2024 CPL Playoffs — Qualifying Semi-Final
Forge FC vs. Cavalry FC
October 27, 2023 at 4 p.m. ET/2 p.m. MT
Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

Two well-acquainted foes do battle on familiar ground this weekend, as Forge FC take on Cavalry FC in both teams’ first match of the 2024 Canadian Premier League Playoffs.

A spot in the CPL Final is on the line on Sunday, as the winner of this qualifying semi-final will host the championship match on Nov. 9. The side that loses this game, meanwhile, still have another path to the North Star Cup, but they’ll have to play another semi-final next weekend against either Atlético Ottawa or York United.

Forge and Cavalry are all too familiar with one another in the playoffs, with this being their eighth meeting in the postseason. In 2023, they also met in the qualifying semi-final — that time hosted in Calgary — as well as the Final, which Forge memorably won 2-1 at Tim Hortons Field in a classic battle that saw both teams score in extra time.

RELATED: 2024 CPL Playoff Preview: Forge FC || 2024 CPL Playoff Preview: Cavalry FC

This year, it’s Forge who enter the playoffs as the top seed and reigning regular season title winners. They finished first in the table with 50 points and a 15-5-8 record, leading the CPL in goals scored with 45. They do enter the playoffs in what could ostensibly be called a slump, losing and failing to score in each of their last two regular season matches, but neither game had any tangible meaning for them, having already clinched the title beforehand.

“It’s what we play for,” Forge midfielder Tristan Borges said of his excitement entering the postseason. “Every team that starts the season, every player that enters the season, the number one goal is to win a trophy, to win a championship. I’ve been saying it to the guys, and everyone knows. It’s the best time of year.”

Cavalry, meanwhile, begin the postseason as the second seed, but they’re desperate to host the Final for the first time since 2019, and to win their first ever playoff championship. They finished two points behind Forge with a 12-12-4 record, and they come into the playoffs in red-hot form, winning their last three games and losing just one of their final 14 matches of the season.

They secured their second-place position on the final day of the regular season with a 2-1 comeback win at Valour FC, where an 89th-minute penalty kick not only sealed victory but won Tobias Warschewski the CPL’s Golden Boot.

Now, the Cavs are champing at the bit for another crack at Forge in the playoffs. They’ve had a rough go of it in this matchup historically; of the seven previous playoff matches between these sides, Forge have won six, and the other was a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2022 semi-final — which Forge would go on to win on aggregate.

The Hamilton club had a slight edge in the season series this year as well, winning two of their four games against Cavalry — both of them by a 2-1 scoreline at Tim Hortons Field. Cavalry won once and they drew once in the games played in Alberta.

History goes out the window as the playoffs begin, but these sides do still have plenty of familiarity. It’s a rivalry that has been heated at times over the years, with plenty of incidents and red cards between them, but it’s also a fixture that has produced some of the best football seen in the CPL.

Both teams should be able to put their best foot forward this weekend, although Forge might have a few players sidelined. Daniel Parra is expected to miss out with suspension, meaning Malik Owolabi-Belewu likely draws in at left-back. Meanwhile, Elimane Cissé is their only major injury concern; he will be unavailable on Sunday. Cavalry are likewise mostly healthy; Tom Field and Jesse Daley are the two players Tommy Wheeldon Jr. confirmed are unavailable.

All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Forge have attacking decisions to make: Although Forge have continued to score plenty of goals since Kwasi Poku left the club in August, they still haven’t settled on any other player as their everyday centre-forward. The 14 goals they’ve scored since Poku’s departure have come from eight different players, and midfielder Noah Jensen has the most with five. So, the biggest question for head coach Bobby Smyrniotis to answer is who lines up at the head of his attack in the playoffs. The last three games of the season saw Amadou Koné, Victor Klonaridis and Jordan Hamilton all get a shot in that position, but none found the net. One possibility for the middle could be Béni Badibanga, who played as a striker last time Forge hosted Cavalry. That could solve two problems for Smyrniotis; he’d be able to keep both Kyle Bekker and Jensen in his midfield, placing Tristan Borges in Badibanga’s usual wing position.

