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Photo Credit: Raphael Williams-Claudio
CPL Matchweek 24 Recap – Ebbs and Flows
By It was a massive week of results for not only the regular season title race, but for the hopes of those still trying to punch upwards into the fourth and final playoff spot currently occupied by Vancouver FC, too.
With Cavalry entering the week with one-hand ready to clasp the CPL Shield, they’re instead leaving their Ontario road trip empty-handed after two defeats. A few spots down the ranks, FC Supra’s massive win tees up a real battle as the fifth-place side prepares to face fourth-place Vancouver next week.
Will Cavalry hold on to first place this season?
Suffice to say, things are getting awfully interesting at both ends of the Canadian Premier League table. Without further ado, here’s how Matchweek 24 unfolded:
Atletico Ottawa 3 – 2 Cavalry FC
TD Place witnessed absolute scenes in last year’s CPL Final, so it was only fitting that the stadium witnessed absolute drama as Atletico Ottawa qualified for playoffs against Cavalry there last week.
Cavalry opened their Ontario road trip with something we’ve seen time and time again this year: absolute set piece dominance. Ali Musse floated in a nice ball that defender Eryk Kobza met well, heading the game’s opener beyond Christopher Kalongo midway through the first half:
As the clock neared the hour mark, Ottawa responded through a move that began with a tidy feint from Emiliano Garcia. Freeing some space for himself, he then fired a low shot towards the low corner that was parried by Ingham, with the rebound going straight to Kamron Habibullah. He dutifully sent it right back into the Cavalry net to equalize for the hosts:
Having tasted blood, Ottawa’s momentum quickly built. Tabla tested Ingham, but it was Habibullah who would make good to put the hosts ahead, this time through a beautifully curled freekick:
Cavalry was flustered after falling behind, and that frustration showed as Goteh Ntignee was shown a red card with ten minutes to go after his protests about a yellow got him a flashy red upgrade.
Showing why they’re still on target for the CPL Shield, Cavalry went ahead and scored an equalizer while down a man, and in added time no less. Newly-recruited CF Montreal loanee Owen Graham-Roache beat his man on the wing and sent a nice ball in for Tobias Warschewski to level things in the 94th:
It simply wasn’t meant to be for Cavalry, however, as Gustavo Leal’s home side showed their hunger to lock in the playoff spot: Gabriel Antinoro proved the hero after he collected the ball outside of the box, took a purposefully heavy touch to burst into the opposition box, and fired the ball beyond Ingham to send TD Place into absolute bedlam in the 100th minute:
The victory officially secured Atletico Ottawa’s place in the playoffs, giving the reigning champions an opportunity to defend their North Star Cup. For Cavalry, the loss foreshadowed what would be a tough week in Ontario as their grip on the CPL Shield gets a little more slippery.
Inter Toronto 3 – 1 Cavalry FC
The road trip woes continued for Cavalry as the club tested its legs just three days later against Inter Toronto. Not all of the fans at York Lions Stadium were seated when the hosts took an early lead six minutes in. Peruvian striker Sebastian Gonzalez won his header to send the ball wide to Ariel Almagro, who burst down the pitch and sent a ball back in to meet the run of Gonzalez. The striker took a deft touch and then sent an absolute rocket beyond Ingham:
In the blink of an eye – okay, six minutes later – ITO made it two-nil with club talisman Max Ferrari sending in a ball into the middle of the box. Cavalry failed to clear it, and in the onrushing slew of bodies, it was Steffen Yeates who sent home the ball to officially reach his most productive career season:
While Tommy Wheeldon Jr’s side adjusted and put some pressure on an Inter Toronto backline that hasn’t exactly been solid this season, it was Inter Toronto who would strike next. Ingham made a double-save on both Almagro and Gonzalez, but succumbed to a second goal from Steffen Yeates as the midfielder found himself free to receive the ball and bury it:
There are a few things that are inevitable: death, taxes, and Cavalry scoring from set pieces. The visitors bagged one back through big centre-back Amer Didic with seven minutes to go, but it was too little and too late for them to rescue a draw in what unfolded as a tough trip through Ontario for the top-of-the-table side:
With that, the CPL Shield race becomes quite open: Forge didn’t exactly capitalize this week either, but they did make up some ground. For Inter Toronto, handing Cavalry just its third loss of the season keeps their outside bet on securing the final playoff spot alive, for now.
Forge FC 3 – 3 Halifax Wanderers
Forge stepped onto the pitch against Halifax knowing they had a golden opportunity to carve back some points in the race for the regular season title – and for most of the match, it seemed like it would be mission accomplished. Halifax had other ideas, however.
With former Canadian national team striker Lucas Cavallini getting his second start, the attacker made good on his home debut to finish off a delightful set piece flick from Antoine Batisse, officially putting the veteran into the Forge FC scorebook just four minutes into the match:
Forge thought it had doubled the advantage through Tristan Borges early in the second half, though the strike was called back for a foul in the buildup. It wouldn’t be until the 78th minute that the game found its next goal – remarkable in a three-all affair – with Forge’s Dan Nimick scoring against his former side to capitalize on a Forge freekick:
Halifax has struggled with its road form this year (okay, every year), but the visitors gave themselves a lifeline through Whitecaps loanee Nelson Pierre, firing home from close range as a Callegari freekick caused unusual chaos in the Forge box.
