No shortage of goals this week in the CPL.
Friday night's provincial derby at York Lions Stadium offered some fireworks — from one side more than the other. Inter Toronto rolled to a 4-1 win over Atlético Ottawa to move into third place, beating their Ontario rivals for the first time in over a year, and convincingly so.
Tomasz Skublak was the main hero for Toronto, scoring twice (and going viral with a goal celebration), but the whole team looked dangerous against a very sloppy Ottawa side.
Another Ontario team won big on Saturday; Forge FC, still atop the table, sailed to a clinical away win in Halifax.
Sunday's double-header started with a cagier match in Laval, where FC Supra played at Stade Boréale for the first time, but Cavalry FC left with the points thanks to a Tobias Warschewski penalty.
Finally, the weekend ended at Victoria's Royal Athletic Park with a B.C. Derby, and this one didn't disappoint — unless you're a Pacific fan, because Vancouver FC got the better of the Tridents in a 3-1 win.
Here's how the table is looking now:
| Pos. | Team | GP | W | D | L | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forge FC | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 2 | Cavalry FC | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 3 | Inter Toronto | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | FC Supra du Québec | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Halifax Wanderers | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 6 | Vancouver FC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | Atlético Ottawa | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | Pacific FC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
A lot of us expected Inter Toronto's attack to be explosive this year, considering some of their off-season acquisitions, but Skublak wasn't necessarily the first name to mind.
The former Ontario Premier League standout has been so good in his first four games for Toronto that Mauro Eustáquio has been forced to find a way to get him and Julian Altobelli on the pitch together. On Friday, Skublak was the out-and-out number nine, with Altobelli on the wing but constantly dropping deep and cutting inside in search of the ball.
Eustáquio pointed out after the game that Altobelli is just as capable on the wing as he is up top, reminding everyone that he actually played there early in 2025.
"It's actually to a certain degree better for him, at times, to play with a nine, because [Skublak] can do the dirty work and be battling with the centre-backs, and that gives a bit more free range for [Altobelli] who's good technically," Eustáquio explained.
This is certainly working out for both of them; Altobelli and Skublak each have three goals so far, and are tied for the Golden Boot lead.
Out west, Vancouver FC finally found a breakthrough. They had been playing some good football in the first few weeks, but very few of the chances they generated seemed to land in the net.
The derby against Pacific was VFC's first multi-goal performance of the year, and it was well deserved. Mohamed Amissi and Morey Doner continue to dazzle, and perhaps the best news of all is that Terran Campbell scored twice.
He only scored three in all of 2025, so to get him off the mark like this is great news for Martin Nash's Eagles.
The east coast clash in Halifax gave further evidence that Forge continue to be among the class of the CPL. They remain one of three undefeated teams so far, and they looked more dangerous than ever in a 3-1 defeat of the Wanderers. The first two goals were wonderfully well-worked crosses to headers, and the third was a clever piece of play with a superb finish by Man of the Match Hoce Massunda.
Forge did concede their first goal of the season, albeit from a penalty, but that didn't matter in the end.
That said, Halifax boss Vanni Sartini was understandably frustrated with his side's performance, which he called their worst of the season. Not what you want to see on home turf.
One other moment to note from Saturday's game: Forge captain Kyle Bekker came off the bench to play his first minutes of the season. He missed the first four games while receiving treatment for testicular cancer, so to see him back on the pitch already was remarkable.
And in Laval, Que., FC Supra played at Stade Boréale for the first time, but Cavalry FC did well to silence their attack. They held Supra to just eight shots, when they'd had at least 15 in each previous game.
Yaya Touré was there, though. That was very cool.
Awards Watch
As mentioned, the two Inter Toronto strikers are leading the way in the Golden Boot race early on. That team does feel like it has potential to take a massive step forward this year, and if they do, perhaps Mauro Eustáquio is one to watch in the Coach of the Year voting. In his second full year in charge, it'd be quite the story if he leads Inter Toronto to title contention.
Of course, there's a lot of competition in the coaching sphere, between the ever-dominant Forge and Cavalry, and an FC Supra side led by a first-time professional manager in Nick Razzaghi.
Keep an eye out this week, because monthly awards for April will begin to roll out on Tuesday.
U-21 Minutes Update
This was a good week for U-21s getting on the scoresheet. Hoce Massunda had a goal and an assist for Forge, and Shola Jimoh notched an assist for Inter Toronto.
Also, Wanderers teenager Tavio Ciccarelli made his first pro start in Halifax, and he made an impact by winning a penalty.
| Team | U-21 Minutes |
|---|---|
| Atlético Ottawa | 735 |
| Halifax Wanderers | 537 |
| FC Supra du Québec | 533 |
| Forge FC | 497 |
| Pacific FC | 497 |
| Cavalry FC | 472 |
| Vancouver FC | 333 |
| Inter Toronto FC | 332 |
Coming up next…
We've got a break from CPL action this week, with all eight clubs beginning their TELUS Canadian Championship campaigns.
It kicks off Tuesday night, when Atlético Ottawa take on Toronto FC at a 2026 World Cup venue.
TELUS Canadian Championship
Tuesday, May 5
Toronto FC vs. Atlético Ottawa
7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Wednesday, May 6
CF Montréal vs. Calgary Blizzard SC
7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Friday, May 8
FC Supra du Québec vs. Woodbridge Strikers
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Saturday, May 9
Forge FC vs. Halifax Wanderers FC
4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Pacifiic FC vs. Cavalry FC
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Sunday, May 10
Inter Toronto vs. CS Saint-Laurent
3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Vancouver FC vs. Langley United
6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT (OneSoccer)
Photo of the Week
This is a deep cut reference, but it seems the fans at the Wanderers Grounds still haven't forgiven Hamiltonians for letting Theodore Tugboat sink in their harbour...
(Photo by Trevor MacMillan)