• Cavalry defence tough to crack: The Cavs have been the best defensive team in the CPL this year, allowing just 27 goals in 28 games, never conceding more than twice in a match. Their likely back four of Fraser Aird, Daan Klomp, Callum Montgomery and Bradley Kamdem is extremely solid, and by this point well-drilled enough that it’s rare to catch any of them out of position. Perhaps the biggest key to Cavalry keeping the ball out of their net, however, is that they don’t usually let anyone near it. The Cavs lead the league in average possession (55.17 per cent), as well as balls won in the attacking third (142). The best way to stop the other team scoring is not letting them have the ball, which Cavalry do exceedingly well. “I think the biggest thing is, if you’re organized, [they’re] going to have to pick the lock somehow. We’ve shown well this season, and it’s probably been why we’ve been able to climb the league, because our defending has been first class.”

• Can Warschewski’s hot streak continue? There’s no attacking player in the CPL in better form right now than Cavalry’s Tobias Warschewski. The German forward began the month of October with a total of seven goals in 2024, and he finished the regular season with five in three games to end up with 12 — snatching the Golden Boot in the final match. Warschewski has actually been quite effective for Cavalry all year, especially with his defensive workrate to put centre-backs under pressure, but if he’s able to keep up this goalscoring streak he’ll be a huge difference maker in the playoffs. What’s more impressive is Warschewski playing so well for the Cavs after about 18 months without playing a competitive match, his most recent club being FC Edmonton in 2022 before signing in Calgary this year. “He’s worked very hard for us,” Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said of Warschewski. “He had a great spell at the start of the season when we didn’t have a lot of our attacking options and he carried us at that time. … He’s a terrific finisher, but he doesn’t just do that, he works his socks off as well.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Forge FC: Koleilat; Duncan, Achinioti-Jönsson, Metusala, Owolabi-Belewu; Jensen, Hojabrpour, Bekker; Borges, Badibanga, Choinière

Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Klomp, Montgomery, Kamdem; Gutiérrez, Shome; Musse, Herdman, Camargo; Warschewski

ALL-TIME SERIES

Forge FC wins: 14 || Cavalry FC wins: 8 || Draws: 8

Last meeting:

Sept. 8, 2024 –Forge FC 2-1 Cavalry FC

PLAYOFF HISTORY 

2023 CPL Final — Forge FC 2-1 Cavalry FC (A.E.T.)
2023 Qualifying Semi-Final — Cavalry FC 1-2 Forge FC
2022 Semi-Final (Leg 2) — Forge FC 2-1 Cavalry FC
2022 Semi-Final (Leg 1) — Cavalry FC 1-1 Forge FC
2020 Group Stage — Cavalry FC 0-1 Forge FC
2019 CPL Final (Leg 2) — Cavalry FC 0-1 Forge FC
2019 CPL Final (Leg 1) — Forge FC 1-0 Cavalry FC

KEY QUOTES

“In games like this, the adrenaline and energy is always high. The respect is there between both teams; obviously I have respect for anybody that steps on the field that we play against. When we’re on the field in any game, there’s not really any friends, but playoffs kind of enhance that a little bit. Most people that know me know that I love games like this, I love playoff time. It’s the best time of the year.” — Forge FC midfielder Tristan Borges

“It’s two clubs that aspire for excellence, and it’s not just in terms of wins on the board — it’s about player progression, it’s about opportunities for Canadians, it’s about having a pathway and a development system underneath and a competitive edge when it comes down to games. Year in and year out, if you’re going to go through the league, you have to come through us; if you’re going to go through playoffs, you have to come through them. Maybe this year it reverses.” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

“The ability to host a final is massive. Last year we lost that opportunity, but that’s why finishing in the top two is so important in this playoff structure. It gives us the opportunity to go away from home — and we’ve been very good away from home this year, we’ve embraced that mentality — and we have have a chance to go win one game and then host the final. For us it’s massive, we want to treat our fans to that opportunity again. We know how good we can be here.” — Cavalry FC goalkeeper Marco Carducci