PREVIEW: Forge FC vs. Atlético Ottawa | Semifinal Leg 2

With 90 minutes left to decide it, there's nothing to separate Forge FC and Atlético Ottawa in this CPL semifinal.

The two Ontario clubs will meet in Hamilton for Saturday's second leg, after a thrilling 2-2 draw last weekend in Ottawa left them all square. This time, the tie has to be settled, even if that means extra time or a penalty shootout.

The opening match back in the nation's capital was a properly high-octane playoff contest, with four goals in the first half before the two sides settled into a cagier second frame. Twice, Forge took the lead — via a clever Anthony Aromatario header and a missile of a free kick from Marko Jevremović — but both times, Ottawa punched back with an equalizer, courtesy of Diego Gutiérrez and Ballou Tabla.

The wide-open transitional nature of the first half perhaps suited the fast-paced Atleti attack more, which could be why Forge sought to slow the game down after halftime to ensure they returned to Hamilton on level footing.

Forge will go into this home leg full of confidence, knowing that they've generally been excellent at Hamilton Stadium this year. They lost just once at home all season — a 1-0 result against Vancouver FC during the summer — and have recorded plenty of big wins there over the years. Only Cavalry had more points than Forge at home in 2026.

All that being said, the Hammers went undefeated at home through the entire 2025 regular season, and it didn't matter come playoff time. Forge lost their postseason opener last year to Atlético Ottawa, who came from a goal down to win 2-1 in the championship semifinal (under the old format). A week later, Forge lost on home turf again, falling 1-0 to Cavalry FC to miss the CPL Final for the first time in club history.

Although Forge are the CPL's most decorated club, with four playoff championships in their cabinet, they're eager for some redemption at the moment. They haven't lifted the North Star Cup since 2023, and now they've won just one of their last six matches in the CPL Playoffs, including last Sunday's game.

That won't worry Bobby Smyrniotis and co., however; they claimed an even bigger prize just a few weeks ago when they beat CF Montréal to win the TELUS Canadian Championship. They have a unique opportunity to win two trophies in the span of a month, and Forge feel they're in a good position to do so.

Atlético Ottawa will go into Hamilton feeling buoyed by their strong performance in Leg 1. They were aggressive and dangerous from open play, and their midfield of Manny Aparicio and Diego Gutíerrez was able to stack up to Forge's central trio.

Of course, the second leg will be a much more daunting proposition for Ottawa, who went 5-1-8 on the road in the regular season. They lost both times they visited Hamilton this year, outscored a combined 5-0 by Forge. This is a much different Ottawa team from the side that lost on the opening day of the season in April, though — and not just because Gustavo Leal is now in place as head coach.

Atleti will undoubtedly seek to push the pace again in the second leg, hoping that attackers Ballou Tabla and Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau can overwhelm with their speed and attacking aggression. They proved in the first leg that they can have success when swarming Forge with bursts of all-out attack — although that's tough to do over longer periods, so they'll need to stay organized in defence when Forge do go the other way.

The other area that could swing this tie will be set-pieces. Forge scored both of their goals in Leg 1 from dead balls, one of which Atleti will feel they could've defended better. The Hammers scored 21 goals from set-pieces in the regular season — second-most in the league — but Ottawa were generally solid defending them, conceding just 10 from set plays.

All signs point to Saturday's game being a heated battle between two familiar foes. The first leg didn't offer much to suggest an advantage for either side, so there's a good chance this one is slated to go the distance.

If it does get as far as a penalty shootout, Forge might feel more confident. They won one just a few weeks ago in Montreal to win the Voyageurs Cup, and goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud stopped two penalties (plus one earlier in the game itself). That was the Hammers' second ever win on penalties, with an all-time record of 2-3.

Atlético Ottawa are the other team to have lost to Forge in a shootout, doing so in the 2023 Canadian Championship. Ottawa's all-time record is 1-2 in spot kicks, but they managed to eliminate York United in the CPL Playoffs back in 2024.

Just one spot in the CPL Final is up for grabs, and both of these sides will be desperate to get back to the marquee match.

NEWS & NOTES

• The away goals rule is not in effect in the 2026 CPL Playoffs. If the aggregate score is tied after two legs, teams will immediately proceed to 30 minutes of extra time (two 15-minute halves), followed by a penalty shootout if necessary.
• Forge continue to monitor striker Lucas Cavallini, who suffered a hamstring injury in the Canadian Championship final. He is expected to play a role of some sort in Leg 2, but may be limited to a substitute appearance.
• Atlético Ottawa have no major injury concerns other than known long-term absences Richie Ennin, Daniel Aguilar and Amaury Escoto.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Forge FC: Bertaud; Rama, Nimick, James, Jevremović; Batisse, Aromatario; Bourgeois, Jensen, Sadek; Oketokoun

Atlético Ottawa: Kalongo; Arnaud, Dunn, Kozlovskiy, Coulanges; Aparicio, Gutiérrez; García, Tabla, Habibullah; Fleuriau Chateau