The Canadian Premier League took a weekend off, but that didn't mean its clubs weren't in action.
All eight CPL teams played in the preliminary round of the TELUS Canadian Championship, and five of them booked spots in the quarterfinals.
Last Tuesday may feel like a distant memory for some, but not for Atlético Ottawa, who stunned Toronto FC to win 3-1 at BMO Field. Ballou Tabla's second-half hat trick allowed Atleti to overturn what was a 1-0 deficit at halftime to beat the Reds in their own house.
Atleti had never played an MLS team in the Canadian Championship before. Now, they've never failed to beat one.
It was also the first time a CPL side has ever eliminated Toronto FC from this tournament.
Now, one side of the bracket is wide open; we're guaranteed to see either a CPL side or CS Saint-Laurent in the final this year.
Speaking of Saint-Laurent, the LS Pro side deserves some major credit for how much of a force they've been in this competition. For the second time in three years, they knocked out a CPL opponent, beating Inter Toronto 1-0 at York Lions Stadium on Sunday.
Toronto threw an absolute barrage of shots (34 attempts total) at the Saint-Laurent goal, but keeper Martin Cantona — yes, he's Eric's nephew — made a staggering 13 saves.
The performance evoked some memories of Saint-Laurent's shock penalty shootout win over the Halifax Wanderers in 2023. Now, they'll take on Forge FC in a two-legged quarterfinal.
It was a heck of a weekend for Montreal teams in general (and not just the Habs). FC Supra du Québec made their CanChamp debut against Ontario Premier League champions Woodbridge Strikers, who gave the CPL side a run for their money. Supra found their way through in the end, though, and won 3-1 to advance.
Don't forget, five of the players on the 2023 Saint-Laurent team that beat Halifax are with Supra now — as is head coach Nick Razzaghi — so they've got some experience with this.
Also, CF Montréal beat the Calgary Blizzard on Wednesday to make it a clean sweep for Quebecois sides in the preliminary round.
The CPL-on-CPL battles on Saturday produced plenty of goals; Tristan Borges dominated for Forge as they beat Halifax 4-0. Shortly after, Cavalry got a brief scare from Pacific late, but ultimately took a 3-1 win from Starlight Stadium.
Plus, Vancouver FC went toe-to-toe with an extremely local rival in Langley United, and managed to beat the BCPL side 2-0 but had to work hard for it.
Here's what's on tap for the quarterfinals; two CPL-versus-MLS scraps, a new challenge for Forge against Saint-Laurent, and an all-CPL matchup between Ottawa and Supra, which could turn into a bit of a derby.
CanChamp Quarterfinal Matchups:
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS) vs. Cavalry FC (CPL)
- CF Montréal (MLS) vs. Vancouver FC (CPL)
- Forge FC (CPL) vs. CS Saint-Laurent (LS Pro)
- Atlético Ottawa (CPL) vs. FC Supra du Québec (CPL)
Cavalry get another two-legged battle with the Whitecaps, which they'll be excited for. They've knocked out the MLS side once before, and would love to do so again.
We don't have to worry about those matchups until July, though.
Front of mind now are the upcoming CPL games, which get underway early this week.
Class is in session on Wednesday morning, when Forge FC host their third annual School Day Match. Thousands of local schoolchildren will descend on Hamilton Stadium to see the Hammers take on FC Supra at 11 a.m. ET.
Last year, Forge set a new CPL attendance record with 17,971 in the building.
This has become one of the best days on the Canadian soccer calendar, and it's sure to be a lot of fun this time again.
Forge still haven't conceded a goal from open play this season, so we'll see if Supra can finally land a hit in Hamilton.
The rest of Matchweek 6 will happen in a Sunday triple-header, so clear your calendar.
Atlético Ottawa's homecoming after their cupset in Toronto should make for a strong atmosphere in the capital, which they need to turn into actual results. It's hard to remember now, but Atleti's last league game was that 4-1 loss to Inter Toronto.
Ottawa need a result to help get them out of the bottom half of the league table. The same is true of the visiting Halifax Wanderers, though.
We'll also see a pair of games out west, as Inter Toronto visit Pacific and Cavalry head to Vancouver.
Three teams remain unbeaten in the CPL so far: Forge, Cavalry and Inter Toronto. Will that remain true after this week?
Lots to keep an eye on now that teams have begun to establish an identity early in the season.
Coming up next...
Wednesday, May 13
Forge FC vs. FC Supra du Québec
11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT (OneSoccer, CBC Gem & RDS Direct)
Sunday, May 17
Atlético Ottawa vs. Halifax Wanderers
1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Pacific FC vs. Inter Toronto
5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT (OneSoccer, TSN)
Vancouver FC vs. Cavalry FC
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Photo of the Week
I mean. Obviously. (But also shoutout to this one)
(Photo by Michael Chisholm)
