✍️ Ivan Sørensen

Welcome back to the Canadian Premier League as we wind our way towards the finals, one free kick at a time!

The games played

Vancouver and Toronto had double duty this week, with a game on Wednesday the 23rd. Three points here were vital for any last-minute moves in the table, but after a 2-2 draw in regulation, Skublak and Toomey's last-minute heroics made it 3-3.

A tie wasn't what Inter Toronto wanted at this stage, but they hung in there and gave as good as they got, which hasn't always been a given this season.

Friday saw Supra visiting ATCO Field, and I suspect they wish they had stayed home. An early penalty set the tone for Cavalry, who kept banging in goals one after the other. When the whistle blew, and the dust settled over the battlefield, it was a 6-0 win, with Musse adding a hat-trick to his name.

After two six-goal games, Saturday was rather more sedate: The Wanderers played a fairly tepid home game against Ottawa, with the visitors walking away with a single goal. Ironically, you could have watched the first 10 minutes and missed little else. According to the stats, the two teams achieved five shots on goal between them in the entire game.

Vancouver continued the ties with a 1-1 result against the visiting Forge. At the start of the season, holding Forge to a tie result would have seemed a little far-fetched for the Eagles. It was a fair bit of a grind to get there, but they did it. Forge fans may be pleased to remember they did not get any yellow cards in the affair.

Sunday was Inter Toronto v Pacific and was another goal fest, with Pacific notching another win for their belt. 4-3 and a phenomenally fun game to watch.

Finally, we got a Wednesday match on the last day of September, with Cavalry playing Ottawa away. A sure thing, showing the strength of this Cavs team as they cruise into fin... no? They went into the second half with a one-goal lead and then lost it 2-3 in the second?

Okay then. Well played, Ottawa.

The standings

Pacific (8th) - Eliminated from playoffs

As I said before, Pacific is playing for honour and building toward next season. Their win over Toronto marks their second win of the season. Their next game is an away game against Supra. I suspect the outcome may not be as certain as people had previously predicted.

Inter Toronto (7th)

Toronto is still hanging in there for playoff chances, but realistically, I think the race is done. Five wins this season isn't much to get excited about, but there are elements to work with. I was chatting with a friend, and we agreed the squad is playing worse than it ought to on paper.

Toronto is defending against Cavalry on Saturday.

FC Supra (6th)

The Quebecois will be licking their wounds after the thrashing they got in Alberta. Their next chance is at home against Pacific, and I suspect the fans will be eager for a good result.

Halifax Wanderers (5th)

Has the air gone out of the balloon or is there some fire left? Vanni’s lads get to prove that away to Hamilton on Saturday.

Vancouver FC (4th)

Not much can threaten Vancouver at this point, and they get to rest this weekend while everybody else plays.

Atlético Ottawa (3rd) - Clinched playoffs

Sneaking in a win against Cavalry was perhaps not expected, but we have seen this before as the weather turns colder.

Ottawa is sitting out this weekend.

Forge (2nd) - Clinched playoffs

It's now six points to contest the Shield, and the window is closing very quickly. A win against Halifax at home is likely, but to gain ground, they also have to hope for a Toronto win against Cavalry.

Cavalry (1st) - Clinched playoffs

After a stumble, Cavalry will hope to get back to winning terms in Toronto.

Around the CPL

As an addendum, Kyle Bekker announced his retirement after eight years at the club. He was one of the club's inaugural signings, so it will be strange not to see him out there.

With an ACL injury ending this season, I think it is a pretty natural decision to consider whether it was better to end it here, on a high note, than to try to come back next year after recovery and the uncertainty that brings, along with the increased risk of future injuries. The man is a legend, and we wish him well.

FC Supra also sacked head coach Nick Razzaghi and brought in former Forge assistant coach Kyt Selaidopoulos as his replacement.