AGR's High Press: Valour looking to attack to halt draw streak | David Choinière continues to be clutch for Forge
It’s that time of the year - clinching season.
Quietly, Forge and Atlético Ottawa became the first two Canadian Premier League teams to clinch a playoff spot in 2024, allowing them to turn their attention towards chasing the regular season title and finishing as high as possible in the table.
Certainly, it wasn’t as if both weren’t trying to do that anyway - it’s been all but assured that both would reach the playoffs for a while now - but it’s still nice to have that X beside one's name.
Now, Cavalry and York will look to join them this week, further adding clarity to those who will participate in the postseason, as both sit close to clinching their spots.
Of course, the big thing to watch now will be to see who the fifth team is that joins them, which remains wide-open right now, and will likely remain that way for the next few weeks. From there, figuring out playoff seeding and crowning a regular season champion will also be priorities, setting the table for the playoffs.
Yet, it’s that time of year, when permutations that have been spoken of for weeks become a reality.
Now, we’re weeks away from seeing how an entertaining season of CPL action will finish, and if the first 24 weeks have taught us anything, it’s this - strap in, as the drama is likely far from over.
Here’s what stood out from the latest week of CPL action in ‘High Press’.
Can Swibel and Hundal help Valour turn around streak of draws?
It’s hard to know what to make of Valour’s latest stretch of games.
On the one hand, they’ve done well to pick up points in four straight matches, keeping them within four points of the fifth and final CPL playoff spot. Given that they play the fifth-place team, Pacific, this week, that’s not a bad position to be in with four games remaining.
At the same time, they’ve now failed to win in five games, as they currently sit on a run of four straight draws, which has pushed them back down to eighth place in the table.
Certainly, there are a few draws they’ll be pleased with - drawing Cavalry and York on the road, doing so despite trailing by two goals against Cavalry and one goal against York, is no small feat.
On the flip side, they’ll be frustrated with home draws against Atlético Ottawa and most recently against the Halifax Wanderers, as they conceded late against both sides after controversial calls went against them.
GOAL ⚓️@HFXWanderersFC strike back late vs. @ValourFootball! 👀
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 21, 2024
Zach Fernandez gets on the end of a cross and powers home a perfect header to restore a 1-1 scoreline 🔥
🔴 Watch #CanPL on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/c3ItEy54IX
Because of that, they’ve missed out on a key opportunity to put themselves in a playoff spot, leaving them chasing again ahead of their last four matches.
They are still in a good position despite that - three of their last four matches are at home. There, however, they’ll look to build on their recent run of form at Princess Auto Stadium, where they’ve lost two and drawn two of their last five games, picking up just one win in that span, an August 17th triumph over the Halifax Wanderers.
Not only that, but they’ve only scored five goals across that stretch, as they’ve continued to struggle to score goals at home. Sitting with just 12 goals in 11 home games, they’ll want to fill the net with more regularity in their last three home games if they’re to make the playoffs.
They’ve been tough to breach defensively, sitting with just 13 goals conceded at home, but that’s why they’ll want to generate more offence, as they’re doing enough at the back to grind out results.
The good news, however? Valour now has the names they can look to offensively. After having no one score more than four goals in 2023, Valour now has two players with seven goals - Shaan Hundal and Jordi Swibel, with Hundal scoring four goals in his last five games to reach that tally.
GOAL 🎖️@ValourFootball find the go-ahead goal vs. @HFXWanderersFC! 💥
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 21, 2024
Check out how Loic Kwemi destroys his marker before finding Shaan Hundal for the tap in 👀
🔴 Watch #CanPL on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/K6PwrFJHsD
Unfortunately, Swibel has gone cold at the wrong time, as he’s scoreless in five games, and has just two goals in his last 14 matches after a run of four goals in five games earlier in the year, but they’ll want to create a scenario where both can be firing at the same time.
Right now, Valour’s put themselves back in the mix mainly due to their defensive structure, which is why they’ve lost just twice in their last 10 games.
But with five of those games being draws, they’ll look at those 10 points they missed out on and wonder where they’d be had they turned even just two or three of those draws into wins.
Now, that leaves them needing wins, and they’ll look for the duo of Swibel and Hundal to lead the way in that charge, as they look to push Valour to their first-ever playoff qualification. 
David Choinière leading Forge’s push for regular season crown:
Forge took one closer to topping the regular season table this weekend, as they defeated Vancouver 3-1 in a ruthless and efficient road performance.
Thanks to that, and a draw from Atlético Ottawa against Pacific, that has now extended Forge’s lead atop the table to five points, putting them in an excellent position to top the table for just the second time in their history.
Fittingly, who was leading the way in that win? Day 1 Forge winger, David Choinière, who had a goal and an assist in a Player of the Week performance.
With that, he’s now up to seven goals and eight assists in all competitions, continuing what has been one of his best campaigns to date with Forge. After putting up just two goals and three assists in 2023 as he dealt with injuries, he’s proved that he’s been one of the best wingers in the CPL for a reason, having returned to that level this season.
GOAL 🛠
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 21, 2024
David Choinière puts @ForgeFCHamilton ahead after a great play with Tristan Borges and Elimane Cissé inside the box 🟠
🔴 Watch the #CanPL LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/MBHe3oJo3h
That’s shown in his numbers, which are his best yet for a season with Forge, but in a sense, that’s fitting to see.
Known for his clutch goals over the years, especially in Concacaf competition, he’s made a knack for shining for Forge in the biggest moments. No matter if he was playing regularly or not, he’d be someone to watch in a big game, as he’d step up and find a way to impact those matches.
