PREVIEW: Are there any more upsets on the cards in Canadian Championship quarter-finals?
After a thrilling preliminary round of Canadian Championship action, the quarter-finals are already upon us, as the eight remaining teams in the competition get set to tackle the first leg of their final 8 ties this week.
Some intriguing matchups are on tap in this round, too, including meetings between a couple of familiar foes from different leagues, a clash of two of the hottest CPL teams, and a David vs Goliath battle for the ages, which should make for an intriguing quarter-final round.
And then there were 8!
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 3, 2024
Who’s taking home this year’s Voyageurs Cup?#CanChamp pic.twitter.com/hdxzum13PK
Now, of course, the big question will be if there will be any upsets, which is always the main storyline in the earlier rounds. After seeing a big upset and a near-upset in the preliminary round, can anyone dethrone the MLS sides who are favoured to win the competition in the quarter-finals?
It’s hard to say, as it won’t be easy to achieve across two legs after the single-legged preliminary round matches, but of course, anything can happen in cup soccer, so you can never say never.
At the end of the day, if anyone underestimates their opponents, they’ll do so at their own risk, knowing it might come back to bite them in the end.
With that in mind, here’s a look at what to watch out for in leg one of the quarter-finals this week.
Forge vs CF Montréal:
For a fourth straight year, these two sides are getting set to meet in this tournament, after encounters in the 2021 semi-finals, 2022 quarter-finals and 2023 semi-finals, with Montréal advancing over Forge in each of those ties.
This time, however, Forge will be hoping that the fourth time can be the charm, as they enter this tie filled with confidence, off to a hot start in the CPL, where they’ve won their first three games of the season. Especially after a confident 3-1 win over rivals York United in the preliminary round, they’ll feel that the good vibes can translate to cup play, even if they’re up against a side that always does well in this competition.
"If we can energize them it's only great for Forge, for soccer in Hamilton, and soccer in this country."@ForgeFCHamilton head coach Bobby Smyrniotis discusses tomorrow's #CanChamp game against @cfmontreal, and the importance of the club's first School Day Match 🔨#CanPL pic.twitter.com/ewxHew6Xx3
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) May 6, 2024
As for Montréal, they’ll want to use this matchup to re-center themselves after a strange start to the MLS season.
To be fair, it hasn’t been that bad for them, as they’ve picked up a solid 12 points from 10 games despite playing eight of them on the road, but it doesn’t feel like they’ve quite clicked as a group. They’ve shown glimpses, but will now look to put it together across a stretch of home games, as seven of their next 10 in MLS play will be at Stade Saputo.
2021
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) May 6, 2024
2022
2023
2024 🔜
On retrouve @ForgeFCHamilton dans le Championnat canadien pour une quatrième année consécutive.#CFMTL pic.twitter.com/RFeQXsZnf6
Heading into leg one, there’s no shortage of storylines for both teams, though.
First, there’s the fact that this is the fourth edition of the “Choinière bowl”, as Forge’s David Choinière and Montréal’s Mathieu Choinière get set to grow their brotherly rivalry with another matchup. Especially after Mathieu made headlines for requesting a trade last week after contract negotiations with Montréal stalled, while David has been in good form for Forge, they could both play a prominent role in this one, for varying reasons.
Secondly, there’s the fact that Forge has done quite well at Tim Hortons Field against MLS opposition, taking Montréal to penalties in their only meeting at the stadium in 2021, before doing the same to Toronto FC in the 2020 final played in 2022. If they’re going to advance, a strong leg one is a must, something they’ll look to build on.
Lastly, that’s the most important storyline - the circumstances under which this first leg will be played, as the game is kicking off at 11:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday. You read that correctly - 11:00 a.m., as it’s Forge’s “school day” match, an initiative designed to give younger fans a chance to watch the team, with over 11,000 local school kids planned to be in the stadium for this one.
Originally supposed to be a CPL match vs the Halifax Wanderers on the same date, the rigid schedule of the Canadian Championship scuppered those plans and forced Forge to replace that match with this game. Therefore, keep an eye on how this affects both sides, as the early timing of the match and the likely hostile crowd of ecstatic youngsters could offer some different challenges than most professionals are typically used to facing.
