The class of the Canadian Premier League in both the spring and fall sessions, Calgary’s Cavalry FC and Hamilton’s Forge FC appeared to be on a collision course from the start of the inaugural CPL season.
It seems fitting they will now square off in a two-leg final beginning Saturday afternoon at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field.
"The two (teams) that are there, they deserve it," said commissioner David Clanachan. "They’ve been the most consistent and they came out and played strong from the beginning."
Forge (17-6-5) and Cavalry (19-4-5) met seven times this year in all competitions with each team winning three games and drawing in another. Total goals scored in head-to-head matchups was even at seven apiece and each victory was decided by one goal.
"When you look at our run in league play and you look at our matches between each other, I think it’s a great final for the league," said Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis.
The teams trained in Hamilton on Friday. The return leg in the home-and-away aggregate series goes Nov. 2 at ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows.
The seven-team Canadian pro soccer league kicked off last April. Other entries were Pacific FC (Vancouver Island), FC Edmonton, Valour FC (Winnipeg), York9 FC (north of Toronto) and HFX Wanderers FC (Halifax).
Each team played a 28-game regular season, divided into a 10-game spring competition and 18-game fall schedule.
"The quality has been very good, I think that’s been excellent for the league," Smyrniotis said. "We’ve seen the emergence of Canadian players and Canadian talent who maybe were not on the radar in the soccer landscape last year and have now become well-known names in Canadian soccer.
"So I think all-around from a league aspect, that’s been a great talking point."
Cavalry (8-2-0) led in the spring with 24 points, five ahead of Forge (6-3-1). The fall portion had the same 1-2 finish with Cavalry (11-2-5) holding a one-point edge on its rival, which finished 11-3-4.
"The table doesn’t lie," Smyrniotis said. "We’re the two teams who have consistently been at the top of the table for the season."
Forge’s Tristan Borges led all CPL players this year with 12 goals, one more than Cavalry’s Dominique Malonga. Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci led the league with nine clean sheets while Forge netminder Triston Henry had seven.
In Canadian Championship play, Cavalry reached the semifinals before falling to the Montreal Impact. The Major League Soccer team then advanced to the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League with its victory last month over Toronto FC.
CPL games were available online this season and some matchups aired on CBC, which will broadcast the final.
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