POWER RANKINGS: Cavalry climbs to top spot as they continue to mount CPL Shield push
It’s almost the final round of CPL action, and there is still everything to play for.
As the calendar nears the beginning of September, it’s been remarkable to see, as all eight CPL teams still have something to play for at the moment, be it a title or a spot in the playoffs (or even both in some cases).
Because of that, it’s made for a tense few weeks of action, as teams have realized what’s at stake and have demonstrated that in their performances, and that’s expected to continue in the coming weeks.
With just three points sitting between first and fourth place, and just nine points between fifth and eighth, there could be a lot more movement still to come in the table, too.
As a result, it’s setting up to be quite the conclusion to the season, one that could come down to the final day.
Yet, with eight weeks still to go, it’s far too early to look ahead and see how that race might play out. Instead, here’s a look back at who’s trending upward and who is falling in the latest CPL Power Rankings, presented by tonybet. 
>It’s Cavalry FC season, who can’t stop winning. After a key home win over Pacific FC, they’ve now won five straight matches, putting them two points off first place. Given how they started the year when wins were hard to come by, it’s been a remarkable turnaround, one that now makes them a favourite to repeat as CPL Shield winners. Their defence has remained elite, their offence has come alive, and players like Ali Musse, Daan Klomp, Fraser Aird and Shamit Shome have stepped up in a big way, creating a perfect storm for them. Now, for Cavalry, the big goal will be to keep this run going, because with how they’re playing, it’s going to be hard for anyone to stop them, given that they’ve only lost three CPL games all season. In that regard, keep an eye out on a September 7th clash against Forge at Tim Hortons Field, which could be massive for both sides' respective title hopes.
GOAL 🐴
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) August 24, 2024
DAAN KLOMP SCORES IN ADDED TIME! ⚽️ @CPLCavalryFC break the deadlock at the 91st minute after a mess inside the box. Incredible!
🔴 Watch #CanPL LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/cKbmlQAOas
>After a red-hot run, York United have slowed down slightly over the past two weeks, as a home loss two weeks ago against Cavalry stung, before they settled for a 0-0 draw against 905 derby rivals Forge this past weekend. Because of that, they’ve dropped from first to fourth, but with just three points between them and first, that could easily change again over the next few weeks. Yet, that’s the big thing to watch with York now - do they have the fitness to stay in this title race? No doubt, they can be a dangerous team at their best under manager Benjamín Mora, but they’ve heavily relied on a core group of players to find wins, which could lead to questions of fatigue, and whether or not their depth players are ready to step up. Given that injuries and suspensions have quietly started to pile up, they’ll see if their depth can shine over their next few games, helping them keep pace in this fascinating playoff battle.
>As has become customary over the years, Forge FC always seem to find a way to catch fire in bursts, and they’re coming off one of those red-hot stretches, as they rattled off three straight victories over a week-long period to climb atop the table. Now, however, they face a big question - how will the departure of Kwasi Poku affect their title hopes? They certainly miss the youngster, who was sold to Belgian side RWD Molenbeek last week, and they felt that in the second leg of their Canadian Championship semi-final against Toronto FC, as well as their recent 0-0 draw with York. At the same time, given their depth, they know they’ve got other players who can step up and find goals, so look for them to tap into that next man up mentality. That’s how they’ve gotten to this point, doing so despite dealing with some key injuries and absences throughout the summer, and they’ll want to maintain it as they chase a regular season title and a fifth North Star Cup in the playoffs.
>Despite a rough start, Valour FC have thrown themselves firmly into the playoff mix, narrowing the gap between them and the fifth playoff spot to as little as three points over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, the gap has widened to six after a late heartbreaking loss to Vancouver FC at home, which is a result that’ll sting for the immediate future, but Valour remains in the race, especially given Vancouver’s overall form as of late. Set to finish the season with a home-heavy schedule, they’ve got a great chance to still make some noise, so keep an eye on them. One thing they’ll want to be wary of, however, is suspensions, as they’ve struggled to keep key players on the field in recent weeks due to yellow card accumulation suspensions, with Themi Antonoglou the latest to miss out on a game for that. No doubt, they could’ve used him at left back against Vancouver, so they’ll hope his return can provide a boost ahead of two tough games against Cavalry and Atlético Ottawa, and that other key players can avoid missing games for discipline reasons.