Fitting for a Forge side that also seems to thrive in those big matches, it’s why he’s proven to be a key piece for Bobby Smyrniotis to rely on during such occasions. 
This year, however, with Forge hungry to become the first CPL team to earn a regular season and playoff double, Choinière’s done well to prove that his clutch heroics aren’t just saved for the postseason or cup competition, and this weekend was another example of that.
That’s huge, as Forge continues to struggle with injuries to their attack. Because of that, Choinière’s been asked to step up in a big way, sitting fourth on the team in CPL minutes, after sitting 15th in that category last year due to his injuries.
Sitting as the minutes' leader among Forge attackers this year, he’s done well to put the injuries behind him, and Forge is reaping the benefits of it right now.
Therefore, look for him to continue to help lead this title push.
He’s adapted his role slightly this year, as he’s started to drift more centrally in possession this year, playing as more of an inverted winger. That’s allowed him to be more involved offensively, helping spark this latest run.
GOAL 🛠🛠🛠
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 21, 2024
Noah Jensen scores @ForgeFCHamilton’s 3rd! Great play from the Hammers to surely secure the 3 points ⚽️
🔴 Watch the #CanPL LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/nrd04E3FN4
Forge will now hope he has some more goals in him, starting with the 905 Derby against York United this weekend, where Forge will want to extend their lead atop the table even further.
Knowing how crucial this game could be towards securing that regular season title, it would be fitting to see him step up with another goal, as these are the exact sort of matches he seems to thrive in.
Cavalry survive physical match with York:
It was a big matchup between the third and fourth-place teams in the table this weekend, as York hosted Cavalry in a big matchup for both teams.
With Forge’s form, a win was the big goal, as both looked to keep pace in the title race.
That ended up yielding a physical game, as both teams combined for double digits in yellow cards, with four of those going to Cavalry players, and seven of them going to York players (with one of them, Jorge Guzmán earning two yellow cards to earn a red card).
RED CARD🟥@yorkutdfc go down to 10 players for the last seconds of their clash vs @CPLCavalryFC, as Jorge Guzmán is sent off after earning 2 quick yellow cards
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 21, 2024
📺Watch #CanPL LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/pOXodFDPKR
A game played at playoff intensity, it made for quite the matchup, giving an early taste of what to expect in the playoffs, especially from this new-look York team.
In the end, however, Cavalry ended up surviving to take home all three points, as they scored two timely goals, with Ali Musse slotting home on a rebound, and then Sergio Camargo taking advantage of Thomas Vincensini’s aggressive sweeping to score a long-distance chip to seal the deal.
GOAL🐎@CPLCavalryFC opens the scoring vs. York United, as Ali Musse is in the right place at the right time to make it 1-0 on a rebound
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 21, 2024
📺Watch #CanPL LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/1EY4Qheezn
Despite being short several key regulars due to injury and suspension, which forced Cavalry to play with a smaller bench, they were able to grit their teeth and put together a gutsy road performance to remain within six points of Forge.
Yet, it continues a good stretch from Cavalry, who improved to 5W-2D-1L in the eight games they’ve now played since Musse’s return from an injury. Given that he’s now up to four goals and three assists across that span, he’s been a key part of this recent run of form, showing why he was named Player’s Player of the Year in 2023. 
Along with the big performance from Camargo, that was key, as Camargo entered the game with just one goal and three assists after generating six goals and three assists (regular season and playoffs) the year prior.
As went Camargo and Musse in 2023, so did Cavalry, so they’ll be pleased to see that pair starting to heat up.
In this case, they helped them find the two key moments required to break open a chippy and physical match.
GOAL🐎🐎#CANPL. BANGERS. ONLY🚨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 21, 2024
Sergio Camargo doubles @CPLCavalryFC's lead over York United with a perfectly weighted lob from well outside of the box
📺Watch #CanPL LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/2w2TrcW4Q8
Otherwise, one key note from this weekend for Cavalry? That was just the second clean sheet they’ve kept in their last eight games, and it surprisingly came without Daan Klomp, who missed a rare game due to suspension.
That’ll be key, as Cavalry have scored 15 goals across that span, but they’ve also conceded 10 goals, which might not seem like much, but for a team who has conceded just 24 goals in 24 games, it’s been a slight oddity, especially given that they had three games where they conceded two goals - something they did only three times in the first 16 games of the season.
Who caught my eye? Michael Harms
Called into action for a start amid Cavalry’s injuries, 18-year-old Michael Harms put in a good shift for Cavalry in their win over York, going 90 minutes at right back.
Making just his sixth appearance and second start, he looked cool, calm and collected at the back for Cavalry, helping deputize nicely for Fraser Aird at the position.
Given how good Aird’s been this season, it was impressive to see Harms slot in and play to ensure Aird’s absence wasn’t missed, which is a credit to the youngster, who will be due for more minutes to end the year based on what he showed in this one. 
What I’m watching: Forge FC vs York United
Forge can take a big step towards securing top spot in the table in the fourth and final regular season 905 Derby matchup of the season, as a win could ensure York can no longer catch them, and potentially even put them within a win of securing the title depending on other results.
Because of that, expect them to come out flying, especially after both teams combined for a tightly contested 0-0 last month.
Plus, if York’s last match is to mean anything, they’ll also come out flying, although they’ll have to do so without some key regulars in Orlando Botello, Jorge Guzmán and Oswaldo Léon, who are all suspended.
Knowing that this is York’s last chance to keep their title hopes alive if they can avoid a loss, that much should be expected from them, which should make for a fun derby clash between two teams that are always up for games against each other.
