We return to the Canadian Premier League for week ten. Each week, we’ll discuss the games played the past weekend, the current league table, and the upcoming encounters, giving you a one-stop-shop where you can keep up on events and hear a bit of analysis.
Valour vs. Vancouver (3-1)
Both teams have struggled to make gains up the standings: Valour had a tie with Pacific and a loss to Cavalry behind them, while Vancouver had tied Ottawa and lost to York. A lot to prove then and two teams that should be quite evenly matched in many regards.
The opening looked like it be a high paced first half with both teams fighting through to get corners early on with the Eagles getting the first pay off as a ball played back from the very back line reached Emrick Fotsing who easily scored from a central position in front of the goal.
From there, the press was on as Valour fought to get back into the game while Vancouver presented as sticky and tenacious defence. The final minutes of the half, however, saw a number of Valour opportunities (and Kian Williams missing a point blank chance that will no doubt haunt him in his dreams) before Kris Twardek equalised to 1-1.
The drama intensified in the dying minutes of first half stoppage time, as it looked like a hockey style line brawl might break out over a rough tackle and the subsequent shoving and scuffling. The outcome was that both teams would go into the second half a man down, with Gianfranco Facchineri and Kunle Dada-Luke sent off (this being Dada-Luke’s second red card of the season, though some viewers have later opined it was a poor call by the ref, the author will let fans decide for themselves).
Vancouver has often struggled to keep the gas tank full for the full 90, and the late minute goal in the first half, combined with the loss of one of their most energetic defenders seems to have impacted their morale pretty badly, in spite of Callum Irving managing the rare goal keeper feat of saving a penalty kick, as Valour came at them again and again.
The defences couldn’t hold, resulting in Kelsey Egwu and Jordan Faria scoring, leaving a Vancouver side with questions to be answered in the future, with a player suspension hanging over their heads due to the red card.
Pacific vs. Ottawa (0-1)
Pacific went into this game with only 8 points to their name and their past 3 games being a tie with Valour, a defeat to Forge and a hammering by Cavalry, all of which produced no goals. On top of that their last outing against Ottawa had been a decisive 1-3 loss, meaning a lot was on the line to show that the squad has what it needs to compete.
To their credit, Pacific opened the match setting out to do just that with the combination of Marco Bustos and Josh Heard working the forward wings with plenty of energy. However, Ottawa was fully up to the task of containing the attacks and threw forward Samuel Salter for attacks of their own, forcing pacific to keep further back than they might perhaps have liked, to guard against quick counter attacks.
Viewers and live audiences were ready to settle into halftime snacks when a tackle from Aly Ndom in the penalty box awarded a penalty kick to Ottawa. Ballou Tabla is not going to miss on a shot like that, and Atletico was up a goal.
Was the penalty warranted? It looked like a bit of a soft touch to me, but ultimately it is on the defence to avoid putting themselves in the situation I suppose. Certainly by then there had been plenty of pushing and hard tackles resulting in cautions, and without VAR the referee must make a split second decision without the benefit of rewinding the footage.
The second half would require Pacific to come out strong again, but the drive seemed to have receded somewhat, with a lack of press giving Atletico more space than they really should be permitted if you are trying to catch up.
The half presented some drama as well as Bustos went down from a push in the penalty box, causing boos and cries out outrage as it was not awarded as a penalty kick. With tempers flaring several players got in each others faces, shoving and shouting. In total 7 yellow cards were passed out during the match.
However, the somewhat muted efforts in play did not end up producing much to level the score: Pacific only tracked 2 shots on target the entire game and a pair of free kicks deep into stoppage did not change this. Final score was a single goal to Ottawa.
As a note Pacific was wearing an alternate kit in recognition of Canadian Indigenous people. And I must say a rather attractive one as well.
Forge vs. Halifax (2-1)
When the two sides met on May 3rd, the outcome was a scoreless draw. The rematch was on in Hamilton, as each team jostled to get positioned in the table, before we are too far into the season.
Forge usually goes for a direct, tough and sometimes grindy approach trying to both pin down the opposition and pass their way through, while relying on a very solid back section to contain anything they lose in the midfield. This was no different today, with Halifax trying to work on the flanks and create openings, though the heavy contest forced them to rely on more long balls forward than I think they might have liked normally.
For their part, the Wanderers defence was more fluid with a lot of movement in the midfield that tended to frustrate many of Forge’s forays forward. Unfortunately for the visitors, a misstep allowed Hoce Massunda to score at the end of the first quarter, giving Forge a 1-0 vantage point from which to try to direct the pace.
Halifax kept up their attempts with Tiago Coimbra, Giorgio Probo, and Yohan Bai all making efforts, but they were never quite in a position where they had that extra split second to line up a sure shot.
