CPL Sees Breathless Action Across the Board
After a slow start to the resumption of play in the CPL, all eight teams went on to produce memorable moments, plenty of entertainment and some of the best goals of the season so far.
The early order of the next round in the CPL were goalless draws, with Cavalry and Pacific as well as FC Edmonton and Valour all unable to get on the score sheet. In between Forge took another step towards reaching the CONCACAF Champions League with a 5-3 aggregate victory over Salvadorian club CD FAS.
Outside of the CPL, its teams made big strides in the Canadian Championship. FC Edmonton offered much resistance at Clarke Field but Cavalry found two open looks and made good on them to advance in the competition with a 2-0 win. Meanwhile AS Blainville of the PLSQ visited the HFX Wanderers, who went ahead after ten minutes courtesy of Cory Bent.
In the hot-tempered second half a hard foul by HFX keeper Kieran Baskett saw him then face Guy-Franck Penda at the penalty spot. Penda scored the equaliser but then Blainville were then the victims of their fortune. Rayane-Yuba Yesli brought down HFX's Akeem Garcia in the box which sent Joao Morelli to the penalty spot, he turned in what was to be the game-winning goal for the Wanderers.
More than a year after first forming, Atletico Ottawa played their first match at home in Ottawa, where a twelve thousand-strong crowd turning out to see them take on the Wanderers. Early on Dylon Powley brought down Akeem Garcia in the box, the HFX forward stepped up to the penalty spot and scored the first CPL goal at TD Stadium.
After a number of missed Ottawa attempts, Malcolm Shaw finally gave the home crowds something to cheer about, converting a corner kick from Ben McHendry to level the scores just before half time. Both teams kept coming close in the second half before a final twist in the tale: a through ball from Alberto Soto found Brian Wright in the Wanderer's box, he put the ball past Christian Oxner for the game-winning Atletico goal. Their first match at home was a success and ended their five-match losing streak.
Days later York United made the journey to Ottawa for the second CPL match at TD Stadium. Powley was made to work hard in the home team's goal in the face of York never letting off the pressure in the first half. He was finally beaten in the sixty-fifth minute when Alvaro Rivero confidently converted a penalty kick to get York off the mark. Ottawa were spared a loss in the dying minutes of the game a power strike by Alberto Soto from the edge of the box blew past the York defence to make it 1-1 at full time.
In Winnipeg, a well-timed runs by both Pacific's Josh Heard and Alejandro Diaz saw the former find the latter wide open in the Valour FC box, nothing the home team could do to prevent him scoring the match's opening goal. Pacific went looking for another but had to wait for the seventieth minute when Manny Aparicio made a run on goal and, when all attention was on him, Terran Campbell followed up to receive the pass and hastily hit home the follow-up for Pacific.
Valour had many attempts to get a goal back, but every attempt was denied by tremendous goalkeeping from Callum Irving. The home advantage that had served them well at the season's start here evaded them, Pacific continued their unbeaten streak with victory over Valour, 2-0.
Pacific were soon back in action this time at a rain-soaked Starlight Stadium against Cavalry. The first goal came out of nowhere: Cavalry's Mohammed Farsi passed to Sergio Camargo in the Pacific FC box, but instead found Joe Mason, who out-ran home goalkeeper Callum Irving and slotted the ball home.
Mason then blindsided the Pacific defence once again, picking up a pass from Camargo almost at goal mouth to double their tally.
Pacific missed many point-blank chances and had others drift off-target. Late in the game a hard foul by Cavalry captain Nikolas Ledgerwood on Kunle Dada-Luke won Pacific a penalty, but before it could be taken a fight between the teams saw Gianni dos Santos sent off. That the team were down to ten men overshadowed Terran Campbell scoring the penalty kick, reduced personnel may be responsible for Pacific's 2-1 home loss to Cavalry.
The weekend saw more Canadian Championship action with the first Canadian Championship Game for Atletico Ottawa, who hosted Valour. The home team got off to a good start with a powerful strike by Brian Wright putting them one up after sixteen minutes. Sean Rea bettered that with an attempt from even further out that would not be denied for the equaliser for Valour.
Wright thought he had regained Ottawa's lead just before half time, but he was ruled out for offside. At the hour mark Rocco Romero ran nearly the entire length of the pitch, handing the ball off to Akio at the edge of the box who in turn passed to Austin Ricci who put Valour ahead.
Minutes later a Valour counter-attack left Ricci with plenty of room to score his second goal and his team's third. The match went to extra time where, in a crowded box, Victor Martinez was able to score a second goal for Ottawa, but that would not be enough to keep them in the championship. Valour advance following this highly entertaining turn against Atletico.
Also in the Canadian Championship, League1 Ontario team Masters Futbol did well to hold off York United for over almost the entire first half, but then Max Ferrari found the thin scoring angle to finally break the deadlock. Just before halftime Osvaldo Ramirez made good on the open look off the precision pass from Michael Petrasso to put York up by two.
Masters' best chance was at the start of the second half, when Reshaun Phillips' attempt was denied by Nathan Ingham and Osman Hussain could not get to the deflected ball in time to score. This was followed by a long-range attempt by Petrasso, headed in by Jordan Wilson for the third York goal. After many more missed chances, York next scored from the penalty spot and the scorer, Julian Ulbrecht, in stoppage time cooly slotted home his second and York's fifth goal. With an emphatic win York move on to the quarter finals and Toronto FC in September.
Finally a match of contrasting halves at Tim Horton's Field. Beginning with a great run into the Forge half, Morey Doner orchestrated an open look for Alex Marshall to tap in the Wanderers' opening goal sixteen minutes in. Forge went looking for an equaliser but kept coming up short as HFX look to consolidate their lead into a win. As the game reached its last minute of added time, a desperation kick by Kwame Awuah almost from the halfway line went in. This stupefying moment saved Forge from defeat in dramatic fashion.
At the end of all this, a point separated Pacific and Cavalry at the top of the standings, with Valour then edging Forge by a single goal scored. York United sit in fifth place, above FC Edmonton, then HFX Wanderers and finally Atletico Ottawa - just a point between the three of them. Just when it looks like the playoff picture is taking shape, recent results indicate there are many more possibilities to come as the CPL season continues.
Picture Credit: Andrea Cardin
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