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Photo Credit: Antoine Longue
CPL Matchweek 13 Recap – Eagles Fly
By The World Cup final might have taken the spotlight (and one head coach) away from Canada’s top flight, but this weekend still saw three matches unfold in the CPL.
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While two ended in draws, one was a lopsided six-goal thriller, and a fourth match simply didn’t arrive at all due to an air quality event. Without further ado, let’s dig in to matchweek thirteen of the 2026 Canadian Premier League season:
Forge FC vs Pacific FC (Postponed)
Pacific boss Terry Dunfield‘s CPL debut – at least, as a coach and not a commentator – was delayed through an air quality advisory stemming from the Ontario and Quebec wildfires.
With Hamilton, Ontario reaching the country’s maximum danger rating for Canada’s Air Quality Health Index, the game was delayed – though, in a disappointing bit of inaction, the league actually waited until kickoff time to make a decision that should have been clear the morning of the match, well before fans, players, and stadium staff put themselves at risk for the event.
Vancouver FC 5 – 1 FC Supra
The eventual rise of Vancouver FC under Martin Nash has been remarkable: betrayed by their own expected goals ratio early in the season, it seems like the Eagles are truly becoming predatory as the ‘dark side’ becomes the ‘dark horse’ for a playoff spot at the midpoint of the season.
Make no mistake: from the first whistle, this was Vancouver FC giving FC Supra du Quebec one hell of a shellacking. The rout began in the 21st minute after former English Premier League baller Lys Mousset won an aerial ball and sent it to Damiano Pacile, who ripped beyond his marker and placed a nice one beyond Joakim Milli.
Pacile has been in fine form of late, so it was nice to see the youngster get rewarded for his work this weekend:
Just eleven minutes later, Matteo Campagna – who has surely been under some pressure of late after giving out a few penalties this season – contributed at the other end of the pitch, using his head to redirect a bouncing ball into the Supra net:
The half-time talk from Supra boss Nick Razzaghi must have worked to some effect, with the visitors coming out fired up. A great run down the left from Diyaeddine Abzi saw him create a connection with another former Nine Stripe in Clement Bayiha, who finished the chance from close to halve the deficit:
Yet, momentum would shift firmly back in Vancouver’s favour after Abzi brought down Thierno Bah just a few minutes later. Up stepped Lys Mousset, sending Milli the wrong way to restore his side’s two-goal cushion:
Despite Nick Razzaghi using up all of his substitutions in a bid to change the direction of the game, things would only get worse for the visitors in the final ten minutes. Recent Canada U-20 call-up Emrick Fotsing sent in a great ball for substitute striker Terran Campbell. The striker finished off a beautiful move to add another dagger on a Caesar-esque night for Supra:
In a moment where you’re either a hero for the shot or a villain for not passing, Aboubacar Traore finished off another chance just three minutes later with a ridiculously beautiful curved effort to deliver his side’s fifth goal in a complete and decisive victory for Vancouver FC.
To cap off a miserable night for the Quebecois, Riad Bey showed his frustration through a dangerous challenge and got an immediate ejection at the end of the match – and deservedly so.
When looking in the proverbial mirror, FC Supra du Quebec will need to ask itself some serious questions when it comes to discipline at the professional level. Bey’s red card was from pure unrestrained frustration, but it’s fair to say that Alessandro Biello could have just as easily been ejected for a high boot before Vancouver’s first goal. The club has a strong attacking identity, but it needs to have discipline and organization to match its offensive ambitions.
Halifax Wanderers 1 -1 Cavalry FC
With Tommy Wheeldon Jr. absent through a ticket to watch the World Cup Final, up stepped two assistant coaches: Jay Wheeldon and Nik Ledgerwood, the latter being hungry for a head coach opportunity of his own.
A regimented Cavalry attack peppered their former goalkeeper Marco Carducci at the start of the game, with Warschewski, Musse, and even centre-back Amer Didic all looking dangerous. It would take the second half for the visitors to punch their ticket, however, with Goteh Ntignee being brought down by Jefferson Alphonse in the box for a penalty call.
German striker Tobias Warschewski stepped forward, ready to duel Marco Carducci from the spot. Firing bottom left, the big German got the best of his former teammate, sending him the wrong way to deliver Cavalry a second half lead:
Danger signs did light up with Isaiah Johnston continuing to look dangerous, while Lorenzo Callegari nearly had a moment of freekick magic to call his own. The Wanderers would make eventually good on the momentum, with Jason Bahamboula coming off the bench and sending in a nice ball for Johnston, who blasted home an equalizer for his sixth of the season:
The momentum shifted back in Cavalry’s favour as the club sought out a later winner, and they’d come closer several times: Adam Pearlman fired wide just before the end of regular time, while Jay Herdman’s header forced a late save from Carducci in the 97th minute.
With the final whistle confirming shared spoils, Cavalry will have been disappointed with the draw, while Halifax will have been the happier side after snatching a point on the road, keeping them well within the playoff race.
Atletico Ottawa 1 – 1 Inter Toronto
As we had reported weeks ago, Atletico Ottawa finally named its new head coach in Gustavo Leal. The Brazilian’s first match was a home affair against an Inter Toronto side struggling in form, and while the visitors saw limited in opportunity, they did manage to snatch a road draw.
The hosts came out buzzing and put several shots on target against Diego Urtiaga in the first half, but it wasn’t until the second 45 that they were finally rewarded for holding the lion’s share of possession: zipping down the right side of the flank, forward Emiliano Garcia lobbed in a cross that was kept in deep by Joaquim Coulanges, who set it back for in-form Ballou Tabla to finish up – and that he certainly did:
Against the run of play, Inter Toronto found an answer almost immediately after catching the hosts on the counter. Beni Badibanga gained possession in the Ottleti half, bringing it forward for Julian Altobelli to deliver his typical clinical finish:
Atletico Ottawa had dominated the game up until Altobelli’s equalizer, with Mauro Eustaquio’s side building on that momentum and generating more chances. Tomasz Skublak should have put the visitors in front, in fact, but the tall striker missed an open net from just a few feet out.
Then, it looked like Atletico Ottawa would have the chance for a late lead after Ralph Khoury went down in the box as he jostled with Juan Cordova. The referee signaled for it, but Mauro Eustaquio made great use of a coach’s challenge to trick an FVS review. The video revealed there had been no contact, with the penalty decision being reverse and Khoury getting a yellow card for simulation.
Gustavo Leal would then use an FVS review of his own in added time, believing there had been a handball in the box. Yet again, however, video review would not play out in Atleti’s favour, and so the match ended in a draw.
With matchweek thirteen in the books, we have…well, only two teams that have actually played thirteen matches, oddly enough. The biggest winner was the only winner of the weekend, with Vancouver FC striding into positive goal differential and a playoff spot all on the same night.
The verdict is still out on whether Inter Toronto might just be turning around what has been a rough form streak after turning out a much more defensively-sound performance this time around, while FC Supra certainly needs to stem its own bleed.
The action returns next weekend with double-headers on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The Wanderers will welcome FC Supra, while Vancouver FC faces a tough test in Cavalry FC. Sunday sees Atletico Ottawa extend its homestand against a Pacific side hoping another trip to Ontario won’t be all for moot, while Inter Toronto returns home for another 905 Derby against Forge FC.
Header Image Photo Credit: Antoine Longue
