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Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League
Canadian Championship: Recapping Leg One Of The Quarter-Finals
By The first leg of the 2026 Canadian Championship quarter-finals provided plenty of action and whispers of cupsets, along with a day chock-a-block with domestic football during a rare day off from the World Cup.
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With three leagues represented through four tantalizing cup fixtures split between La Belle Province and British Columbia, let’s take a look at what unfolded:
CS Saint-Laurent 1 – 1 Forge FC
After Quebec’s semi-pro underdogs knocked Inter Toronto out in the previous round, there was no chance of Forge boss Bobby Smyrniotis taking them lightly – and still, they battled the CPL powerhouse to an opening leg draw on home territory.
It looked like Forge were off to a flyer at Stade Boreale after carving out an opening goal fifteen minutes in, with club captain Kyle Bekker pinging out an excellent ball to Nana Ampomah on the wing. Ampomah charged inwards with the ball, firing a perfectly placed finish beyond Martin Cantona to hand the visitors an early lead.
Rather than crumble, however, CS Saint-Laurent rallied back and threatening the Forge goal, forcing a fine save Dimitry Bertaud as the shotstopper commanded his box from several aerial encroachments.
That momentum carried into the second half and led to CS Saint-Laurent scoring an equalizer through former CPL familiar Zakaria Bahous. The midfielder passed off the ball and darted into the box, getting the ball back and fired in a low shot to beat Bertaud and level things up:
While both teams dipped into the benches, there was little else on offer for spectators at Boreale: CS Saint-Laurent held onto the result, ensuring things were all level for a tasty, decisive visit to Hamilton Stadium this weekend.
For Forge, it was a nervy performance – a rarity for the experienced side – so one imagines Bobby Smyrniotis will look to reset the tone at home this Sunday, especially against a Quebecois team that has punched up to knock two CPL teams out of the tournament in the last few years.
FC Supra 3 – 1 Atletico Ottawa
Stade Boreale would witness another strong home performance hours after the first match as FC Supra du Quebec proved the third time was the charm against Atletico Ottawa.
The match wasn’t looking particularly exciting through the opening stanza, with Atletico Ottawa offering little going forward and Supra perhaps a little cautious around just their second-ever Canadian Championship cup match.
Then, it happened: Loic Kwemi played a little hero-ball to beat two markers on the right flank, pinging in a fast one to Mathieu Choiniere. The big match veteran moved smartly into space and, despite being surrounded by Atletico defenders, was first to the ball and got a tap-in as his due reward at the half hour mark:
Rather than crumble the first-half lead like last time, the second half only got better for the Quebecois side: Sean Rea put in a vintage run before curling in the side’s second to give them some breathing space:
The hosts would add a third through a combination from substitute Riad Bey and Ibrahim Conde, with the former sending in a nice ball for the latter to fire home to make it 3-0 with five minutes to go:
Atletico Ottawa would not be blanked, however, with a little Quebec-on-Quebec violence capping off the match. Wesley Timoteo has always had a good boot on him, and the full-back fired home a wonderful freekick to pull one back and restore at least a little bit of the deficit:
Vancouver FC 1 – 2 CF Montreal
It’s a tale of what could have been for Vancouver FC: scoring first, nearly bagging a second at the end, and losing leg one through a last-gasp soft penalty call will sting – but still, they went toe-to-toe with CF Montreal for the game, showcasing why they were a dark horse finalist in last year’s iteration of the cup.
CF Montreal hadn’t played since May and looked rusty in the first half, which saw both sides trade a few chances without any clinical finishing.
The second half is where the drama would call home, and it began with the Canadian Premier League hosts scoring first. Campbell sent the ball to Damiano Pecile – who had been sending some good balls into the box all game – with the midfielder going for goal this time around. The ball knicked Nicolas Mezquida along the way, redirecting beyong Breza to put the scoreline into cupset territory:
Martin Nash’s side wouldn’t be able to hold onto the result, however, as a dangerous ball into the Eagles’ box saw forced an error from Matteo Campagna, who accidently headed the ball into his own net as he competed for it in the air.
The fans at Langley held their breath with five minutes to go as Vancouver looked on the cusp of a late-winner, with Doner playing a smart one-two with Pacile and getting the ball back in the opposition box. Storming forward, the energetic full-back encroached on Breza but was pushed off-balance at the last moment, with his low shot striking Breza’s leg. It bounced in front of net, just in front of the late-arriving Vancouver forwards, who were just a moment too late as the ball carried on and out.
That missed opportunity will sting evermore as the last minute of play saw Matteo Campagna give away a penalty after softly bringing down Owen Graham-Roache. Up stepped substitute striker Prince Owusu – who makes more individually than the entire VFC player roster combined – to wrong-side Callum Irving and give the visitors a lead going into leg two:
Vancouver Whitecaps 4 -1 Cavalry FC
With BC Place still unavailable due to the World Cup, the Whitecaps returned to Swangard Stadium for a special night of Canadian action against a Canadian Premier League side that has had the better of the four-time straight champions in the past.
Much like the Canada – Morocco game, it was a tale of two halves for the CPL visitors: Cavalry had a strong first half, but things got away for them in the second in what become a 4-1 scoreline leaving them with a mountain to climb at home in Alberta.
The night started on an off-beat note for Cavalry, who conceded early after the ‘Caps fired a ball into the box that was inadvertently sent into the net from defender Adam Pearlman, marking the second CPL own goal of the night against an MLS side.
Both sides exchanged chances as the first half wore on, with Cavalry bagging an equalizer just before half. A long throw-in caused a bit of chaos in the ‘Caps box, allowing Dutch defender Daan Klomp to finish from close range just before the half-time whistle:
The second half would see the ‘Caps continue to threaten, and the dangerous due of Brian White and Thomas Muller would prove potent. After Wright’s shot was blocked, it fell to the iconic German striker, who had the ball in the back of net in the blink of an eye:
As Cavalry faced an uphill battle, perhaps the mental element of the game got to them. Forcing this advantage, the ‘Caps piled on the pain as Edier Ocampo forced another fine stop from Nathan Ingham, only for Brian Wright to pounce on a free rebound to make it 3-1 at Swangard:
The reigning cup champions weren’t done yet, adding another goal with fifteen minutes to go. Brian Wright was involved once more, playing a give-and-go with World Cup baller Rayan Elloumi. The Tunisian fired low beyond Ingham from far out, cementing a hearty victory for the Whitecaps and putting them in a great position for leg two.
The first leg of the Canadian Championship quarter-finals had a bit of everything: some decisive results, plenty of goals, and a few second legs teed up with scorelines close enough to hang in the balance.
The reverse fixtures for three of the four games will come fast and furious this weekend, with Sunday seeing Forge host CS-Saint-Laurent in Hamilton, while CF Montreal welcomes Vancouver FC at Stade Saputo. Monday night will see Cavalry face an unenviable task against at home against the Whitecaps, while all the way out on August 11 will see Atletico Ottawa hope a home crowd came reverse their fortunes in leg two against FC supra du Quebec.
1 Comment
Heartbreak for VFC again.
Supra showing again that compiling a competent team isn’t as complicated as some make it out to be.
STL showing there is still plenty of talent in Quebec that wasn’t scooped up by Supra.
Caps shown there is a big gap between good MLS sides and the CPL further solidifying my stance that this competition should be one match rounds, not two legs.