- Home
- Canadian Premier League
- CPL Matchweek 9 Recap – Form Wave
Photo Credit: Gurkeerat Sidhu
CPL Matchweek 9 Recap – Form Wave
By With the FIFA World Cup kicking off in a matter of days, Canada’s domestic league continues to entertain. This week saw four games produce twelve goals, with perennial league contenders Forge and Cavalry both securing comfortable wins as the middle of the table got even more chaotic.
We’ve Gone Ad Free – Support Us On Patreon
It was a matchweek of shifting form, as only one carried a win from the last round into three points from this one. There are now only four point separating third from seventh, an early indicator that the battle for playoff spots will be a bloodbath as the season goes on.
Here’s a quick recap of the Canadian Premier League goals and highlights:
Vancouver FC 2 – 1 Atletico Ottawa
Former English Premier League striker Lys Mousett was handed his first start of the season as Vancouver FC finally made good on their expected goals to secure a strong home win against Atletico Ottawa, who – despite a trademark late goal – couldn’t restore the deficit in time to bag a result on the road.
In fact, it didn’t take long at all for Vancouver FC to go in front after Terran Campbell took a deft touch to free himself on the left wing, carving himself an inroad all the way from the middle of the park to best Tristan Crampton at close range:
The Eagles would find more joy on the left flank to double their lead in the 35th minute, gaining possession out left and curling a fine ball in for French striker Lys Mousett to carry forward. Taking a nice touch to beat his man, Mousett moved in close and blasted it beyond Crampton to double the host’s lead over the reigning champions:
The match became a fair bit more cagey after that as Atletico Ottawa did its best to cut down the deficit, eventually finding success with less than twenty minutes to go. A beautiful pass out to the left flank gave Vancouver little time to react as the ball was sent in and Ballou Tabla finished the effort:
Unlike prior performances, however, Vancouver FC would be able to hold on to this lead, giving Martin Nash’s team a much-needed momentum boost as they come within touching distance of moving up a few spots in league standings.
FC Supra du Quebec 1 – 1 Pacific FC
Pacific held a first-half lead and showed clear hunger for what would have been the club’s first win of 2026, but Nick Razaghi’s FC Supra side bounced back in the second half to rescue a draw for the hosts.
The first half did not offer too much action in either side’s favour, though Pacific interim head coach Yianis Tsalatsidis’ side looked aggressive and hungry as they pressed high up the pitch. That mentality saw the Tridents strike first blood, with Alejandro Diaz scoring in the 43rd minute to reclaim the league’s all-time top goalscorer mantle with his 47th – unfortunately, the moment did not reach the OneSoccer social feed.
See Also: Pacific Names BC Native Terry Dunfield As Next Head Coach
It didn’t take FC Supra du Quebec long to rebound in the second half, however. Pacific goalkeeper Eleias Himaras could only watch as the fast-footed Sean Rea took possession outside of the box and laced in a low shot perfectly to the bottom right corner toe tie things up:
The hosts rode a good wave of attacking momentum after Rea’s equalizer, but Himaras stood firm. While the Tridents pushed hard to in an effort to restore their lead and push for the club’s first win of 2026, it was to no avail: in the end, a point apiece was split in Quebec.
Cavalry FC 2 – 0 Halifax Wanderers
Tommy Wheeldon Jr’s side quickly returned to winning ways with a comfortable two-nil home win over Vanni Sartini’s Halifax Wanderers, with a second half salvo from Goteh Ntignee and Daan Klomp doing the deed.
Sartini made some adjustments to his forward line in a big to produce more potency up top, but his club continued to lack a clinical finish – even Jason Bahamboula missed an open net after having the ball slip through is legs in the second half.
The Wanderers would rue that missed moment as Goteh Ntignee fired the hosts in front not long after, absolutely lacing the ball beyond his former teammate Marco Carducci to put the hosts in front:
Defender Adam Pearlman would then cap off a fine match by beating three defenders and teeing up Daan Klomp, with the Dutch defender delivering the hosts a two-nil lead from close range.
Marco Carducci’s return to his former side didn’t land the Wanderers any success, though the goalkeeper did procure some good stops on the day. That being said, Halifax is still bouncing around in terms of results, while Cavalry quickly returned to winning aways after copping their first loss of the season last week.
Inter Toronto 1 – 4 Forge FC
It was a night of set piece nightmares for Inter Toronto, who conceded three from such moments in what quickly became a lopsided 905 Derby. It marked the first time the two teams have met this season, with Forge keeping firm hold of the top spot in league standings while Inter Toronto remains locked to third with several teams lurking just behind them.
Forge would open the 905 Derby scoreline with an incredible freekick from Marko Jevremovic. While Diego Urtiaga somehow got a hand to the thunderbolt, Jevromovic’s first Canadian Premier League goal would come from a superb effort from well out.
Forge’s second would come just after 25 minutes played, with a corner kick leading to a mad scramble of bodies in front of the Inter Toronto goal. Eventually, Hoce Massunda was able tip the ball over the line before it was cleared out. Despite challenges from Inter Toronto, the goal was reviewed and allowed to stand:
Whatever Eustaquio said at half-time must have had an impact, as Inter Toronto – and Max Ferrari in particular came out fired up. The full-back made a good run into the left side of the box, finding himself unmarked and able to one-time an inbound cross, beating Bertaud and reducing the deficit to one:
Mauro Eustaquio’s side wouldn’t have much time to build on the momentum, however, with some sloppy build-up from the back seeing the hosts turn the ball over. Borges gained possession and, while he had passing options in front of him, opted to blast the ball from outside of the box and ended up beating Urtiaga:
It’s no secret that when Tristan Borges steps up for a corner, you’re dealing with an in-swinger close to the net. The tried-and-true recipe proved to be just that as Borges sent it in close, with Ben Paton flicking it on behind him at an incredibly tight angle. Intentional or not, his header beat Urtiaga to hand the hammers a fourth goal:
Nana Ampomah, who came off the bench for his first appearance of the season, nearly bagged a fifth for the visitors as he beat Diego Urtiaga, but saw his effort clack off the crossbar:
At the final whistle, Forge would maintain grip of first place while the defeat still leaves Inter Toronto in third, with head coach Bobby Smyrniotis continuing to build on his positive derby record against his Ontario neighbour.
With matchweek nine now completed, we see Forge and Cavalry holding a good lead while five clubs share a competitive middle space with only four points separating the bunch. Pacific, meanwhile, continues to lag at the bottom, though the season is young and a new coach will be inbound following the World Cup.
It’s midweek madness for Canada’s top flight: Atletico Ottawa and FC Supra will play on Tuesday evening, with a Wednesday double-header seeing Forge host Halifax and Inter Toronto greet Cavalry. That laves the Salish Sea Derby as the lone weekend match, taking place amidst World Cup action on Sunday with Vancouver FC hosting Pacific.
