Clinch Scenarios: Cavalry, Forge, Pacific could secure playoff spots in Week 26

2022-09-29

Charlie O’Connor-Clarke, Digital Content Editor (@charliejclarke)

The Canadian Premier League season continues to surge toward its end, as four teams still don’t yet know their fate with just two weekends remaining.

Atlético Ottawa were the first team in the league to clinch a playoff spot in 2022 last weekend, as they defeated Cavalry FC 3-1 to lock up their first postseason berth in club history. Meanwhile, both York United and HFX Wanderers saw their top-four hopes officially dashed on Tuesday night when Pacific topped the Wanderers 2-0.

So, three places in the final four remain up for grabs, with four teams still alive to take them. The regular season title is also very much in play, as each of Forge, Cavalry, and Pacific could still pass Ottawa for the top spot.

The playoff picture could become a lot clearer this weekend though, and it’s possible the entire top four could be cemented after Sunday’s matches.

Below is how things stand heading into this weekend. The three eliminated sides are highlighted in red, and Atlético Ottawa — the only team to clinch — are in green. A reminder of the CPL’s tiebreaking procedures is available here.

Pos.	Club	Points	Wins	Games Left	Max. Points Potential	Goals For	Goals Against	GD
1	x – Atlético Ottawa	45	12	2	51	32	26	+6
2	Forge FC	41	12	3	50	44	24	+20
3	Cavalry FC	41	12	2	47	36	32	+4
4	Pacific FC	40	11	3	49	34	32	+2
5	Valour FC	37	10	2	43	34	29	+5
6	York United FC	33	9	2	39	29	33	-4
7	HFX Wanderers FC	29	8	2	35	23	35	-12
8	FC Edmonton	17	3	2	23	28	49	-21

All eight CPL teams are in action over the coming weekend, with the fixtures as follows:

Friday, September 30:

Pacific FC vs. FC Edmonton (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT)

Saturday, October 1:

HFX Wanderers FC vs. Atlético Ottawa (3 p.m. AT/2 p.m. ET)
Forge FC vs. York United FC (5 p.m. ET)

Sunday, October 2:

Cavalry FC vs. Valour FC (1:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. ET)

Clinch Scenarios for Week 25

In total, three teams (Forge FC, Cavalry FC, and Pacific FC) could theoretically clinch their playoff spot this weekend.

Forge FC will clinch if:

Forge win vs. York United on Oct. 1

Forge lose or draw vs. York United on Oct. 1, AND
Valour lose or draw vs. Cavalry on Oct. 2

Cavalry FC will clinch if:

Cavalry win or draw vs. Valour on Oct. 2

Pacific FC will clinch if:

Pacific win vs. FC Edmonton on Sept. 30, AND
Valour lose or draw vs. Cavalry on Oct. 2

Pacific draw vs. FC Edmonton on Sept. 30, AND
Valour lose vs. Cavalry on Oct. 2

On the flip side, Valour could find themselves eliminated if things don’t go their way.

Valour FC will be eliminated if:

Valour draw vs. Cavalry on Oct. 2, AND
Pacific win vs. FC Edmonton on Sept. 30

Valour lose vs. Cavalry on Oct. 2, AND
Pacific win draw vs. FC Edmonton on Sept. 30

All four matches this weekend, as well as all matches the rest of the season including the 2022 CPL Playoffs, are available to watch on OneSoccer, Fubo TV, and TELUS Channel 980.