Good Friday morning Caps fans. I hope you all are having a great week and that you’re gearing up for the weekend.

It was a busy week in Canadian soccer but, sadly, not for the Whitecaps, who had to watch the Voyageurs Cup get handed out from home.

It was an eventful Wednesday in Montreal, however, with Forge upsetting the home side in penalty kicks to be the first Canadian Premier League side to lift the Canadian Championship. Montreal equalized to make the match 1-1, only to have Brayan Vera sent off for simulation and a second bookable offense.

There are two stories here, both of which are key for Canadian soccer more broadly. Firstly, Forge deserves all of their flowers. They have been a thorn in the side of MLS teams for years and richly deserve this, as they’ve become one of the most consistent teams in the CPL. Sure, 10-man Montreal is … 10-man Montreal. But that shouldn’t take anything away from Forge and the CPL more broadly.

The gap between MLS and CPL still exists but is perhaps shrinking slowly. That is good for Canadian soccer as a whole and makes the Canadian Championship vastly more interesting.

The flip side is that Montreal absolutely melted down, with their ultras throwing pyros onto the pitch after the final whistle. I can’t condone that, but you understand the frustration, as this has become MLS’ most listless franchise. Ownership doesn’t care (but is begging for lots of public money to renovate the Big Owe) and has invested a minimal amount of money into this team. That still dwarfs Forge’s salary budget but when you cycle through managers, lose fan buy-in, and create a toxic culture, money doesn’t matter so much.

All three Canadian MLS sides are at their best when the others are thriving, despite the rivalry. And while Montreal beat the Caps fair and square, it didn’t feel like a turning point but rather a fluke. Wednesday validated that feeling in a big way.

Still, keep the focus on Forge for their historic win. They just shouldn’t get too comfortable, as the Whitecaps will be aiming to start a new run of Voyageurs Cup titles next year.

Best of the Rest

NDP says they are committed to saving the Caps.

Shoutout to Jeevan Badwal, who claimed young player of the Canadian Championship.

St. Louis City also made history, claiming the first trophy in team history with the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday.

Edier Ocampo and Guilherme Biro picked up the rare double simulation fine from the same incident.