The final weekend of action before the World Cup break in the Canadian Premier League packs a punch.
The first 905 derby of the season takes place in Toronto, between Inter Toronto and Forge FC, teams that have just one loss each this campaign. With familiar faces on both sides, the latest edition of the storied rivalry is a can't-miss.
Speaking of familiar faces, Marco Carducci makes his long-awaited return to Calgary among plenty more to note ahead of Matchweek 9:
Friday, June 5 - Vancouver FC vs. Atlético Ottawa
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT — Langley Events Centre — OneSoccer
Tickets available here.
The weekend kicks off in Langley, where a team that cannot seem to win hosts the defending CPL champs, who have been finding ways to get results of late, regardless of performance.
Late goals were the story for both this past weekend, with Atlético Ottawa earning a point in Langford on a stoppage-time penalty after going down 2-0 to Pacific FC. Vancouver, meanwhile, suffered yet another late heartbreak in Halifax, losing 1-0 on a second-half stoppage-time goal.
Looking at all the numbers, with the exception of the most important, points and goals scored, and Vancouver have every right to believe they deserve more from their performances this season. Getting their first league win against Atleti since 2023 could go a long way toward getting their season back on track.
Saturday, June 6 - Supra du Québec vs. Pacific FC
7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT — Stade TELUS - Université Laval — OneSoccer, TSN, RDS Direct
Tickets available here.
The Canadian Premier League returns to Québec City on Saturday.
After an On Tour match in the provincial capital last season between Inter Toronto and the Halifax Wanderers, FC Supra du Québec continue their provincial tour by hosting Pacific FC.
The two clubs last met in FC Supra's inaugural match, where the Québec club made further history by picking up a 3-2 win on Alexandre Marcoux's late goal -- with Loïc Kwemi's opener representing the first goal in club history.
Pacific are coming off a match where they came painfully close to their first win of the season, conceding the equalizer in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time in a 2-2 draw with Atlético Ottawa. Still, there was plenty to build on from the performance and they will come into Québec City confident.
Saturday, June 6 - Cavalry FC vs. Halifax Wanderers (Red & White Out Match)
7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT — ATCO Field — OneSoccer
Tickets available here.
As Cavalry and Halifax face off for the first time this season, all eyes will be one of the nets at ATCO Field.
That's because that's where Cavalry club legend, and hometown boy, Marco Carducci will be standing, making his first return to ATCO Field with the Halifax Wanderers following seven seasons and a CPL title with Cavalry.
Carducci enters the match in top form, featured in the past two Gatorade CPL Teams of the Week. He would love nothing more than to continue that and put in another strong shift in Calgary.
It will also be the first CPL meeting between Vanni Sartini and Tommy Wheeldon Jr. -- but not the first time they have coached against each other. They twice battled in the TELUS Canadian Championship when Sartini was the coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Sartini's side prevailed (or aggregate at least) on both of those occasions, but the results record against each other is technically 1-1-1.
Sunday, June 7 - Inter Toronto vs. Forge FC
2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT — York Lions Stadium — OneSoccer, CBC Gem
Tickets available here.
The long-awaited first 905 derby of the season is here.
On Sunday afternoon at York Lions Stadium, Inter Toronto host Forge FC looking to end an 11-match winless streak against their provincial rivals.
This is a different Inter Toronto team than in the past, however, including former Forge star Béni Badibanga. The attacker has always been one for the big games, and facing his former club for the first time undoubtedly qualifies as that.
Toronto, however, will need to overcome the formidable Forge backline, who have still conceded just three times in eight matches.
Player to Watch:
Ronan Kratt, Pacific FC
It had been a strong start to the season for the Pacific FC forward from a performance standpoint, but the production hadn't always matched. This past weekend, Kratt finally had a breakthrough, with a sublime performance picking up a goal and an assist in a 2-2 home draw with Atlético Ottawa. In Québec City on Saturday, he looks to build on that performance.