It looked like the match was put to bed after a howler from Marco Carducci saw the keeper completely miss an aerial ball, leaving him stranded well outside of the box as Ismael Oketokoun gained possession, briefly running alongside the retreating keeper before sending it into the open net to make it 3-1 in the 90th minute:
Somehow, that wasn’t all she wrote in the script: Vanni Sartini’s Whitecaps loan pipeline paid dividends on the night, with Liam Mackenzie opening his CPL account four minutes into added time. Collecting a blocked rebound in the box, he quickly sent it low beyond Dino Bontis to make things 3-2.
Then, thirteen minutes into added time (yes, actually), Halifax completed its unlikely comeback. With another long ball floated into Forge’s half, Halifax caused just enough chaos to get the ball into the box and, as bodies came together, it was Tavio Ciccarelli who got the finishing touch:
From Forge’s perspective, it’s an enormous opportunity missed to catch up with Cavalry, though they still made some gains. For Halifax, the late comeback keeps their own outside bet on reaching playoffs a possibility.
FC Supra du Quebec 5 – 0 Pacific FC
Well, it’s fair to say the first FC Supra match with Kyt Selaidopoulos at the helm was a resounding success, at Pacific’s expense.
The Quebecois squad put five past the Tridents while recording just the third clean sheet in club history, with the new boss still in his first week of employment in La Belle Province.
It took under twenty minutes for FC Supra to strike first blood against the Tridents, with Kwemi and Abzi combining on the left flank to send in a quick cross for Ibrahim Conde to finish with a scrumptious backheel:
Loic Kwemi nearly had himself a worldie after beating three defenders before firing just high of target, but the golden boot leader would extend his grip on the goalscoring charts in the second half anyway, putting away a rebound to make it two-nil early in the second half:
As the match approached the hour mark, Supra had itself a freekick from some ways out. Up stepped Diyaeddine Abzi, who – beyond a few quick looks up – gave little indication he’d smash one goalwards. That’s exactly what the full-back did, however, sending a rocket sailing into the top corner that beat the keeper near-post:
Despite having defenders on both sides of him, Matisse Chretien extended Supra’s lead with a well-placed header in the 77th minute, his fourth of the season:
Incredibly, FC Supra wasn’t done there. The hosts capped off the match with a first-ever club goal for newcomer Noah Santos, who had a straightforward run between two defenders who botched a clearance and allowed the attacker to take control and fire home goal number five:
With that, Kyt Selaidopoulos officially began with gusto for FC Supra, while Pacific endured one of its toughest losses of the Dunfield era. In a match between the only two sides to change their head coaches this season, it was felt to be a winnable one for both, though it ended up completely one-sided.
CPL Standings – Matchweek 24
Standings as of October 4, 2026 · 7:59 pm EDT
| # | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cavalry FC | 25 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 51 | 19 | 32 | 53 | WDWLL |
| 2 |  Forge FC | 24 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 38 | 20 | 18 | 48 | DWDDD |
| 3 |  Atletico Ottawa | 25 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 38 | 41 | -3 | 40 | DLLWW |
| 4 |  Vancouver FC | 25 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 35 | 33 | 2 | 33 | WLDDD |
| 5 |  FC Supra | 24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 36 | 44 | -8 | 28 | LLWLW |
| 6 |  Halifax Wanderers FC | 25 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 38 | 42 | -4 | 27 | LWWLD |
| 7 |  Inter Toronto FC | 24 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 39 | 54 | -15 | 27 | WLDLW |
| 8 |  Pacific FC | 24 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 30 | 52 | -22 | 14 | DLDWL |
Last 5: W = win, D = draw, L = loss. Most recent result on the right.
What a difference a week makes: Cavalry began the matchweek sitting comfortably atop the Canadian Premier League table, but consecutive defeats in Ontario have breathed some unexpected life back into the regular season title race. While Forge didn’t maximize the damage this week, they’re within touching distance if they can get out of their rut of draws.
For now, Vancouver FC keeps hold of the fourth and final playoff spot, having watched from the sidelines on a bye week – though FC Supra, Halifax, and Inter Toronto are still keeping themselves in the running as the Eagles go through their own stretch of draws of late.
The next round kicks off on Wednesday as Inter Toronto hosts FC Supra du Quebec for a late morning schoolday match, a first for the Nine Stripes. Forge, meanwhile, will kick off that evening as they host Pacific for the rescheduled match that was delayed due to air quality.
We then have a full slate of matches on the weekend, with Saturday seeing FC Supra du Quebec host Vancouver FC in a potential six-pointer in the playoff race, while Sunday sees Pacific continue its homestand against Atletico Ottawa.
Thanksgiving Monday will see a second rare weekday double-header to wrap up round 25, with the 905 Derby seeing Forge welcome Inter Toronto to Hamilton Stadium, with Cavalry once again on the road for a long trip to Halifax later on.
You can check out the full league table and fixture list here.
