AGR's High Press: Ottawa and Forge combine for ANOTHER CPL classic | Vancouver continue to shine in derbies
It was a long weekend in Canada, and those can typically only mean one thing - at least one wildly entertaining CPL match.
And fans were not left disappointed in that regard, as another all-time CPL classic went down this weekend, joining the list of a handful of long weekend games that have left their mark on the league’s history.
#CanPL games when they're on a long weekend pic.twitter.com/ytWnd8HfPH
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) June 29, 2024
Yet, it was that sort of weekend in the league - a winning one, as of the four matches that were played, all four yielded winners. For an already congested league table, that ended up being huge, further congesting the table, which now sees second and eighth place separated by just eight points as of writing.
As the dog days of summer begin, that’s huge, setting up some massive weeks of action, many of which will end up like this past weekend, at least in terms of yielding winners and intriguing results.
With that in mind, here’s a look at what stood out from the latest matchday of CPL action in this week’s “High Press”.
Did we witness an early CPL game of the year candidate?
Funnily enough, one of the best games in CPL history didn’t look to be trending that way for a large chunk of the match, as Atlético Ottawa and Forge reached half time of their June 28th matchup with Ottawa leading 1-0 off a goal in the 2nd minute from Aboubacar Sissoko.
To be fair, Sissoko’s goal was excellent, as the Ottawa midfielder scored an acrobatic kick on a cross against his old club, but instead of being the precursor for a busy half, both teams settled into a lull from there.
Perhaps, however, Sissoko’s goal should’ve been a warning shot for what was brewing, as things got wild in the second half.
It started with a pair of Forge goals in the 48th and 55th minute, which gave them a 2-1 lead, but then Ottawa responded with goals in the 62nd and 70th minute to regain their advantage.
GOAL 🔨🔨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 29, 2024
Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson gives @ForgeFCHamilton the lead vs @atletiOttawa off a header!
2-1 in the 59th minute of this #CanPL clash: Watch LIVE on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/AJvBfcbhfM
Goal 🏠🏠🏠
Rubén del Campo gives @atletiOttawa the lead once again vs @ForgeFCHamilton off a clinical finish!
3-2 in the 73rd minute of this #CanPL clash: Watch LIVE on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/LT7VsJdgaJ— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 29, 2024
But then, after looking like they’d cruise to victory from there, Ottawa’s Liberman Torres had a moment to forget. Making just his fourth appearance for the club after joining on loan from Villarreal earlier this year, he made a simple mistake when playing out of the back in the 88th minute, setting up an easy goal from Forge’s Kwasi Poku to tie the game at 3-3.
Goal 🔨🔨🔨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 29, 2024
We are tied once again! Kwasi Poku capitalizes on a mistake and scores the equalizer for @ForgeFCHamilton against @atletiOttawa!
It’s 3-3 in the 90th minute of this #CanPL clash: Watch LIVE on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/TO2eBLd9Ai
With that, it seemed like the game would surely finish 3-3, leaving both teams to share the points, a result that Forge would’ve likely been satisfied with, and Ottawa disappointed with.
Especially for Torres, it would’ve been a tough outcome, as that sort of mistake could’ve been devastating for his confidence, especially given his status as an Ottawa newcomer.
But luckily for Torres, his story wouldn’t be over in that game, as he managed to find a dramatic conclusion just minutes later. In the chase of the winner they felt they deserved, Ottawa continued to push, which led Dani Morer to send in a dangerous cross in the 93rd minute.
A cross not too dissimilar to the one Morer sent towards the head of Alberto Zapater in the 100th minute of their 2-2 draw against the Halifax Wanderers on June 2nd, the ball flew perfectly towards the penalty spot, where it met Torres’s head and flew in for the Ecuadorian’s first professional goal.
SUPERCLUB GOAL 💥@ATLETIOTTAWA HAVE WON IT LATE! 4-3 vs. @ForgeFCHamilton in the dying seconds!
