It turns out readers of CanPL.ca do love our power rankings. The power rankings are back by popular demand, so we decided to expand on last week’s would-be regular season Canadian Premier League listing, keeping the projections rolling for another week. Matchweek 5 would have brought a full slate of matchups: York9 FC vs. Atlético Ottawa, Pacific FC vs. Forge FC, HFX Wanderers FC vs. Cavalry FC, and Valour FC vs. FC Edmonton were all scheduled for last week. In typical power rankings fashion, we decided to project how Week 5 would have unfolded and see how our ranking would have changed. How do you feel your side would do? Are they better or worse off than our projections below? RELATED READING: WATCH NOW: The CPL's ‘Forever First: First 1000 U-21 minutes' video
Projected Matchweek Results: York9 FC 1-0 Atlético Ottawa Pacific FC 2-1 Forge FC HFX Wanderers 2-1 Cavalry FC Valour FC 0-2 FC Edmonton

1. Pacific FC​


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MOVEMENT:
p.ranking_up
+1
Last week (projected): No. 2 Projected record: 4-0-1

A Terran Campbell brace (we’re guessing) propelled The Tridents past Forge and put them top of the weekly power rankings. PFC’s year-over-year improvement with Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, Alejandro Díaz, and Marco Bustos will make them terribly hard to play against on their home turf.
2. Cavalry FC

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MOVEMENT:
p.ranking_down
-1
Last week (projected): No. 1 Projected record: 3-2-0

Cavalry’s luck in Halifax has run out. They were the lone CPL team to win in Halifax in 2019, but we predict they'll be stuffed by an improved Wanderers team playing at their daunting home fortress. A slim 2-1 loss sinks the Cavs, and uproots them from the number one spot.

3. York9 FC​


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MOVEMENT: – Last season (overall record): No. 3 Projected record: 3-2-0

The Nine Stripes will struggle to grab a win over the expansion Atlético Ottawa side, who will look to sit back and frustrate their opposition in the early portion of the season. Still, it’s enough for York to stay at number 3, as they convincingly hold on to the final playoff spot.
4. HFX Wanderers FC​


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MOVEMENT:
p.ranking_up
+1
Last week (projected): No. 5 Projected record: 2-2-1

Stephen Hart’s group rises in May after earning a 2-1 win over league leaders Cavalry. Truth be told, the Wanderers are going to be tough to break down this year with Louis Beland-Goyette and Andre Rampersad matching the spectacular centre back addition Jems Geffard and returnee Peter Schaale. Perhaps, their solidity leads to results like this one.
5. Forge FC​


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MOVEMENT:
p.ranking_down
-1
Last week (projected): No. 4 Projected record: 2-2-1

Forge is falling. After projecting an away loss in Matchweek 5, we’re forced to put Forge in the bottom half of our rankings. Ultimately, CanPL.ca is putting a lot of stock into the rest of the league catching up with a status quo Forge squad.
6. Atlético Ottawa​


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MOVEMENT:
p.ranking_up
+1
Last week (projected): No. 7 Projected record: 1-2-1​

A bit of controversy, as the expansion side moves above Edmonton despite losing to York9. But, as mentioned, we expect Ottawa to be a tough team to break down and be somewhat impressive despite their humble beginnings.

7. FC Edmonton​


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MOVEMENT:
p.ranking_down
-1
Last week (projected): No. 6 Projected record: 2-2-1

The Eddies do beat Valour FC in this fictitious week of action – by a pair of goals, too – but it doesn’t measure up to Ottawa’s upward momentum entering their second month on the pitch.
8. Valour FC​


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MOVEMENT: – Last week (projected): No. 8 Projected record: 0-4-1

Unfortunately, for the time being, Valour won’t be making much progress on these rankings thanks to an unfinished roster. They will likely be solid defensively, but an FCE win had to be forecasted for this would-be week.

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