TORONTO — Samuel Salter and Aboubacar Sissoko scored late in the second half to give the visiting Atletico side a 4-3 victory over York United on Tuesday, winning the two-game aggregate score 6-4 in Canadian Championship quarterfinal action at York Lions Stadium.
With the victory, the Ottawa-based squad advances to the semifinals, where they'll face the winner of a quarterfinal showdown between CF Montreal (MLS) and Forge FC of Hamilton (CPL). Game 2 of that series is Wednesday night at Saputo Stadium in Montreal.
Forge beat Montreal 1-0 in the series opener on May 20.
Julian Altobelli gave York a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute on Tuesday, but David Rodriguez tied the match seven minutes later.
Salter scored his first goal of the game at the 22-minute mark to give Aletico a 2-1 lead. Four minutes later Elijah Adekugbe was shown a red card, forcing York to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.
Despite being a man down, Altobelli tied the game 2-2 with his second goal in the 37th minute. Massimo Ferrin then gave the hosts a 3-2 lead with a goal in the 53rd minute.
But Salter, in the 84th minute, and Sissoko two minutes into injury time, lifted Atletico to the 4-3 victory.
Atletico outshot York United 14-11 (8-7 on target), had possession 69 per cent of the time, had 11 fouls compared to York's 10, and had more corners (7-1).
Atletico won the first leg 2-1 on June 11.
Meanwhile, at ATCO Field in Calgary's Spruce Meadows, Vancouver FC defeated host Cavalry 5-4 in a penalty shootout to advance to the semifinals.
Former Vancouver Whitecap Nicolas Mezquida gave Vancouver FC a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute when he scored on a penalty kick.
Cavalry tied the match 1-1 in the 66th minute on a Vancouver own goal, setting the stage for a six-round shootout to determine the series winner.
The teams had played to a 1-1 draw in the series opener on May 21 in Langley, B.C.
Cavalry outshot the visitors 14-10 on Tuesday and controlled possession for 58 per cent of the match, but Vancouver led 3-1 in shots on target. Each team had three yellow cards.
Vancouver FC advances to the Final Four to face the winner of Wednesday's quarterfinal match between the Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS) and Valour FC of Winnipeg at B.C. Place Stadium. The teams tied 2-2 in Winnipeg in the series opener on May 20.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2025.
The Canadian Press
