The TELUS Canadian Championship quarterfinals continue this weekend, with three out of four matchups to be decided by Monday night.
All four contests kicked off on Wednesday with Leg 1 of each quarterfinal tie, and all but one will play the second leg within the next few days.
We'll have to wait until Aug. 11 for the reverse fixture in the Atlético Ottawa-FC Supra matchup.
Here's how the opening legs went down:
CS Saint-Laurent 1-1 Forge FC
FC Supra du Québec 3-1 Atlético Ottawa
Vancouver FC 1-2 CF Montréal
Vancouver Whitecaps 4-1 Cavalry FC
The Saint-Laurent vs. Forge and Vancouver vs. Montréal ties will both have their second leg on Sunday, July 12, while Cavalry host the Whitecaps on Monday, July 13.
Here's what you need to know about each upcoming quarterfinal decider.
Forge FC vs. CS Saint-Laurent (1-1 agg.)
Sunday, July 12, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton, Ont.
The opening leg in Laval was a tough one for Forge, who were below their usual standard in a 1-1 draw against semi-pro side CS Saint-Laurent.
The Ligue1 Québec champions gave a good account of themselves by pressing Forge with intensity, although the CPL side were disappointed with how much space they gave goalscorer Zakaria Bahous.
Back in Hamilton, the CPL's first-place side Forge still feel confident in their own ability to win the tie without too much concern.
Forge have played some exhausting football in the couple of weeks since the break — three games in eight days, each of them afternoon kickoffs in significant heat — but their coach Bobby Smyrniotis isn't using that as an excuse for a poor showing in Leg 1.
"In these games you've got to have the will and the desire to compete," Smyrniotis said Friday.
"Sometimes you're going to be tired, and you've got to be able to do that. Our players have the experience to be able to do that. And of course, we're playing on our home field at Hamilton Stadium, and it becomes a different game when you play here as opposed to playing at Stade Boreale."
Saint-Laurent are hoping to make more history, and become the first semi-pro side to make the CanChamp semis. Forge, meanwhile, want to return to the final four for a fourth straight year.
CF Montréal vs. Vancouver FC (2-1 agg.)
Sunday, July 12, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT
Stade Saputo, Montréal, Que.
After they went all the way to the final last year, this has become a marquee competition for Vancouver FC.
Martin Nash's side played well in Wednesday's home leg — just their second-ever match against a Major League Soccer team — and matched Montréal in most metrics, but a late penalty kick put them at a disadvantage heading into Leg 2.
Montréal will return to Stade Saputo for the first time since May 16, knowing that a 2-1 lead on aggregate gives them a great chance of booking their spot in the semifinals.
They were somewhat fortunate on Wednesday, scoring via a Vancouver own goal and a stoppage-time penalty, but they will be dangerous at home.
Vancouver, meanwhile, aim for the cupset on the road. They just need to score once to send the tie to extra time, as long as they can defend effectively.
The Eagles have proven that they can compete with MLS opponents, and their stars like Thierno Bah and Nicolas Mezquida seem to raise their game on big stages.
Mezquida, by the way, is one goal back of the all-time lead in this competition, with seven career CanChamp goals (behind Ballou Tabla and Jonathan Osorio).
Cavalry FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (1-4 agg.)
Monday, July 13, 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT
ATCO Field, Calgary, Alta.
The first leg at Vancouver's Swangard Stadium was a tough one for Cavalry. They conceded in the second minute as a clearance attempt from Adam Pearlman landed in their own goal.
The Cavs equalized just before halftime, but it all fell apart in the second half when the Whitecaps brought Thomas Müller off the bench and they scored three in 15 minutes.
So, it's a 4-1 lead for the MLS team heading into Monday night's reverse fixture in Calgary.
It's a deep hole that the CPL side find themselves in, but their coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. does not feel all is lost.
"I think that's the perception already, we've already lost the tie, right?" Wheeldon Jr. said Friday.
"Because of the strength of who the Whitecaps are, not many teams put four goals past them, if any, which is what we have to do to advance in the tie...
"For 60 minutes, we matched them, and that's what we're taking some solace from. The difference is they're bringing on a World Cup winner in Thomas Müller, and we're bringing on one of our best all-time attackers in Ali Musse, and there's a difference. But we've matched them in other ways. What we've got to do now is give ourselves another good opportunity to win the game at home."
Cavalry will, therefore, at the very least try to win this second leg to make a statement.
One question hovering over the CPL side is the availability of Tobias Warschewski. The German forward has missed their last two games with a knock picked up in training, but Wheeldon Jr. said on Friday that there's a chance he could be available on Monday.
Atlético Ottawa vs. FC Supra du Québec (1-3 agg.)
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
TD Place, Ottawa, Ont.
This second leg can be previewed in more detail next month, since it won't be settled until Aug. 11.
In the first game, FC Supra were fairly dominant, scoring a trio of well-worked goals to win the match comfortably.
However, Ottawa have given themselves a lifeline in the tie, thanks to Wesley Timoteo's superb free kick goal just before the end.
A 3-1 deficit is difficult to overturn, but Atleti came from two goals down to beat Supra at TD Place once already this season, so they know they can do it.
Plus, this could be a very different Ottawa team come August. Their new head coach will likely be in place by then, which could give them a new tactical setup to throw Supra a curveball.