GOAL🎖️@ValourFootball have tied things up late vs. Vancouver FC, as Shaan Hundal slots home from close range against his old club to make it 1-1 in the 87th minute
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) August 25, 2024
🔴Watch the @TonyBet_Canada #CanPL MOTW LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/PQs8ElcUwp
>It’s now-or-never time for the Halifax Wanderers, who continue to show glimpses of the side they can be, yet struggle to turn it into the results they need. As a result, they remain nine points behind the fifth and final playoff spot (with a game in hand), which while still a realistic gap to make up, now puts them in ‘must-win’ territory as the calendar flips to September. Because of that, it’ll be interesting to see how they deal with that pressure. They know what they need to do, as their play in both boxes is what’s sunk them as of late, but that can often be the toughest aspect of the game to manage. Yet, that’s been the story of the Wanderers season. They’ve played nice soccer, but have lacked that functionality and ruthlessness they’ve needed to turn that into wins, which is why they sit in last in the table, wondering if they’ll ever find that on-switch they seemed to hit last summer en route to a playoff appearance.
GOAL ⚓️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) August 24, 2024
IT’S 1-1! Dan Nimick scores the penalty at the death to salvage a point for the @HFXWanderersFC. What. an. ending.
🔴 Watch #CanPL LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/kHp97dyCre
>Atlético Ottawa has slowly started to put a mid-summer slump behind them, as they put in one of their best performances in a road win over Pacific before picking up a road draw against Halifax this past weekend. Thanks to that, they remain firmly in the title race, but they’ll know they still have another gear to hit. In particular, they’ve struggled to figure out what their best team is as of late, as they’ve rotated through several options in recent games, rarely sticking with one group. No doubt, that’s a credit to their depth, as they’ve got the luxury to do that, but one’s depth can only be as good as how they’re used, and it feels like Ottawa hasn’t gotten the most out of their entire squad in recent games. Look for them to figure out what their best team is over the next few weeks, as they’ll need to lean on them a little more as they mount this title push.
>Could Vancouver FC find a bit of life and become a playoff dark horse? They’ll hope their most recent victory, a dramatic 2-1 win over Valour, can provide them a key spark in that regard. Just their third win in their past 13 games, moments like that have been hard to come by as of late after a hot start, so they’ll hope this is a sign that they’re about to get back on track. In particular, they’ll want to get going offensively, as they’ve got the pieces to be lethal offensively, especially after the arrival of Ayman Sellouf to a group that includes Alejandro Díaz, Mikaël Cantave and Gabriel Bitar. If they’re to hold onto their playoff spot and then make some noise in the postseason, those players will be key to their efforts, as they can be key match winners. Their two most recent wins show that, as Díaz scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Pacific a few weeks back, before Sellouf and Bitar both scored against Valour (with Cantave assisting Bitar on his goal), showing how dangerous that quartet can be at their best.
GOAL🦅🦅
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) August 25, 2024
Have yourself a day Ayman Sellouf!@vanfootballclub's newest arrival looks to have secured his team a dramatic road win over Valour, scoring in the 97th minute to put his team up 2-1, on his birthday, no less
🔴Watch the @TonyBet_Canada #CanPL MOTW LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/eHqEjTSEDH
>At this stage, Pacific FC are just looking for a spark, a moment - anything to build off as they look to put a tough stretch of games behind them. Having lost three straight by a combined score of 5-0, and sitting with a record of 1W-1D-7L (4 PTS) in their last nine CPL games, things have not looked good for the Tridents lately, whose streak of four straight playoff qualifications looks in danger of ending. At the same time, not all hope is lost. They remain just six points off Vancouver with a game in hand, have been strong defensively, and have dealt with several injuries. On the flip side, they continue to struggle offensively, having scored just 17 goals in 24 games in all competitions, they need to get the goals flowing to have any chance of a remarkable late turnaround. If not, their freefall will continue, because it won’t matter how well they defend if they’re not scoring the goals to give themselves a chance at winning games. Having never really replaced the departure of Alejandro Díaz in 2022, they’ll now hope new arrival Moses Dyer or the finally healthy Adonijah Reid can help fix that, or else an early end to the season awaits.
