Join us for another week of CPL action as we take in the games from the weekend and look at the standings and upcoming matches.

The games

Football is a game where the scoreline does not always tell the story of the drama at stake, and Friday's match in Hamilton was one such case, with a fairly tepid-looking 1-0 Vancouver win hiding several big moments. Not only did Forge suffer their second defeat of the season, but they did so at home, and they did so against Vancouver, the "best last-place team" that has been steadily building confidence under Nash.

Despite outshooting the visitors 22 to 10, having the majority of possession, and earning four yellow cards in the second half, nothing Forge attempted managed to disrupt the Eagles enough. And so here we are.

Ottawa hosted Halifax and won 2-1 after a lengthy weather delay, with Emiliano García and Ballou Tabla scoring the goals of Atlético's victory.

At Starlight, it was a familiar story as Pacific took the lead at the end of the first half, only to see victory slip away when Inter Toronto equalized in the second half. Another scrappy affair with seven yellow cards handed out, but a fairly even game in terms of performance and chances created.

Finally, we got the clash between Supra and Cavalry, with the Cavs travelling east and producing a 1-1 draw in front of an energetic crowd. This certainly was not for lack of trying, as both teams fired off many shots that just failed to find their way past the keepers. Hard-fought, but a draw it would be.

The standings

Pacific (8th)

The win remains elusive, but a draw at least earns them a fourth point. Out of idle curiosity, outside of the 2020 COVID season, the worst-ever performance by a CPL team is nine points in a season. With 13 games left, surely Pacific can find another five.

They will play Vancouver FC this Friday for a repeat of the BC derby.

Inter Toronto (7th)

A draw against Pacific is probably not the statement Inter needed at this stage. They will host Halifax on Sunday, which is a winnable fixture. But it has now been nine games in a row without a win. Has the malaise set in, or can they pull themselves out of it?

Halifax Wanderers (6th)

A seven-point gap to playoff contention is a difficult one to bridge, and a decisive performance against Ottawa would have been exactly the kind of thing they needed to show they have that in them right now. They visit Ontario to play Inter Toronto this Sunday, giving them a chance to grab three points and put the bottom teams behind them.

Supra du Québec (5th)

A spirited performance against the league's second-best team, Cavalry, is nothing to sneeze at, but it will still require some statement wins in the next few weeks to break clear of the "not making the playoffs but not the worst" pack. Facing Ottawa on Sunday provides exactly such an opportunity, and they get to do it at home.

Atlético Ottawa (4th)

Having to fend off Supra from below and overtake Vancouver above them is a peculiar position in Canadian football. The matchup against Supra is one that, before the start of the season, I would have assumed would favour Ottawa, but with a charged home crowd against them, this might go down to the wire, or a drawn-out slugfest.

Vancouver FC (3rd)

If you can beat Forge, what can't you do? The Eagles are sitting a full eight points ahead of the fifth-place team and look to have locked in their place in the playoffs. I cannot imagine Nash feels much stress heading into a game against Pacific this weekend.

Cavalry (2nd)

In a striking example of "every goal matters", if one of Cavalry's many attempts had gone in this weekend, they would be leading the table right now. But they did not, and so they do not.

Did I mention their game this week is against Forge? At home? An absolute banger of a match is guaranteed.

Forge (1st)

It must be a bitter result to not only drop two points but all three, doing so in front of your own fans. Forge will be pulling out all the stops this weekend, as they need at least a draw to remain at the top of the table.

Which matchup are you looking forward to? Better yet, catch all of them!