Thank you for tuning in as we return to another exciting week of Canadian football!

The games and results

Everyone is jostling for position as the remaining games in the season inexorably tick down and opportunities narrow.

Saturday saw not one but two ties, as Ottawa and Pacific ended 0-0 and Forge and Toronto ended 1-1.

That underplays the drama a bit, though.

Given Pacific’s season-long form, there is no way to view this result as anything but a disappointment for Ottawa, especially at home. But Pacific gave as good as they got, keeping pace in shots, possession, and crosses. A scoreless tie as a “win” for Pacific sounds a little backhanded, but it really isn’t. You have to prevent losses before you can get wins and get some sort of streak going. This is two games in a row without a loss. If this can continue, it’s how fragile morale starts to rebuild a little bit.

A similar story in Hamilton, where the home side had to fight it out for 70 minutes before they were able to tie it. “We are going to tie Inter Toronto at home” would make any Forge fan sputter with indignity, but here we are. Toronto has not had the season they hoped for, but a tough away game at a rival’s home is not something to sneeze at.

Sunday was drama as Vancouver FC hosted Supra. Supra plays no-holds-barred football and very quickly got a two-goal lead over a somewhat shell-shocked Eagles side. However, VFC showed what they are capable of as they equalized by half-time and then Bah settled the matter in the second half. Eagles win 3-2, with three yellow cards to the visitors.

The Monday game was a chance to shore up the last part of the season as Halifax hosted Cavalry, but the squad felt like they were dangling in the wind as Cavalry scored to go 3-0 up. A penalty managed to bring Halifax onto the board at least, but that is all they could salvage from the game.

The standings and next games

Pacific (8th)

One more point in the book means nine points in total and nine games to go. The theoretical maximum points would be 36, which means they are not yet mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

Pacific travels to Ontario mid-week to play Inter Toronto and then hosts Cavalry on Sunday. A two-game week is always tough, but three points are out there if the team can nail it.

Inter Toronto (7th)

19 points and 10 games to go gives Inter Toronto a bit of a leg up. Given the disparity between the teams, clawing a point against Forge is probably a win, but it will take some heroics to consider the playoffs. Toronto is likewise facing a two-game week, with Pacific and Vancouver FC games lined up. Pacific is desperate and Vancouver is still running hot. Anything could happen here.

Halifax Wanderers (6th)

20 points in the bank and seven games to play, the window for the playoffs is closing fast but not impossibly so.

I suspect Nash feels pretty optimistic about the Sunday game against Toronto after fending off Supra.

Supra Du Quebec (5th)

22 points and eight games to go. A loss to Vancouver hurt a bit because that’s the team Supra has to overcome to get into the playoffs. They will host Halifax on Saturday, which is guaranteed to be a raucous atmosphere.

Vancouver FC (4th)

30 points and seven more games. It’s a healthy cushion to their pursuers, and finishing third is very doable. The only game this week is a trip to Ontario.

Atletico Ottawa (3rd)

34 points and seven games to go. Not getting all three points this week hurt, and Saturday’s chance to get points is against Forge away, one of the hardest games in the CPL. But with Forge stumbling lately, Ottawa has a chance to show that they should be taken seriously for another championship.

Forge (2nd)

The absolute worst case for Forge would be if they failed to get three points while Cavalry notched another win. So then here we are: 42 points and eight more games. No games in hand compared to Cavalry and a four-point deficit, there is nothing to do except grind it out for each remaining game. Fortunately, grinding is something Forge is very good at. They will be loaded for bear against Ottawa on Saturday.

Cavalry (1st)

With eight more games to play, 46 points is a sturdy cushion. It feels like it has been a long time since Cavalry took a loss, and they certainly aren’t looking at Pacific as the team to inflict that, even if it is an away match.

With everything coming towards its epic conclusion, we can all make our predictions, but much is still left to play and to play for.

Tune in next week!