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 29, 2024
Liberman Torres ends this back-and-forth battle with a checkmate finale 😎
🔴 Watch #CanPL on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/SRHWMr0Pve
From there, it secured a crucial win for Ottawa, who extended their lead atop the CPL table to seven points, carving out a gap of eight points between them and Forge in third.
Not only that, it marked a game that will live in CPL lore for years to come, too. 
Yet, this isn’t anything new for these two teams, who have started to combine for some pretty epic battles over the years, such as their meetings in the 2022 CPL final, the 2023 Canadian Championship, and now this one. In fact, their best game before this one came in a similar game last year, where Forge defeated Ottawa 4-3 in a back-and-forth encounter in CPL action in late June.
What that shows is that both teams are comfortable in going toe-to-toe with each other, and bringing all of the drama that can come with it, even if they aren’t games that their coaches will enjoy watching their teams play in.
But that’s also a sign of the quality that exists in their ranks. In this most recent game, there wasn’t anything in the statistics to suggest that this goal outburst was expected, as the xG was 1.54 to 0.56 for Ottawa, and the shots 16-12, but that’s a sign of the quality in these two groups - they can break open a game with a moment, or as they showed in this game, on seven moments.
Typically, they’ve used that skill to claw out key wins against other CPL opponents, which is why they’re two of the top teams in the league right now, but it looks like that can yield entertaining games like this one when pitted against each other, which isn’t always the case when top teams meet, with those games often of the cagier variety. That they’ve combined for two 4-3 games in the past 13 months shows that, and indicates that more dramatic battles could be on the way.
Now, maybe there will even be another playoff rematch, which would certainly be one to watch, at least if this meeting is to mean anything.
The anatomy of a derby - Vancouver beats Pacific for 4th straight Salish Sea Derby win:
There is a different energy that surrounds teams in a derby. No matter the circumstances, the form of both teams goes out the window, and all that matters is getting the job done.
Because of that, it can become a battle of minds more than anything, and Vancouver FC showed that in their 2-1 win over Pacific FC in the sixth installment of the Salish Sea Derby.
Despite a slow start, one that saw Pacific open the scoring off a Thomas Meilleur-Giguère header in the 38th minute after a flurry of chances, Vancouver responded with an equalizer from Alejandro Díaz in the 40th minute, allowing them to reach half time tied, even if Pacific could’ve and should’ve been up by multiple goals with how they were playing. Out on the front foot for most of the half, they couldn’t turn that into anything other than the Meilleur-Giguère header was a surprise, giving a key edge to Vancouver.
Then, in the second half, Vancouver continued to show that survivor’s mentality, as they overcame a Pacific penalty thanks to a resolute Callum Irving stop on Sean Young, which allowed them to find an 82nd-minute winner from Elage Bah.
PENALTY SAVE 🦅
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 28, 2024
Callum Irving denies Young from the penalty spot!
It remains 1-1 in the 56th minute. of this #CanPL clash: Watch LIVE on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/p9R96FyjMg
With that, Vancouver secured their fourth straight win in this derby, giving them a 4W-0D-2L record against Pacific all-time. Not only that, but they’ve done a great job of managing the psychological side of this derby, too, as they’ve shown in recent matches.
GOAL 🦅
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 28, 2024
Elage Bah spins into his first professional goal to give @VanFootballClub a late lead over @Pacificfccpl!
It's 2-1 in the 82nd minute of this #CanPL clash: Watch LIVE on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/PQpORuKsUJ
For example, among those four wins, they now won matches in the 82nd, 85th and 87th minutes, showing good survival instincts to claw out wins late in games. Plus, all four of their wins have been one-goal wins, too, which further demonstrates that ability to grind out wins.
Yet, that’s crucial in derby matches, where the margins can be so thin - of the six derbies between these two teams, five have been decided by one goal, showing how fine the line can be between victory and defeat. 
