After drawing 1-1 with HFX Wanderers FC on Saturday, FC Edmonton find themselves hanging onto Fall season title hopes by the thinnest of threads. With the point, the Eddies now have 15 points in 14 games, meaning their maximum total is 27 if they win all four remaining matches. The teams at the top of the CPL table, Forge FC and Cavalry FC, both sit on 25 points, but it's guaranteed that at least one will also hit 27 since they play each other twice. So, FCE's mathematical chance rests on goal differential — which will only come into play if they win out, and Forge and Cavalry take the minimum possible points between them. Asked if his side is still clinging to that hope, Eddies coach Jeff Paulus insisted it's not over 'til it's over. "Of course, of course," he told reporters in Halifax. "We're not professionals if we don't believe that we're still in it. As long as the math says we can catch, you have to play ever game like you can catch." The path to an FC Edmonton Fall title is very specific: if they win their last four, they also need Cavalry and Forge to lose all their matches (minus the two they play against each other, which must be draws). They'll also need to drastically improve their goal differential (currently -2), since the Cavs and Forge sit at +16 and +10, respectively. That's at least an 18-goal swing that the Eddies, who have scored 14 total in the Fall season, will need. Of course, this could all be moot in a couple hours, if Forge or Cavalry also win on Saturday. Paulus added that, regardless of their title hopes, his side still has something on the line in their last four. "We're also playing for third place," he reminded reporters. "We're playing for something here." He suggested that, with next year's Canadian Championship format not yet decided, a better finish in the CPL league table certainly couldn't hurt their possible seeding there.

Continue reading...