CanPL POWER RANKINGS: Red-hot Forge continue to soar as playoff picture tightens up
The final round of CPL action has started off in style.
Having officially entered the final quarter of the CPL season, it’s crunch time in the race toward the finish line.
Hot or cold starts have long been forgotten, as all that counts right now is finishing strong, with teams eager to finish in a playoff spot, and in the case of one side, with their hands on a trophy.
As has been the case over the last few months, however, the table remains split in two, as the top four and bottom four are all quite close together, creating two races - the race towards the title, and the race toward the fifth and final playoff spot.
Who will end up on top of both of those races? Will there be any final movement that sees someone in the top four drop out or someone in the bottom four climb up?
It’ll all be decided across the final six weeks, starting this upcoming weekend.
Before then, however, here’s a look at who’s hot, and who’s not, in the latest CPL Power Rankings, presented by tonybet.
>Forge are rolling right now, and they picked up another statement victory this past weekend, defeating Cavalry 2-1 at Tim Hortons Field. Thanks to that win, they’ve now got a record of 7W-2D-1L (23 PTS) in their last 10 CPL games, allowing them to carve out a four point lead atop the table. Not only that, but they’ve been rolling in every facet of their game, too, outscoring opponents 18-5 across that 10 game stretch, as they’ve been dominant offensively and airtight defensively. Buoyed by an elite home record, as they’ve now amassed a whopping 31 points from 12 home games thanks to a record of 10W-1D-1L, it’s been an impressive campaign out in Hamilton. Because of that, it’s hard to imagine them finishing anywhere but in the top two of the CPL table right now, giving them a chance to host the final at home, which is a dangerous proposition for the rest of the CPL. One thing to watch out for, however? Forge will play four of their last six games away from home, where they’ve got a record of 2W-4D-4L (10 PTS) in 10 games. Look for them to bring some of their home cooking out on the road, as they’ll need it if they’re to maintain this red-hot run of form and finish with their hands on a second CPL Shield.
GOAL 🔨🔨@ForgeFCHamilton go up 2-0 over @CPLCavalryFC in our @tonybet_Canada #CanPL Match of the Week as Tristan Borges gets his brace from the penalty spot 🎯
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 8, 2024
🔴 TUNE IN on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/lDhM3Ogcpy
>Cavalry missed out on a glorious chance to climb atop the CPL table this weekend in their loss to Forge, a result that now puts them seven points behind first place. Not only that, but they’ve also now dropped to fourth place after York won and Atlético Ottawa picked up a point, showing how ruthless the top four race currently is - dropping points can be so costly right now. The good news for Cavalry? They can put this loss behind them quickly, as their next two matches are against York and Ottawa, before they finish the season with four matches against the teams currently ranked #5 to #8. Of course, with what’s currently at stake for those at the bottom of the table, those will not be games to be taken lightly, but Cavalry won’t mind how things have lined up for them. Now, however, the big thing Cavalry will need to watch out for? Injuries, as much like earlier in the season when they were struggling to win, they’ve quietly lost some key players over the last few weeks. When healthy, this side has been lethal, so they’ll hope they don’t have many other problems to deal with as they get set to tackle the stretch run.
>York United snapped a three-game winless run this weekend, defeating Vancouver 1-0 on the road, pushing them back into the top three in the CPL table. Not only that, but they looked like the team that stormed up the table in the summer, too, as they were very good defensively against Vancouver, which allowed them to turn a timely early goal from Nyal Higgins into a hard-fought victory. Given that they were without Brian Wright once again, they’ll be especially pleased with their defensive performance, which came without Frank Sturing and Noah Abatneh, as the former’s been out with an injury while the latter came off early in the Vancouver match. Yet, it’s fitting to see the result, as this side has been at its best under head coach Benjamín Mora when they keep things tight defensively, which is why they’ll want to now build off this result as they try and maintain their hold on a top three spot.
