Welcome to week seven of the Canadian Premier League, as we check in on the matches played, look to the future, and examine the triumphs and heartbreaks.

York vs. Valour (1-2)

York and Valour have both been on a difficult runs, with defeats in their recent games as they faced off on a rainy pitch in the biting cold. The difficult conditions from the weather were evident, and it took a while before the teams felt like they were really getting into a flow (and I have definitely seen both performing more confidently and energetically in the past). Instead we were treated to a rough, slippery and occasionally chippy contest. Though I should note that a fan who was present in person said the game felt better at the field than it did on television.

Valour overall felt slightly more in charge of things, with more initiative and better attacks, rewarding them with a 2-1 victory after a prolonged scrap in the second half with the scores tied. York by and large tried to hold on, but they often felt like they were fighting to walk home with the tie rather than earn a win out of it. In the end they would get neither.

Cavalry vs. Pacific (4-0)

Two evenly matched teams on paper, with the Cavs enjoying the home field advantage. The first half saw spirited attempts by both teams but with Cavalry having far more shots and possession. In particular, their greater enthusiasm showed in the duels, with Pacific struggling to win even a third. The first half would end 1-0 to Cavalry.

The second half would see Pacific completely unravel, as Cavalry received two penalty kicks: One for a handball and one for a foul bringing them to a near-insurmountable 3-0 lead by the 66th minute. From here the game got scrappier and scrappier, with yellow cards handed out to coaching staff, a player on the sidelines, and eventually resulting in a sending off. Closing out a man down, Pacific had to endure a last minute free kick making the final score 4-0 Cavalry. 

Vancouver vs. Halifax (0-2)

In the first half, Vancouver pushed and tried to take the fight to the Wanderers, though as it wore on, Halifax came into their own more and started being able to set up some more of the long shots that they like to employ. The half time stats showed both teams rather evenly matched, without a lot of goal chances to show for it, though the midfield play had been lively. Vancouver fans might be disgruntled at a possible penalty kick not being awarded at the very end of the half.

The second half saw Ryan Telfer bring Halifax to 1-0 quite quickly after a hail-storm forced a match interruption. The resumed game saw the back and forth continue, with both sides putting forward a strong effort, despite the slippery pitch not doing any wonders for passing accuracy.
In the death, Halifax was able to score again, as another frantic run paid off. Victory would elude Vancouver once again.

Golden Boot Race

I thought I would include a little bit of excitement this week, which is a look at the top scorers of the CPL so far. The top 5 scorers have a lot of shared spots but here you go: 

6 goals: Salter (Ottawa)

5 goals: Altobelli (York)

4 goals: Rodriguez (Ottawa) / Warschewski (Cavalry)

3 goals: Musse (Cavalry) / Zanatta (Pacific) / Bitar (York) / Santos (Ottawa)

Perhaps unsurprising to have 3 Ottawa players in the top ranks, with York and Cavalry bringing 2 each, and Pacific a single player. Of course York fans might point out that Salter recorded 4 in a single match, whereas Altobelli has been more productive across a range of matches, but those sorts of discussions are best left for the comments section.

What’s Next

Ottawa remains at 17 points (having not played this weekend). The Wanderers close in, with their win bringing them to 14 points. Cavalry and Forge sit at 10 points, with Cavalry jumping to a third position. Pacific remains at 7 points in the 5th position. Vancouver is at 5 points. Valour, meanwhile, manages to push York down to the bottom, as 4 points moves them up (as head to head results determine tie breakers ahead of goal differential).

On May 24th, Ottawa will face the Wanderers in Halifax. With only 3 points separating them, home advantage and a sturdy defence for HFX could be crucial. Their last encounter was a tie. 

Pacific vs Forge is also on May 24th. The quintessential mid-table match, Forge has conceded the fewest goals of anybody, but Pacific will be on home turf. Forge won the first encounter handily.

Sunday the 25th sees York and Vancouver play, both of whom could climb the table with a win: Vancouver winning plus a Pacific loss would see them move into the playoff places, while York could jump past both Vancouver and Valour in the right scenario.

The final encounter, also on Sunday, will be a season’s first: Cavalry versus Valour. This is a match where Cavs fans probably feel confident, but Valour is at least coming off a win in their last league match.