The second half opened explosively with shots taken by both teams almost immediately, but a pay off would not come until the 75th minute when Brian Wright scored to double the lead for forge.
Only 6 minutes later, Wesley Timoteo roaming on the far left flank paid off, as a long shot across the Forge defence bounced back, allowing Jason Bahamboula to kick it in.
Unfortunately, that was as far as it was going to go. Scoring on Forge is hard enough, scoring twice was not in the cards. A good effort from the Wanderers and a strong performance from Forge as always.
Cavalry vs. York (2-1)
Cavalry has been on a hot streak, with their last league loss back on April 26 against Ottawa (not to mention a tie in their encounter with Vancouver FC in the Championship) and they had the advantage of a home game to boot.
Sergio Camargo made a statement almost immediately, scoring before the 2nd minute had ticked on to the clock, leaving York to reassess whatever their original plan might have been.
From here, the game began to unfold in a bit more of an orderly fashion, with Cavalry controlling the centre of the field and pushing hard into the challenges, while York tried to work around the flanks and create opportunities. It almost felt like they deliberately shielded away from getting stuck into duels at times, preferring to rely on speed and mobility.
However, even though they were able to create several shots they kept struggling with either lacking the precision in the final moments or being able to coordinate the attack with sufficient support. Of particular note is Adonijah Reid who put in a heavy shift trying to create up the flank.
The first half would end 1-0, which meant York would have to continue creating pressure, while Cavalry would have the choice of taking it a bit easier. Right out of the gate, Cavalry came in hard with Camargo scoring the second goal of the match (and bringing him to 4 for the season) but the joy was short lived as a sequence of Kembo Kibato – Max Ferrari – Massimo Ferrin nailed a goal barely a minute later for York. 2-1 and we are back in business.
From there, York kept up the work trying to break down a Cavalry defence that was solid, but also slow to create counter attacks, instead fighting it out in their half for much of the remaining time. However, Cavalry is not a team that gives up goals easy, and York would be frustrated in their efforts despite the energy expended, even as the pace noticeably slackened in the final minutes.
With 8 minutes of stoppage played the score remained, stubbornly, 2-1 in favour of the home side. 9 yellow cards handed out is testament to the willingness of both sides to slug it out.
CPL Golden Boot
We continue the hunt for the Golden Boot:
7 Goals – Salter (Ottawa), Altobelli (York)
5 Goals – Rodriguez (Ottawa), Warschewski (Cavalry)
4 Goals – Camargo (Cavalry), Musse (Cavalry)
3 Goals – Bitar (York), Coimbra (Wanderers), Egwu (Valour), Santos (Ottawa), Tabla (Ottawa), Wright (Forge) , Zanatta (Pacific)
Of interest this week is Camargo getting his name in the big leagues by adding 2 goals to his tally, pushing him into the top players.
Best of the Best
Atletico Ottawa increases their goal scoring spree, as they are now at 25, with Cavalry chasing behind at 18 (and closing the distance)
On the defensive side, Forge allowed one more goal for a total of 7 conceded this season. Cavalry is just behind this with 8.
If Cavalry is able to shape up in both metrics, they are going to be very difficult to keep out of the top spot in the table.
What’s Next
Ottawa only scored a single goal this week, but that was all they needed to do to get to 21 points, keeping them firmly in the number one spot. Cavalry and Forge jump to 17 points (2nd and 4th in the table respectively) while the Wanderers remain at 17, making them third. In the fifth spot we find a hard-fighting York at 10 points. Below the playoff spots, Pacific and Valour sit at 8 points, while Vancouver remains at 6.
Saturday the 14th will see Wanderers and Cavalry come together on the Wanderers Grounds. With the two teams tied on points and jostling for position in the table, this will no doubt be a high intensity game with a Halifax side that is determined to punch above their weight this year. The fact that Cavalry beat them decisively on their last league encounter (and at the Wanderers Grounds to boot) will no doubt give the Cavs a sturdy morale boost.
At Starlight, Pacific and York will play. Both urgently need to pick up 3 points to gain ground on the teams above them. Pacific took the last win here in mid May, but have been chasing a win since then. A rematch on home ground will be an important step to breaking a bad spell.
Sunday the 15th will be Vancouver and Forge in Langley. Vancouver is certainly chasing some redemption and will have to do it against tough opposition. Before anyone write off VFC, do remember they were able to play Ottawa to a tie on the 30th.
Ottawa will play Valour, a match up that Ottawa is probably anticipating with more optimism than Valour. Valour have shown some bite, however, with a tie against Pacific and a win over Vancouver behind them. On the other hand, when the two met in May the result was a devastating 5-2 for Ottawa. If you enjoy an underdog story, this is the game to watch this weekend.
(Images: Canadian Premier League)