This weekend, the month of August wraps up in the Canadian Premier League with three thrilling matchdays.
It kicks off on Friday with a pair of matches, including an all-Ontario clash in the nation's capital, Vancouver FC and Cavalry FC renewing their rivalry in Calgary on Saturday, before a coastal clash wraps things up on Sunday.
Here are the key details and storylines ahead of Matchweek 19:
Friday, Aug. 28 - Atlético Ottawa vs. Inter Toronto
7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT — TD Place — OneSoccer, TSN
Tickets available here.
Unbeaten in their past five CPL regular season matches against Atlético Ottawa, Inter Toronto head into the nation's capital in pursuit of another big result against their Ontario rivals.
Nine points below the playoff line, but with three games in hand, this is a huge opportunity to narrow that gap and continue their recent momentum ahead of a busy September.
Wins in Ottawa are hard to come by, however, as Atleti have lost just once in their past 31 matches at TD Place. Inter Toronto haven't done it in two years, and just three times in 15 visits to the nation's capital.
It's always fiery when these two teams meet, and the raised stakes will only add fuel.
Friday, Aug. 28 - FC Supra du Québec vs. Forge FC
7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT — Stade Boréale — OneSoccer, TVAS2
Tickets available here.
This rivalry is about to heat up in a big way over the next few weeks.
Having already played in Hamilton this past Wednesday, they now head to Stade Boréale on Friday for their fourth and final league meeting, before playing again just four days later in the first leg of the TELUS Canadian Championship semifinal. The second leg of that tie, in Hamilton, will be played on Tuesday, September 15.
With so many meetings in close order, tensions are sure to increase between the Canadian Premier League's newest club, and its most decorated.
So far, the latter has gotten the better of the former, with Forge picking up three one-goal victories over Supra this season. But Supra have a big chance to flip that script over the next few weeks.
Saturday, Aug. 29 - Cavalry FC vs. Vancouver FC
5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT — ATCO Field — OneSoccer, CBC Gem
Tickets available here.
Last month, Vancouver FC made club history with their first-ever regular-season victory over Cavalry FC, 1-0 in Langley.
Now they head to ATCO Field searching for what would be another monumental victory against one of the CPL's frontrunners. They also aim to recover from a difficult week, which saw them suffer two losses on the East Coast.
The biggest concern for the Eagles of late? The goals have dried up. They've scored just once in their past three matches, and they have been three of their five lowest expected goal totals on the season.
Cavalry, meanwhile, have had no issues scoring goals, with 13 in their past five matches. But what matters most for them at the moment is points, and they know any mistake at this stage could be costly in the regular season race with rivals Forge.
Sunday, Aug. 30- Pacific FC vs Halifax Wanderers
6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT - Starlight Stadium — OneSoccer
Tickets available here.
The Halifax Wanderers seek to continue their perfect record against teams from British Columbia this season as they travel to Vancouver Island on Sunday.
Following a 1-0 win over Vancouver FC this past Saturday, Halifax are now 5-0 on the season against teams from the province -- including winning both meetings with Pacific.
Halifax are now unbeaten in their past five against the Tridents, and would love to make it six in the hopes of narrowing the gap to the playoff line to four points.
Player to Watch:
Aghilas Sadek, Forge FC
This past week was a dream for 18-year-old attacker Aghilas Sadek. He scored his first professional goal on a stunning match-winner in Forge's 3-2 win over FC Supra du Québec last Wednesday, before finding the back of the net again in a 2-0 win over Pacific FC on Saturday. This weekend, all eyes will be on Sadek as he returns to his home province to take on FC Supra du Québec, with Forge hoping he can continue to provide a crucial spark for their attack.
