Sergio Camargo’s shooting boots have arrived like a truckload of Nike’s dumped outside of Spruce Meadows.
Coming off a game-winning marker in the Canadian Championship, the former Toronto FC product tucked home his first and second goals in CPL play on Saturday, opening the floodgates in a 3-0 Cavalry FC victory against Al Classico rivals FC Edmonton.
Cavalry’s sixth CPL win in their undefeated season wasn’t as convincing as the scoreline would suggest. The Eddies looked strong, especially in the first half, and were unlucky not to have a lead heading into the break.
In other words, the Cavs needed Camargo’s shooting boots.
“I’ll be the first to say that we could have been down a couple of goals in the first 20, 25 minutes,” said Camargo. “[But] I never worry with this team. Too much attitude on this team to ever be worried. Even if we go down a goal we always know we can come back.”
The attacking midfielder showcased his vision and positioning for the brace — a nicely-timed run and a smart finish led to the first maker in the 68th minute. Just five minutes later, the 24-year-old sat unmarked at the back post following a janky set-piece, slashing home a second.
“We know we’re going to control the game at some point,” Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said after Saturday’s match. “What’s great with this group is you have players like Camargo, who’s on a hot streak, Nico Pasquotti, we’ve all talked about him, [Dom] Malonga and [Jordan] Brown will all punish teams.”
Now with three goals from two matches, Camargo is certainly on a “hot streak.” He broke his Cavs’ scoring duck on Wednesday with a 2-1 Canadian Championship win over Forge FC, making good on the starting minutes Wheeldon Jr. has given him following an early-season stretch of substitute appearances.
“I’ve felt good this entire season,” Camargo said. “I think one of the biggest difference has been my composure in front of the net.
“That’s coming from everybody… We’re all getting more clinical in front of the net and you can tell from the last few results.”
Six wins on the bounce and just a couple more away from a Spring crown, how long will Cavalry keep this run going?
Better yet, could Cavalry finish the Spring undefeated?
“Yeah,” Camargo answers, then pauses.
“We’ll see, we’ll take it game by game, that’s what we do,” he continued. “Our next big game is on Wednesday in Halifax if we win there, we gave ourselves a better chance.”