June is off to a hot start in the CPL, because we were treated to some outrageous goals in Matchweek 9.
Every single game had at least one that could wind up in the Goals of the Month a few weeks from now — and it's good we've got some candidates early, because we only have 10 games in June.
Vancouver FC are finally back in the win column after they edged Atlético Ottawa 2-1. Terran Campbell scored a lovely goal, and Lys Mousset followed him with his first CPL tally, which was too much for Ottawa to overcome.
We had a rare case of simultaneous matches on Saturday night, and enough was happening in the FC Supra-Pacific and Cavalry-Halifax matches that it was tough to keep track.
Supra, playing at a rainy Stade TELUS in Québec City (does it always rain there?), took a point off Pacific thanks to a screamer from Sean Rea.
Not to be outdone, Goteh Ntignee likewise scored a screamer for Cavalry, as they galloped to a 2-0 home win over the Halifax Wanderers.
Finally, Sunday's matinee was supposed to be a hard-fought 905 Derby clash. In the end, it was physical and heated, no doubt, but not particularly close; Forge stormed past Inter Toronto, keeping their foot on the pedal throughout most of a 4-1 win at York Lions Stadium.
With that all wrapped up, and Forge back on top again, here's how the table looks after the first weekend of June.
| Pos. | Team | GP | W | D | L | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forge FC | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| 2 | Cavalry FC | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 20 |
| 3 | Inter Toronto | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| 4 | FC Supra du Québec | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| 5 | Atlético Ottawa | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 6 | Halifax Wanderers | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| 7 | Vancouver FC | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 8 | Pacific FC | 9 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
A few CPL milestones to note: Pacific's Alejandro Díaz has reclaimed the all-time scoring lead, with his 46th goal on Saturday. Also, Forge's Bobby Smyrniotis recently became the CPL's first coach to 100 wins — and he got his 101st on Sunday.
Marco Carducci, now the league's all-time appearances leader, made an emotional return to Calgary on Saturday. It was strange seeing him in a Wanderers shirt at ATCO Field, and although the match didn't go his way, Carducci was all smiles postgame when he shared a moment with Tommy Wheeldon Jr.:
Two weeks in a row now, Forge FC have made a considerable statement. First, they beat Cavalry to return to the top of the table.
Now, they ably fended off Inter Toronto, muffling — for the immediate future, at least — any talk of Toronto challenging Forge's supremacy in the 905 Derby. It was a disappointing afternoon for Mauro Eustáquio and Inter, who conceded a couple of quite poor goals at frustrating moments.
Toronto are seeing the top tier of the table begin to slip away from them; they're now eight points behind Cavalry for second place (although they have a game in hand).
In fact, they're currently closer to seventh place than second. That's partly due to Vancouver FC making up some ground this week. Now, the distance between third and seventh is only four points.
Martin Nash and VFC definitely feel a whole lot better this week after a big win over Ottawa. Now, they're just three points out of a playoff spot.
Vancouver host Pacific FC in another Salish Sea Derby next Sunday. If they can beat them like they did a few weeks ago, suddenly the Eagles go into the World Cup break with a lot of confidence.
Speaking of the break... there's a World Cup starting in Canada this week. That's crazy.
Keep an eye on us here at CPLsoccer.com, both this week and throughout the tournament. We'll be on the ground in Toronto to offer a glimpse of the atmosphere, and dig into what the impact of this World Cup could be.
Awards Watch
Cavalry kind of cleaned up in the May monthly awards, taking home Player of the Month (Tobias Warschewski), Manager of the Month (Tommy Wheeldon Jr.) and U-21 Player of the Month (Adam Pearlman). They carried on that momentum into June with another outstanding home performance.
However, May Goalkeeper of the Month Diego Urtiaga unfortunately had a rough day on Sunday against Forge; the Inter Toronto keeper mishandled the third goal and generally struggled.
At this point of the year, it's already starting to feel like Supra's Sean Rea is a major Player of the Year candidate. He has been his club's biggest star through eight games, and seems to be playing the best football of his life.
U-21 Minutes Update
A pretty nice weekend for young players across the league. Adam Pearlman was excellent for Cavalry again, getting an assist on Daan Klomp's goal. Likewise, Kian Proctor bagged an assist to Lys Mousset for Vancouver FC.
Forge's Hoce Massunda scored, too — by no means a pretty goal, rather a messy goalmouth scramble, but they all count.
| Team | U-21 Minutes |
|---|---|
| Atlético Ottawa | 912 |
| Cavalry FC | 843 |
| FC Supra du Québec | 830 |
| Forge FC | 819 |
| Pacific FC | 793 |
| Vancouver FC | 783 |
| Halifax Wanderers FC | 602 |
| Inter Toronto FC | 467 |
Coming up next…
Tuesday, June 9
Atlético Ottawa vs. FC Supra du Québec
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (TSN, CBC Gem, TVA Sports 2, OneSoccer)
Wednesday, June 10
Forge FC vs. Halifax Wanderers
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (OneSoccer, TSN)
Inter Toronto vs. Cavalry FC
7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Sunday, June 14
Vancouver FC vs. Pacific FC
6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Photo of the Week
It kind of feels like cheating; every time Goteh Ntignee scores, we inevitably get an incredible photo of his flip. But honestly, it's cool every time.
(Photo by Tony Lewis)
