Cavalry FC announced a major addition to its squad on Monday, revealing that striker Joe Mason has signed in Calgary from English League One side Milton Keynes Dons.

Mason, 29 years-old, is a native of Plymouth, England, but he has represented the Republic of Ireland at the youth international level 12 times. After beginning his career in the academy of Plymouth Argyle, Mason went on to play for a number of different clubs at various levels of the English league system.

Across seasons with Plymouth Argyle, Cardiff City, Bolton Wanderers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Burton Albion, Mason has played 185 games in the EFL Championship, the country’s second-tier, and scored 42 goals.

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In the 2012-13 season, Mason helped Cardiff City earn promotion to the Premier League by finishing first in the Championship, scoring six goals in 28 games. The year prior, Mason and Cardiff advanced to the EFL Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, in which Mason scored 19 minutes in to take an early lead over Liverpool FC (although Cardiff ultimately lost on penalties).

Most recently, Mason played 24 times for MK Dons in the 2020-21 season, scoring five times en route to a 13th-place finish.

“Joe is a fantastic footballer and we are delighted to bring him to Calgary,” Wheeldon Jr. said. “He has a very strong pedigree given his playing background and he’s an extremely clever forward that will undoubtedly raise the quality of our team. He’s coming from a very good club in MK Dons that play some great football, so we know we are signing a quality striker to bolster our attack even further.”

Mason spent the 2018 season on loan from Wolverhampton at MLS side Colorado Rapids, where he scored three times in 14 games. In total, Mason has scored 65 professional goals in 303 games.

“I am very excited to get out to Calgary and join this ambitious football club and an exciting new league,” Mason said. “And, when it is safe to do so, I can’t wait to see and meet the fans at Spruce Meadows!”

Mason is the 20th player signed by Cavalry so far this season, filling the international roster spot vacated by Matias Roskopf, who recently parted ways with the club. He joins an attacking group featuring former Forge FC striker Anthony Novak, as well as Ahinga Selemani, José Escalante, Richard Luca, and Oliver Minatel.