The CPL Shield race runs through the nation's capital on Sunday as Atlético Ottawa host Vancouver FC at TD Place for a third time in all competitions this season.
Atleti head into the penultimate weekend of the CPL season three points behind top-of-the-table Forge FC, who drew 1-1 with Cavalry FC in Calgary on Friday. As such, they cannot lose against Vancouver, or their CPL Shield dreams are over, as Forge own the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two clubs.
A draw and they remain alive, while a win would put them level on points with Forge heading into The Outcome -- the final matchweek of the season, although still behind on the tiebreaker. Regardless, in their final home match of the season, Atlético Ottawa need to take care of business.
The capital club have been outstanding at home all season. With a win or draw on Sunday, they'd become the first team in league history to go undefeated at home in a full CPL regular season. Forge, of course, could match that with a result next weekend against York United.
Atleti have been no strangers to history this season, setting a CPL single-season goal record last week as they now sit on an incredible 53. They also already have accumulated three more points than in any other campaign in club history, including their CPL Shield-winning 2022 season (49 points).
While their opponent, Vancouver FC, still sits at the bottom of the CPL table, that does not indicate just how good the Eagles have been over the past month. Aside from reaching the TELUS Canadian Championship final and performing well in a 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps, they are unbeaten in four in the CPL.
That included equalizing late to be the first team away team in the CPL in two months to earn a point at Hamilton Stadium in a 1-1 draw with Forge FC. Vancouver FC have the best record in the league over their past four matches.
In fact, Atlético Ottawa are the only other team in the league without a loss in their past four, making this a meeting of two of the hottest teams in the CPL at this stage in the season. Historically, Atleti have dominated this fixture, as Vancouver have never won at TD Place Stadium -- losing on five of six trips to Ottawa, including both times this season.
That didn't matter in the most recent meeting in the capital back on September 18, however, as a 1-0 loss was enough to see Vancouver defeat Atlético Ottawa 3-2 on aggregate in the Canadian Championship semi-final. Atleti would surely love to get a measure of revenge for that loss, even if it won't be their primary motivation on Sunday.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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Can Salter hit 20 after big European move?: It has been quite the year for Sam Salter. The 25-year-old broke a CPL record on August 30 for most goals in a single campaign with his 15th of the season, as part of a brace in a 3-1 win over Vancouver FC at TD Place no less, and has only built on that since. Now up to 19 in the league, he is looking to become the first player in CPL history to hit 20. That incredible goalscoring form has clearly caught global attention, as this week it was announced that Salter will move to Swedish club GAIS for the 2026 season. Atlético Ottawa manager Diego Mejía confirmed that Salter also had interest from two clubs in Mexico, but elected to join former Atlético Ottawa teammate Matteo de Brienne in Sweden. With that big move secured, can Salter finish the season strong?
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Can Atlético Ottawa learn from recent disappointments?: If Atlético Ottawa learned anything from last weekend's 3-3 draw with Valour FC in Winnipeg, it is that they can't afford to not be at their best anymore at this stage in the season. After that match, Mejía admitted he felt lucky that his side had earned a point at all, even if they were leading twice. He knows that sides like Vancouver FC and Valour can be especially dangerous this time of year, because they are able to play relatively pressure-free football. As such, he wants his team to learn from last week and get back to the model of football that has achieved results all season. "It's a dangerous match for sure, because we are fighting for something. They just play to play," said Mejía. "And they are improved a lot the last month, I think that they're playing their best football of the season right now. I think that this is a more organized team, they defend better than the beginning but I think that we need to put the focus in our behaviours, try to iimprove all the weaknesses that we have as a team."
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Can Vancouver FC climb out of the league's basement?: While Vancouver FC's hopes of a first-ever playoff appearance have long since been dashed, and their incredible Canadian Championship run is over following a loss to the Whitecaps in the final, VFC still have one last goal they'd love to accomplish. Namely, they don't want to finish the season in last place for the first time in club history. Climbing out of the basement will certainly take some work, as they need to win their final two matches of the season to even make that a possibility. But in the best form they have been in all season, Vancouver are incredibly motivated to end this season on a high note.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Kozlovskiy, Abatneh, Cloutier; Antinoro, Aparicio, Castro, Dos Santos; Rodríguez, Tabla, Salter
Vancouver FC: Ingham; Dada-Luke, Campagna, O'Connor, Gee; Norman Jr; Bah, Fotsing, Mezquida, Powell; Mbongue
ALL-TIME SERIES
Atlético Ottawa wins: 9 || Vancouver FC wins: 2 || Draws: 2
Last meeting:
Sept. 18, 2025 — Atlético Ottawa 1-0 Vancouver FC
KEY QUOTES
"I think that we're in a good moment. We're fighting for all the goals that we had at the beginning of the season. So I think that it's a moment to enjoy as a team, to try to share these moments with all the people that are around us, with our families, with all the staff, not only on the sporting side in this team, even the front office, and I think that it's a good moment for the club. We are having our best year in the history of this club. So I think that it's time to enjoy, but with the clear objective that we had since the beginning, that is win the championship." - Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
"We've been finding ways to motivate ourselves, and whether it was through the Can Champ or even since. I thought last weekend, we motivated ourselves well at Forge, so there's still a hunger in the group, and the group is still working hard and wanting to get better and a lot of guys are wanting to prove themselves still. So there's a lot to play for individually and as a team." - Vancouver FC head coach Martin Nash
"The last time we played them was the semi-final, in Can Champ, and we ultimately did lose 1-0, but moved on on aggregate. So I think we as a group just want to prove that we're more than a team that can just go to the final with a loss away. And I think overall we're just excited just in the last two games just to prove to the league that we're a good team, as we have in the past four games going undefeated." - Vancouver FC midfielder Thomas Powell