Cavalry vs Vancouver Whitecaps:
It’s one of the most famous upsets of this competition's history - Cavalry FC, in just their first year of existence, defeated the famed Vancouver Whitecaps across two legs in the quarter-finals of the 2019 competition, winning 2-1 to advance to the semi-finals.
Because of that, as they get set to meet five years later, could another similar upset be on the cards?
It’s a lot more unlikely, as a lot has changed since then.
For Cavalry, that has ended up being their high mark in this competition, as they’ve failed to return to the semi-finals ever since, falling in the quarter-finals in 2021 to Pacific and 2022 to the Whitecaps, before getting eliminated by Pacific in the 2023 preliminary round.
— Cavalry FC (@CPLCavalryFC) May 1, 2024
As for the Whitecaps, while that loss to Cavalry wasn’t quite their low moment in this competition, as they then fell in the 2021 preliminary round to Pacific in the famed “Ferryside Derby”, they’ve turned things around since, winning back-to-back Canadian Championships in 2022 and 2023 after having previously only won the competition in 2015.
Because of that, the Whitecaps are clear favourites entering this match, as they’re off to an excellent start to their MLS season, where they’ve got some big goals, including bringing home a first-ever MLS Cup.
Goin' for that three-peat 🍁
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) April 24, 2024
🏆 #CanChamp Quarterfinal Leg 2
🆚 @CPLCavalryFC
🗓️ May 21 @ 7:30pm
🏟️ @BCPlace
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Despite that, this matchup still promises to be an interesting one, as Cavalry won’t make things easy, and will believe that their experience could prove to be a huge asset.
From that famed 2019 tie with the Whitecaps, to their 2022 rematch, which saw the Whitecaps only get past Cavalry on penalties, Cavalry won’t be intimidated by playing MLS opposition. Having gotten their first taste of Concacaf action earlier this year when they played MLS side Orlando City in the Champions Cup, they’ll feel that what they learned in that 6-1 aggregate loss can help them in this game, with that score not reflecting how they played in that tie.
Plus, with the Whitecaps juggling a strong start to the MLS season, they might be tempted to rotate, which could always come back to haunt them if they don’t manage that properly. They typically always put out strong teams in this competition, and plan to do so again this year, but with a busy month of May, they might have to alter that strategy slightly to keep their squad fresh as they deal with some injuries.
Because of that, leg one will be crucial, as the Whitecaps will want to put this tie away early, while Cavalry will want to frustrate for as long as possible.
Atlético Ottawa vs Pacific:
Through four weeks of CPL action, three teams remain undefeated - Forge, Atlético Ottawa and Pacific, showing why this Canadian Championship matchup between Ottawa and Pacific should be an exciting one.
Both sitting with records of three wins and one draw, they’ve been the teams to beat in CPL play, which will be interesting to see play out as they meet for the first time this year.
For Ottawa, this is a huge chance to prove their credentials as a top team, as they look to reach the semi-finals of this tournament for the first time. After a big offseason, one where they made some big signings, they laid out some big goals, including chasing a regular season and playoff double in the CPL action, and a deep run in this competition was another big one.
On to the next round of the 2024 TELUS #CanChamp 📈🇨🇦🏆
— Atlético Ottawa (@atletiOttawa) May 2, 2024
Be there May 8th as we take on @Pacificfccpl in the Quarter Final at @TD_Place 🔱🏟⚡️✅
Tickets on sale now 💺‼️
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And so far, they’ve not messed around in pursuit of those goals, outscoring opponents 8-3 in CPL play, before defeating Valour FC 7-0 in a record-setting victory in the preliminary round of this tournament. Because of that, they’ll want to use this tie to make a statement, showing that they’re a team to beat in the CPL right now, one who could make some noise against MLS opposition if they’re to get past Pacific and draw one in the semi-finals for the first time in their history.
At the same time, they face stiff opposition in Pacific, who have a good history in this competition, having reached the semi-finals in 2021 and 2023, and were a penalty shootout away from reaching that stage in 2022. And seeing how they’ve done in league play, where they’re yet to concede a goal in four games to start the year, they seem poised to make another cup run, with defensive play usually a good precursor for success in this competition.
They’re coming off a scare in the preliminary round, as League 1 BC’s TSS Rovers pushed them to the brink, with Pacific only narrowly surviving with a late equalizer in regular time after going down 1-0, before scraping through the penalty shootout despite trailing, but they’ll see that as a good thing - they faced adversity and came out on the other side better for it.