GOAL 👑
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 7, 2024
Nyal Higgins puts @yorkutdfc ahead early in the match with a great header ⚽️
🔴 Watch the #CanPL LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/D8ra6CFTzD
>Atlético Ottawa have put a mid-summer slump behind them, as they’ve now gone four matches without a loss after a run of three straight losses to top three opponents at the end of July and beginning of August. At the same time, while they’ll feel they’ve started to return to their identity as a team, looking more like the side that stormed out to a strong start in CPL action, they’ll be frustrated with their most recent match, in which they missed out a chance to narrow the gap between them and first place Forge to two points. Despite that, they’ll be pleased with where they sit, as they’ve got some crucial six-point matches against those in the top four, starting with a game against Cavalry this weekend. Safe to say, that’ll be a good opportunity for them to make some noise before Forge widens that gap too far.
>Valour FC remain in the thick of the CPL playoff race, and have remained one of the toughest to beat across the league right now. Their last two matches proved that, too, as they picked up draws against Cavalry and Ottawa, and will feel they could’ve at least picked up a couple of more points than they did, too. Because of that, it feels like they’re poised to make some noise over this last stretch, especially when it comes to six-pointers that await against those around them in the table. They’ve been organized defensively, have found some consistency in the attack, and have done a good job of keeping healthy (even if suspensions have hurt them). With four of their last five games coming at home, they’ve got every opportunity to be able to finish the year on a high note and reach the playoffs for the first time in their history.
GOAL 🦁@ValourFootball lead! Shaan Hundal opens the scoring with a great header after a perfect cross from Jordan Faria ⚽️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 10, 2024
Some beautiful football from the hosts in the opening 10 minutes 🤩
🔴 Watch the #CanPL LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/Cuj8Z6Zx2A
>What’s going on with the Halifax Wanderers? It’s one thing for them to be losing, as slumps can happen, but the big surprise with the Wanderers' results is that they continue to come from self-inflicted wounds, and there’s no better example of that than their recent loss to Pacific. Given the grandeur of that match, for the Wanderers to go down to nine players off two avoidable red cards will hurt. Yet, discipline has been a big issue all year long for Halifax, who have now been handed six red cards across the 21 games they’ve played. Along with their road record, which is 1W-1D-9L (4 PTS), look at those two factors as a big reason for why they sit where they do in the table. Now, with seven games remaining, they’ll need to find a way to remain disciplined, as they still remain within touching distance of the playoffs, but need wins, quickly, or else this Pacific loss will be seen as the game where they unofficially bowed out of the playoff race, as that’s what it certainly felt like when watching it.
>Did Pacific just save their regular season campaign? It sure seems like it, as thanks to back-to-back defeats from Vancouver FC, and a massive 3-0 win from Pacific over Halifax, the Tridents now trail their Salish Sea Derby rivals by just three points, sitting with a game in hand. Fittingly? Both sides will now play each other out on Vancouver Island this weekend, where Pacific won’t just be looking to snap a five-game losing streak against Vancouver, but also to hop into a tie for a playoff spot. If they’re to do that, however, they’ll hope that they can build off their offensive performance against Halifax, where they scored three goals for just the second time all year long. They were helped by the Wanderers going down to nine, but Pacific did score while the game was at 11v11 and was dangerous before the sending offs, so they’ll still have plenty to be pleased about. Now, they’ll need to use this to build some confidence, as they now get set for a tough derby match.
GOAL🔱🔱🔱@Pacificfccpl have made it 3-0 vs. Halifax, as Moses Dyer slots home from close range after a nice cross from Adonijah Reid
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 8, 2024
🔴Watch #CanPL LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/WEZNQPYJ3X
>Vancouver’s once-secure grip on the fifth and final playoff spot in the CPL has loosened, as back-to-back defeats has pushed them right back into the fight, after they once looked within touching distance of being able to climb back into the top four. They’ll be frustrated about the manner in which they lost their two most recent games, too - they fell by 1-0 on both occasions after giving up early set-piece goals. Yet, that’s something to watch - teams are finding the best strategy to go at Vancouver is to sit back and dare them to try and break a defensive line down, instead of being able to feast in transition as they’ve done a good job of doing this year. So far, it’s paid off for several teams, so expect a lot more of that, marking a good challenge for Vancouver to overcome as they look to maintain their hold on a playoff spot.
