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CPL Roundup: Forge Retains Shield
By The Canadian Premier League regular season came to its conclusion on Saturday, as all four matches occurred simultaneously. Six of the eight teams found the back of the net on the day, where seven of the eight spots were still to be decided.
Here is a look back at all four matches, and how the cards fell for all five playoff positions.
Forge 3-0 York United: Hammers Reclaim Title
It was a solid performance from Forge as they earned a 3-0 success over their 905 Derby rivals York United. Knowing they needed just a point at Hamilton Stadium to lift the shield, the Hammers were clinical in the match, proving the difference.
The deadlock was broken 11 minutes in off a corner. Tristan Borges whipped a cross into the box, finding Alessandro Hojabrpour. The midfielder made no mistake, heading it past Diego Urtiaga from close range.
York created little throughout the 90 minutes, with just one shot on target overall. Although The Nine Stripes were playing for playoff positioning, they barely posed a threat in this one.
Just before the half, they were punished again. David Choiniere easily beat his marker before putting it on a platter for Brian Wright, who converted against his former employers to make it 2-0.
Nine minutes into the second half, the Hammers put the match beyond doubt. Choiniere again combined with Wright as the striker hit a powerful strike into the top corner from an unlikely angle. Urtiaga was helpless in trying to keep it out.
Forge ends the regular season with an unbeaten home record (9-5-0), conceding just nine times. York, who once again failed to score on the road, ended up with the second fewest away goals in the league with just 15.
As the regular season winners, Forge has also clinched a spot in the 2026 Champions Cup, joining fellow CPL side Vancouver FC there.
HFX Wanderers 0-1 Atletico Ottawa: Ottleti Leave It Late
Atletico Ottawa did what they needed to do on the day – come out on top. They did so at the expense of the HFX Wanderers, pulling off a 1-0 road win.
While the visitors outshot the home side 14-5, the attempts on target only read 3-2. Ottawa had 70% of the possession in the opening half, but could not find a breakthrough.
Come the hour mark, knowing the score in the Forge game, Ottawa coach Diego Mejia started to make substitutes. By the 80th minute, all three of the dangerous attacking trio of David Rodriguez, Ballou Tabla, and Samuel Salter were sacrificed. The signal was clear: rest the key players, as they could no longer win the shield.
Although they were also playing for positioning related to the playoffs, Halifax did not create much going forward. While they did force a save out of Nathan Ingham early on, they failed to truly take control of the contest.
The game’s only goal came in the 87th minute. A cross into the box found Manny Aparicio, whose pass fell to substitute Richie Ennin. The attacker made no mistake, slotting it past Rayane Yesli to give his side the three points.
Ottawa held onto second place as a result of their win, coupled by the outcome in Hamilton. Their 24 away goals were the most of any side in the league. Halifax, meanwhile, saw their four-game home unbeaten run come to an end.
Vancouver FC 2-2 Cavalry: Eagles Play Spoilers Once More
For the third week in a row, Vancouver FC managed a draw against a top three side. This time, it came versus Cavalry in a 2-2 stalemate.
The goals in this one came quite late on. The Eagles were reduced to 10 men in the 60th minute as Tyler Crawford was given his marching orders.
It took the Cavs until the 78th minute to find the breakthrough. A cross fell to Nikolas Myroniuk. After wriggling free from a challenge, the early substitute toe-poked an effort past Callum Irving to put them in front.
But, as they have in recent weeks, Vancouver made things difficult. Four minutes later, Callum Montgomery was caught napping on the ball. In came Ndiaye Pathe, who dispossessed him, then slid it past Marco Carducci to tie the match up.
A lovely buildup result in the Cavs retaking the lead shortly after stoppage time began. A delightful flick from Nicolas Wahling set up Caniggia Elva, whose shot went beyond Irving and into the bottom corner.
Cavalry, trying to win to secure third place and a home match next weekend, could not hold on. Michael Baldissimo brought down Elage Bah in the box, giving Vancouver FC a penalty. Up stepped David Norman, who converted his spot kick to give his team a share of the spoils.
The Eagles still finished in last spot, but can take pride in their final few matches, where they went unbeaten in five (2-3-0). For Cavalry, the 42 points earned this term is their lowest-ever tally, eclipsing the 47 earned three years ago.
Pacific 1-4 Valour: Winnippeggers End Season On High
Only one match played little significance on Saturday, with that coming in BC. Still, Valour took the game seriously, running away with a 4-1 defeat of Pacific.
The visitors struck first 20 minutes in. Markiyan Voytsekhovskyi slipped in Myles Morgan, who turned his man, and beat Sean Melvin.
Pacific did not even get a chance to recover, as Valour’s lead doubled a few moments later. Themi Antonoglou’s corner was met by Diego Konincks at the back post, where he headed it home.
Valour, who is the only CPL original left to have never made the postseason, continued their onslaught. A few minutes before the break, they added a third. Voytsekhovskyi was the architect of a lovely shot after cutting in on his right. His attempt from the edge of the box got past a sprawling Melvin.
The visitors were more serious when creating chances. Their reward was a fourth goal 64 minutes in. Morgan met Roberto Alarcon’s free kick, keeping it low to score.
Moments later, the Tridents got on the board. Yann Toualy slipped in Marcos Bustos, who got it past Emil Gazdov. It proved to be a mere consolation, but it also gave the home fans something to cheer about.
Similar to Cavalry, Pacific has collected the fewest points in their history with just 23 from 28 matches. The win was Valour’s third on the year, conceding the most of any CPL side on the road with 38.
Heading into the playoffs, we now know who finished where, and what that means. The fourth versus fifth playoff game will be between HFX Wanderers and York United. The former will host that game on Wednesday.
Cavalry, who held onto third spot despite the draw, awaits the winner of the Wednesday game. That match from Spruce Meadows, known as the qualifying semifinal, is on Sunday.
Also Sunday is the other qualifying semifinal between Forge and Ottawa. Much is on this line as the winner not only reaches the final, but they also host it. This is a non-elimination game though, with the losing side hosting the other semifinal against Cavalry or HFX/York.
Valour, Pacific, and Vancouver FC saw their seasons come to an end. Between the trio, they earned just 16 wins in the regular season, the same amount as Forge by themself. It will be a long offseason for the sides if they wish to challenge for more in 2026.
