side Vancouver FC, giving them a hill to climb in the home fixture.
Atleti's most recent CPL action, though, was a triumph. They were in Winnipeg last Sunday and beat Valour FC 2-1, thanks to goals from perennial stars David Rodríguez and Sam Salter.
So, they sit just behind Forge with 39 points, and have all the confidence needed to remain in the fight through the end of the campaign.
The two clubs have met twice already this season, and neither has yet solved the other. They played to a 2-2 draw in Hamilton earlier in the year, and a 1-1 stalemate a month ago in Ottawa, where Atleti scraped a point at the death with a 93rd-minute Ballou Tabla penalty.
They both keep winning elsewhere, so if there's to be any separation between these sides, it could come down to their matches against one another — and of course, head-to-head is a signifcant tiebreaker in the standings if necessary.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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Any tactical tweaks in store? Atlético Ottawa have tended not to make many adjustments to their lineup or formation this year, but with this being their third encounter with Forge they'll be wary of showing something too similar to the prior meetings. Forge coach Bobby Smyrniotis deployed a new back three last time he played Ottawa, and is likely to throw some kind of tactical curveball at Diego Mejía this time as well. So, it'll be interesting to watch whether Mejía counters with something unexpected. This kind of flexibility is perhaps a luxury Forge are better equipped for, with much of their core having been together so long, but Atleti has proven to understand Mejía's system well enough that they could perhaps try and attack Forge in a different way this time around.
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Salter chasing history: Atleti striker Sam Salter has now built up a considerable lead atop the Golden Boot race, with 12 CPL goals now this year. With 10 games left to play, he has his sights fixed on the league's single-season goals record of 14, set in 2021 by João Morelli. There's more potential history for him on the table, too; Alejandro Díaz recently became the CPL's all-time leading scorer with his 41st tally, but Salter isn't far behind with 38. He may soon find himself in a battle for that title with the Pacific striker, and it's not out of the question they trade the crown a few times this year.
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Ampomah continuing lethal form: Winger Nana Ampomah has been outstanding most of the year for Forge, but he's been especially deadly in the past month. He was involved in all five of Forge's goals in the 5-0 win over Valour a couple of weeks ago, and he was lively on the dribble against York the following week. On Wednesday against the Whitecaps, Ampomah was man of the match once again with a goal and an assist, demonstrating his ability to win the ball in dangerous areas and put pressure on opposing defenders. Ottawa will likely have someone assigned to track him most of this match, but with their back three system Ampomah will look for ways to either spread the defenders wide or get behind the left wing-back to create space and attack the box.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Forge FC: Koleilat; Rama, Nimick, Achinioti-Jönsson, Jevremović; Jensen, Hojabrpour, Bekker; Ampomah, Wright, Babouli
Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Kozlovskiy, Abatneh, Cloutier; Dos Santos, Aparicio, Castro, Antinoro; Rodríguez, Salter, Tabla
ALL-TIME SERIES
Forge wins: 13 || Ottawa wins: 5 || Draws: 5
Last meeting:
July 12, 2025 -- Atlético Ottawa 1-1 Forge
KEY QUOTES
"Up until now, [Ottawa] haven't changed much to what they do and what their approach is. You're usually prepared for that, but anything can change. The great thing with our guys is they're tactically flexible, both on and off the ball, to be prepared for anything that could be new. A month ago we went to Ottawa and did something completely new as well; I think that's something coaches always look at." -- Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
"The first two matches [against Forge] we had the ball and control of the game all the time; we created a lot of chances, they sit back and wait for us then play in transition. Right now I think both teams are in a good shape." -- Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
