CPL Week 12 Recap: Forge Fire Warning Shot, Cavalry Surges, Wanderers Rebound

Week 12 of the CPL season brought clarity at the top and turbulence at the bottom, with a mix of gritty wins and dominant displays. In Halifax, the Wanderers snapped a three-game winless streak with a 1-0 triumph over Vancouver FC. Defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère delivered the decisive blow with a towering header, also anchoring a defense that kept its fifth clean sheet of the campaign. Vancouver, meanwhile, remains winless in six and stuck at the bottom with just six points.

In Toronto, York United and Atlético Ottawa played to a humid, energy-drained 0-0 draw. Though goal-less, the result was vital for Ottawa, which retained top spot with 25 points and logged a third straight shutout. York, meanwhile, sits fifth, within touching distance of the playoff zone.

Cavalry FC continued its stellar form with a 1-0 win over Pacific FC, stretching its unbeaten run in all competitions to ten. Ali Musse scored early, and from there the hosts controlled proceedings with nearly 58% possession. Pacific, by contrast, was held scoreless for the fifth time in six games and remains mired in the lower tier of the standings.

But the headline performance came from Forge FC, who thrashed Valour FC 5-0 in Winnipeg. Brian Wright erupted for a first-half hat trick, finally matching his expected goals tally for the season. With 11 games unbeaten, Forge is now only two points behind Ottawa with a game in hand. Meanwhile, Valour’s defensive woes continued—they’ve now conceded a league-worst 26 goals and have failed to score in three straight matches.

As the table stands, Ottawa (25 pts), Forge (23), Cavalry (21), and Halifax (21) lead the pack, with a clear gap to York (14). At the bottom, Pacific and Valour (8) and Vancouver (6) are struggling to stay afloat. Key clashes loom in Week 13: Ottawa travels to face red-hot Cavalry, while Forge hosts York in the 905 Derby, a match that could reshape the title race.