Hamilton’s Forge FC remain in first place in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) with only three regular season games left.
The soccer club currently has 53 points in the standings, with second place Atletico Ottawa at 51 points and third place Cavalry FC at 39 points.
This past weekend, Forge won 4-0 against Pacific FC, while Ottawa won 3-0 against Cavalry.
However, Forge was only able to maintain their lead in the standings thanks to a crucial draw against Ottawa on Sept. 21.
The match, which was a battle for first place, saw Forge down 1-0 until the 82nd minute when substitute Hoce Massunda slotted in a rebound.
The match ended 1-1.
The draw meant that Forge maintained their two point lead over Ottawa in the standings.
Even more important, the result means that if the two teams finish tied at the top of the standings after the last regular season match on Oct. 18, then Forge will be in first place based on tiebreaking rules.
In four games against Ottawa this season, Forge won one and drew three times.
The club that finishes in first place in the standings earns the CPL Shield and is also guaranteed a spot at next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
After the regular season, clubs also compete in the playoffs.
On Aug. 24, Forge became the first team to earn a spot in the playoffs.
Then, on Sept. 12, they also became the first team to earn a home playoff match as they are guaranteed to finish either first or second.
The CPL playoff format is different from other leagues, with five clubs making the playoffs.
The top two teams during the regular season face off against each other, with the winning club advancing directly to the final.
It is guaranteed that Forge will face Ottawa in that match, which is called the Summit Showdown.
However, the losing team in that match is not eliminated, but is given another chance to make the final and faces whichever club is left out of those who finished third to fifth place.
The team that wins the Summit Showdown earns the right to host the CPL final.
With three matches remaining in the regular season, Forge will host eighth place Vancouver FC on Oct. 4, before a two-game road trip against third place Cavalry and then fifth place York United.
Meanwhile, Ottawa has to play sixth place Valour FC, eighth place Vancouver FC, and fourth place Halifax Wanderers.
Forge FC was also hoping to win the TELUS Canadian Championship this year but were knocked out by the Vancouver Whitecaps of the MLS.
Forge managed to make it to the semi-finals of the competition and drew the first leg in Hamilton 2-2 before losing 4-0 in British Columbia in the second leg on Sept. 16.
Forge’s record-setting 20-game unbeaten run was also ended on Aug. 30 after a 4-1 loss to Cavalry.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
