| Atlético Ottawa vs. Forge FC Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT TD Place in Ottawa, Ont. Watch Live: OneSoccer, TSN Tickets available here |
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On Saturday, in the nation's capital, Forge FC begin an eight-day stretch where two trophies hang in the balance.
At TD Place on Saturday afternoon, they face Atlético Ottawa, needing three points in their quest for a third straight CPL Shield.
Despite Atlético Ottawa being locked into third place in the table regardless of the results of their final two games, it won't be easy. Forge haven't won in Ottawa since May 27, 2023.
They then travel two hours up the road to Stade Saputo, where they face CF Montréal in the 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship final on Wednesday. Take their eye off either prize, and both could slip away.
Tied with Cavalry on points in the CPL Shield Standings, as well as the next two tiebreakers, which are total wins and head-to-head, Forge still likely needs their rivals to slip up once more. They currently sit second place on goal difference, six goals behind Cavalry FC.
With goal difference as the tiebreaker, the shield cannot mathematically be clinched this week. But Forge could all but lose it.
If they lose, and Cavalry win later on Saturday, they would head into the final week of the season needing a Cavalry loss, and to beat Pacific FC by at minimum seven goals, if not more.
Per coach Bobby Smyrniotis, their focus is simply on securing six points from the next two games, not on trying to score as much as they can to close the big goal-difference gap.
Forge have been playing some of their best football of the season when it matters most. Coming off a week where they won 3-0 against Pacific FC and 5-0 over Inter Toronto, they will come into the match with plenty of confidence.
The same can be said for the hosts, however, as Atlético Ottawa have won three straight matches coming into Saturday's contest. After beating Cavalry at home two weeks ago, a win against Forge at TD Place would only serve to embolden them further as they search to defend their CPL crown in the playoffs next month.
In their final home match of the 2026 regular season, Atleti could set a club record for home wins in a season with their ninth of the year. They had eight last year, and just five when they won the CPL Shield in 2022.
As things currently stand these two sides would face each other in the opening round of the 2026 playoffs. Saturday's match could be an intriguing prologue to that story, with huge implications for the CPL Shield race as well.
NEWS & NOTES
- Atlético Ottawa's Roni Mbombio remains in quarantine following his return from international play and will not be available.
- For Forge, Max Filion and Mo Babouli are unavailable this week, while Nana Ampomah is day-to-day. Goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud could rejoin the group this weekend after returning from international duty, but it's not clear if he will be available for action.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Atlético Ottawa: Kalongo; Arnaud, Dunn, Kozlovskiy, Coulanges; Gutiérrez, Aparicio; García, Tabla, Habibullah; Fleuriau Chateau
Forge FC: Bontis; Rama, Nimick, James, Rama; Batisse, Aromatario, Jensen; Bourgeois, Cavallini, Massunda
KEY QUOTES
"We know that we are in the semifinal, but we don't know who we will play, against Forge or against Cavalry... I think these games are so important for us, because for sure we can use them to prepare us to play in this semifinal." - Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
"If we were sitting here two weeks ago, we'd say it's a tough thing [for Forge] to be at the top. And if we're sitting about a month and a half ago, you'd say the flip for maybe some other teams when we were at the top. So what you can do is handle what you can, and then see what happens in the rest of the results. But beyond anything, you need three points." - Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
"Everyone knows Forge is a top club...this time of year the top clubs become the best version of themselves. I think we're gonna make history this year." - Forge FC forward Hoce Massunda
