On the morning of Oct. 4, 2026, FC Supra du Québec were eight points out of a playoff spot.
On the evening of Oct. 25, 2026, FC Supra clinched fourth place in the Canadian Premier League.
A lot can happen in a few weeks in the CPL, but we’ve never seen a turnaround quite this dramatic — nor a final matchday with as much spectacle as this.
The CPL’s newest club went into Sunday’s game in Halifax still two points behind Vancouver FC for the final spot in the postseason. They knew they needed a win, but even that might not be enough — they’d also require an assist from Cavalry.
But when Ibrahim Condé scored six minutes in, Supra could begin to dream.
"It's so special," club captain David Choinière said on the pitch after the final whistle.
"It means so much to the club, and to the guys too; we put so much effort in to make it happen, and we had a big deficit for the last five games of the season, but we made it happen. It's amazing."
They certainly didn't do it the easy way; in a match that could aptly represent Supra's entire inaugural season, they had to battle plenty of adversity and a Wanderers side that refused to go quietly.
The soccer gods seemed to be backing Quebec on the day, though. First it was a Halifax penalty overturned by FVS, then a Wanderers goal chalked off for offside. Even in the second half, when the home team equalized twice, Supra pulled back in front in short order.
FC Supra spent just 16 minutes and 35 seconds of the 90 outside of a playoff spot.
And in the end, it was fitting that Sean Rea was the hero, scoring a trademark long-range strike in front of a hostile fanbase he used to play for. Rea had been the star of the show so many times this year for Supra, so why not him once again?
After Rea's goal went in to put Supra in front for a third time, it was clear this was their day.
The final whistle went, and FC Supra du Québec had completed the most miraculous late-season comeback in CPL history.
"It's insane, what a feeling," Rea told OneSoccer postmatch, glancing behind him to see his teammates hoisting club president Rocco Placentino on their shoulders.
"Look at that, you can’t make it up. This was our goal from the beginning, and the confidence of the team, the way we fought these last five games is just unbelievable, I’m so proud of everybody."
No team in this league had ever been more than one point out of a playoff spot with five games to go.
It bears repeating here: Supra were eight points out.
FC Supra set out to make history from the very beginning. Everyone around the club, particularly president Rocco Placentino, spoke bullishly on their ambitions for year one.
This was a club founded on ironclad principles: to give the Quebec soccer community a home in the Canadian Premier League. All year, Supra have been a club D'ici, pour ici; their all-Quebecois roster has represented the province at home and across the country to prove just how deep the talent pool is.
On the pitch though, FC Supra entered 2026 with one clear and specific goal in mind: to qualify for the playoffs in their very first year.
After an explosive start to the inaugural campaign — including Alexandre Marcoux's memorable last-minute winner in their first-ever game — that goal didn't seem too far out of reach.
The season is long, though, and the dream was all but dead in the water at the start of October. A spark of hope can turn quickly into flame, though; Supra went 4-1-0 in the last few weeks to climb back above the line.
Some of the credit must belong to Kyt Selaidopoulos, who took over as head coach after a 6-0 loss to Cavalry seemed to end Supra's postseason hopes.
Selaidopoulos, arriving with years of coaching expertise honed under Bobby Smyrniotis at Forge, spoke mostly about looking to the future and building for 2027. At the same time, however, he was immediately raising standards, and allowing his players to believe without burdening them with pressure.
"When I came in, I wanted them to show character, show their talent, show that they can actually play in this league and continue and finish games," Selaidopoulos told reporters after the game on Sunday.
"And we saw it tonight. We saw it the other night against Inter Toronto when we played the school day game. So that's what's important. And right now, once they show character, they show belief, and when they show belief, they can play against anybody."
Supra definitely showed character on Sunday, and although they might've preferred a more straightforward win, this is a club that has thrived in the chaos all year.
Now, the CPL newcomers head into the postseason with the hopes of an entire province on their shoulders.
They face the daunting task of battling CPL Shield winners Cavalry FC in a semifinal.
Although Selaidopoulos has had one eye on the future since he arrived, even he admits it's time to concentrate on the present.
"Yes, I spoke about 2027," he said. "But right now, the focus is for the province of Quebec and what's going to happen next, and it's the playoffs."
Selaidopoulos has seen it all in the CPL Playoffs, and he's won two championships.
Few people know better than him what it'll take to move forward, so it's hard not to believe him when he says he's confident.
"The playoffs is a special place," he said.
"I'm gonna say it. We're going to try to go all the way."
FC Supra du Québec will open the 2026 CPL Playoffs at Stade Boréale on Sunday, Nov. 1 against Cavalry FC (4 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PCT, on TSN and OneSoccer). Tickets available here.
Leg 2 of the semifinal will be played at ATCO Field on Saturday, Nov. 7.