Next Telus Canadian Championship Match Announced! 🍁
— Pacific FC (@Pacificfccpl) May 2, 2024
The Tridents host the second leg vs Atlético Ottawa at Starlight Stadium, Wednesday, May 29th at 7PM.
Potential opportunity to play a Canadian MLS club on the line!!!#ForTheIsle l #RisingTide pic.twitter.com/MkLdanYHl0
Because of that, this matchup should be a good test for that defence, as Ottawa is arguably the CPL’s most dangerous attacking team, as they showed Valour in the preliminary round, which should make for an interesting battle.
Plus, there will be some familiarity between both teams, as Atlético Ottawa have former Pacific standouts Manny Aparicio, Amer Didić and Ollie Bassett in their ranks, while Pacific’s Sean Melvin, Kunle Dada-Luke and Zakaria Bahous are former Ottawa players, which could be worth watching with Ottawa’s trio and Pacific’s Dada-Luke and Bahous likely to be key protagonists in this battle.
CS Saint-Laurent vs Toronto FC:
In terms of a true ‘David vs Goliath’ Canadian Championship battle, it’s hard to think of a better one than this clash between CS Saint-Laurent and Toronto FC.
On one side, there’s Goliath, who is TFC. Having won this competition eight times since it launched 16 years ago, this isn’t just a tournament they want to win - there’s an expectation for them to be lifting it at the end of each season.
Because of that, it will have frustrated many within the club that they’ve only done that once in the last five years, coming as part of the strange 2020 final played in 2022, having seen Montréal and Vancouver lift two apiece across that time.
Especially given their budget, which is one of the biggest in all of MLS right now and has been that way for several years, that adds to the pressure that sits within their ranks to win this cup, having won just once since the start of 2019.
The quarter-final round is set 🆚 CS Saint-Laurent ⬇️#CanChamp | #TFCLive
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) May 3, 2024
Standing in their way, however, is a team that has literally nothing to lose. A semi-professional outfit playing in Ligue 1 Québec, the goal for most in this group is just to earn professional contracts after this tournament, having mostly only had a small taste of the pro game, if at all.
As they go up against some players whose salaries could likely help sustain their overall operational budget (and in the case of some of TFC’s top earners, do so several times over), they’ll know that anything but a dominant TFC victory will be seen as a loss for the Reds.
Despite that, this is a hungry Saint Laurent group, one who believes they have every chance of winning. Many thought the Halifax Wanderers would cruise past them in the preliminary round, yet they were able to pull off the cupset, doing so while going toe-to-toe with a CPL side that finished tied for second in the regular season last year.
Salut Montréal 👋
— CS Saint-Laurent (@Csstlaurent_pro) May 5, 2024
As tu ton billet pour notre match historique contre @TorontoFC ? Ça part vite!
Hello Montreal ! Do you have your tickets for our game against @TorontoFC ? It’s selling fast!
Achetez ici : https://t.co/Lswf1GD3q6@CanadaSoccerEN @Ligue1QC @SoccerQuebec pic.twitter.com/LDMN0kWQSI
With a lack of professional infrastructure in Québec, many of these players feel that they could at least be playing in the CPL if there was a team in the province, if not at a higher level, and they proved that with their play against Halifax.
Now, however, they face a massive test, one that would require an upset for the ages to pull off.
At the same time, all the pressure is on TFC, meaning Saint-Laurent is playing with house money. If TFC goes all in on this competition, playing their strongest team, anything but a big win will be seen as a failure, but then if they don’t do that, choosing to play with some rotation pieces and MLS Next Pro players, that could be a risk as many of Saint-Laurent’s players will feel that they’re just as good or better as those names.
Because of that, this will be a good test for TFC.
Say if they cruise through, be it with their A-team or B-team (or a mix of both) - that’ll show the work that head coach John Herdman has put in to re-instill that killer winning mentality that was always there in their ranks in the 2010s, but has slipped away in recent years (leading to three straight bottom two finishes in MLS play to go along with their Canadian Championship struggles).
If they come up short, however, it will be an upset to remember, putting this already special Saint-Laurent group in Canadian Championship lore for years to come.
