It's been brewing for a while, but Vancouver FC are undeniably the hottest team in the Canadian Premier League right now.
Matchweek 16's action was headlined by VFC's 1-0 win over Forge in Hamilton, which extended their winning streak to five league matches. Forge were left fuming after a few FVS decisions didn't go their way, but nonetheless suffered their first home regular-season loss since 2024.
Saturday's triple-header featured another late comeback by Atlético Ottawa, who used a lengthy weather delay to their advantage and took down the Halifax Wanderers 2-1.
We also got a pair of draws on Saturday; Pacific FC and Inter Toronto both snapped their losing streaks with a 1-1 split. Then, Cavalry snatched a late point against FC Supra with a late Caniggia Elva equalizer.
Nobody's table position changed this week, but the points totals are making the race more interesting than ever; the dynamic of this playoff push is changing.
Here's how the table looks after week 16.
| Pos. | Team | GP | W | D | L | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forge FC | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 35 |
| 2 | Cavalry FC | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 34 |
| 3 | Vancouver FC | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 26 |
| 4 | Atlético Ottawa | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 24 |
| 5 | FC Supra du Québec | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 18 |
| 6 | Halifax Wanderers | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 17 |
| 7 | Inter Toronto | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 14 |
| 8 | Pacific FC | 15 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 4 |
Get out your calendar, and circle next Saturday afternoon in permanent marker.
Forge and Cavalry are separated by just one point at the top of the table, and they're about to play each other in Calgary. The stakes in that match are incredibly high; the winner takes over first place and pole position in the CPL Shield race.
Although Forge have a game in hand, they'll be pretty desperate to put in a big performance. They've been off their best in recent weeks, including the loss to Vancouver and a 0-0 draw in Halifax the weekend prior.
Captain Kyle Bekker had some strong words after Friday's loss, calling for his teammates to wake up:
"For the last month or so, I don't think we've been as sharp or as clinical as we need to be in these games," he said. "We need to look ourselves in the mirror and take a little bit more accountability in what we do. It's been good for large portions of the season, but there's too much coasting."
Cavalry have been better recently, with their 5-0 rout of Inter Toronto two weeks ago, but they were also fortunate to get a point out of Supra this week because they were outplayed in that match.
These two sides get the best out of each other, though.
Just below them in the table, the Vancouver FC bandwagon continues to roll on. The Eagles now find themselves just as far from second place as they are from fifth. They're still looking over their shoulder at Atlético Ottawa two points behind, but Martin Nash's team looks well on its way to a first ever playoff berth.
Almost everybody at Vancouver seems to be playing their best football right now. Damiano Pecile has been one of the best players in the league recently, Callum Irving was exceptional on Friday, and Thierno Bah is looking more dynamic every week.
The same cannot be said of the Halifax Wanderers, who just can't seem to put the ball in the back of the net.
With more games played than anybody else in the league, they're seven points out of the playoffs. They'll feel a little aggrieved by Saturday's loss in Ottawa; they had the lead, then could've had a chance to go back in front, but their FVS challenge didn't award a penalty for what looked like a foul on Isaiah Johnston.
The Wanderers were decidedly second-best after the game resumed from a 90-minute weather delay, which doomed them to a frustrating defeat that left Vanni Sartini at a loss. In particular, he bemoaned his team's inability to finish — or even take a shot from — the chances they created.
"I have no f—ing idea," he said when asked how his side can become more clinical in those spots. "It's not that we try there and then the last pass is wrong, or they defend well, or we make the wrong choice. We passed the ball to someone in front of an open net three times."
Speaking of finishing, there wasn't much of it on display in the Pacific-Inter Toronto game, but the Tridents deserve a shout-out for the football they've been playing under Terry Dunfield.
Pacific had 21 shots, denied several times by the woodwork. They were generally the better team in that game, and after they picked up a point to halt a five-game losing streak, there's a little more optimism around Vancouver Island.
Maybe that first win of the season is just around the corner — they'd love for it to come in Friday's B.C. Derby.
Awards Watch
Martin Nash is the clear Coach of the Year front-runner now. Not only are Vancouver FC winning, they're doing so with a clear identity that has been developing since the beginning of the year. They have been rewarded for sticking to a system, even through the first two months of the season where they had little to show for it.
As mentioned earlier, almost every player at VFC is at the top of their game right now. Case in point: Damiano Pecile, who has appeared in five of the last six Teams of the Week. Could he be a surprise late Player of the Year candidate?
He could have competition from Ballou Tabla, who played hero again for Ottawa this week. Tabla is now up to eight goals in the CPL season (not counting his CanChamp hat-trick). He was Player of the Month in July, and doesn't appear to be slowing down at all. If Atleti pick up some late-summer momentum, it'll be partly due to Tabla igniting their attack.
U-21 Minutes Update
It was a strong weekend for the youth contingent, especially on Van Isle.
Pacific's 18-year-old winger Mattias Vales did extremely well in 71 minutes of action, even delivering a few dangerous set-pieces. Across the pitch from him, 17-year-old Nicolas Andrada started for Inter Toronto; he signed a Development Contract shortly before the game, and stepped right into his professional debut.
Elsewhere, Matisse Chrétien impressed again at centre-back for Supra.
Vancouver youngster Kian Proctor continues to look like a seasoned professional; he's likely to carry a lot of the U-21 minutes load for them, with Emrick Fotsing now out for six to eight weeks with an injury from the Concacaf U-20 Championship.
Most teams picked up a lot of U-21 minutes this week; here's how the race to 2,000 looks now:
| Team | U-21 Minutes |
|---|---|
| Atlético Ottawa | 1,802 |
| Halifax Wanderers | 1,775 |
| Vancouver FC | 1,685 |
| Forge FC | 1,496 |
| Cavalry FC | 1,414 |
| FC Supra du Québec | 1,392 |
| Pacific FC | 1,376 |
| Inter Toronto FC | 1,015 |
Coming up next…
Friday, Aug. 14
Vancouver FC vs. Pacific FC
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT (OneSoccer, CBC Gem)
Saturday, Aug. 15
Cavalry FC vs. Forge FC
5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT (OneSoccer, TSN)
Sunday, Aug. 16
FC Supra du Québec vs. Atlético Ottawa
12 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT (OneSoccer, TVA Sports 2)
Inter Toronto vs. Halifax Wanderers
4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Photo of the Week
Not the result they wanted, but there's always a good atmosphere at Stade Boréale.
(Photo by Adrien Douaire)