And this bodes well for what’s to come for Vancouver. They’ll feel they’ve got another gear to hit offensively, and have slipped up a bit defensively in the last few games, but they’ve done well to grind out some tough wins, allowing them to sit in second place.
If they’re able to make the playoffs, that’ll pay off for them, as teams who can grind out results tend to do well in the postseason, where games can tighten up, much like in derbies.
Therefore, while this streak of derby wins will give Vancouver confidence, they’ll like the mentality they’ve shown in those wins, which they’ll feel is just as important as they look to push toward the playoffs.
In a league where everyone is quite familiar with each other, teams need to be able to grind out tough wins, as Vancouver did in this game.
The value of a gritty 1-0 win:
Speaking of grinding out key results, this past weekend was massive for the two sides at the bottom of the table, as Valour and Halifax both earned key 1-0 wins at home to climb up to 10 points on the season, putting them within four points of sixth place Cavalry and six points of a playoff spot.
After spending most of the season locked to the bottom of the table together, those are key wins for both sides, especially the Wanderers, who now have back-to-back wins and are undefeated in five after going nine games without a win to start the year.
But as seen by the identical scorelines in both games, the big success both had in these wins was their ability to lock things down and grind out 1-0 victories after scoring relatively early, with Valour’s Diogo Ressurreição opening the scoring in the 29th minute in their win over York United, while Ryan Telfer scored in the 49th minute in the Wanderers 1-0 win over Cavalry. 
And that’s key, as both teams have struggled to lock down results, especially defensively. That’s why the Wanderers had just one clean sheet in their first nine games before earning back-to-back clean sheets to help them win their last two matches, while Valour had one in their first 11 before their recent shutout win.
Already two of the quieter offensive teams in the league, that put a lot of pressure on their attackers to find goals, which can be tough when defenders usually leak a goal or two a game.
GOAL ⚓️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 1, 2024
Ryan Telfer gets the party started early in the second half for @HFXWanderersFC, striking to give his team a 1-0 lead over @CPLCavalryFC
🔴 Watch our @tonybet_canada #CanPL MOTW on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/egdzM11Akq
Because of that, look for both teams to build off what they showed defensively in this game, as Valour did well to shut things down in a compact 4-2-3-1, a formation mirrored by Halifax, which is intriguing to note. Both can score, even if it’s been streaky, but if they can start to grind out defensive performances like this one, they can string together a couple of well-earned wins, which would help them vault up the table.
Goals can win games, but defensive play can win championships, something they’ll look to remind themselves as they try and build off this.
Who caught my eye: Shamit Shome
Despite their loss to Halifax, Shome put in an excellent shift for Cavalry on Canada Day and was unlucky not to chip in with any goal contributions, as he created five chances, completed five dribbles and made seven passes into the final third in a lively offensive performance.
For a Cavalry team that has struggled to generate consistent offence this year, it was exactly what they would’ve wanted to see from Shome, but surprisingly they were unable to finish those opportunities, something they haven’t usually struggled with.
But if Shome can keep up that sort of performance, one has to imagine that’ll help his team find some more goals, as he was a thorn in the side of the Wanderers all game long.
What I’m watching this week: Valour vs Cavalry
Quietly, just four points separate Valour, who are tied for last place, and Cavalry, who are in sixth place, which means their matchup between them this weekend could be quite crucial - either the gap remains at four with a draw, Cavalry widens that gap to seven with a win or Valour narrows it to just one with a victory of their own.
As some will say, it’s a classic six-pointer, which for a Valour side that’s desperate to push right into the playoff mix, and a Cavalry side eager to get some wins on the board amid a draw-heavy season, could lead to an intense matchup, one that could have all sorts of implications on the CPL table.
With the gap already so tight between second and eighth place in the CPL table, with just eight points separating those seven teams, a Valour win could further shake things up, which is an intriguing proposition to imagine.
