It’s playoff season in the Canadian Premier League and the top five finishers from the regular season are set to battle for the North Star Cup. 

Starting on Wednesday, Oct. 23 and culminating in the CPL Final on Nov. 9, the CanPL.ca staff preview each team’s postseason hopes. Find all team previews by clicking here.

The Story

Cavalry FC — 2nd place, 48 points

Record (W-D-L): 12-12-4
Goals For/Against: 39/27
Top Scorer: Tobias Warschewski (12)
Assists Leader: Fraser Aird, Sergio Camargo, Ali Musse (4)

It was a turbulent season in Calgary, but at the end of it, Cavalry FC were the second-best team in the CPL. The Cavs yet again enter the playoffs with a chance to host the Final — something they were unable to do in 2023 after winning the regular season title, but could accomplish by beating Forge FC in the qualifying semi-final.

The year began in frustrating fashion for the Cavs, who won just three of their first 15 games and found themselves outside the top four — often below the playoff line — until matchweek 15. They would then go on a tear through the end of July and August, winning five straight matches to shoot up the table and eventually, in week 26, take over second place.

Cavalry enter the postseason on a three-game winning streak, having lost just one of their last 14 games of the regular season. This is a club still looking for its first playoff championship, and they’re hopeful that this will be the year they get there. They weren’t quite as consistent this season as they were in their CPL Shield-winning 2023 campaign, but perhaps coming in as the second-place team takes a little pressure off them.

The Stats 

27 goals conceded

Cavalry were the best defensive team in the Canadian Premier League this year, allowing just 27 goals in 28 matches. Even better was their defensive record on the road; they allowed just 12 goals away from home, with three road clean sheets. In knockout football, keeping the ball out of your own net is perhaps the most important priority; this is a Cavalry side well-prepared for that challenge. With two-time CPL Goalkeeper of the Year Marco Carducci playing behind a backline that features 2023 Player of the Year Daan Klomp, as well as other trusted veterans like Fraser Aird, Callum Montgomery and Bradley Kamdem, this is a difficult team to score against.

5 goals in 3 games

No CPL player is entering the playoffs in hotter form than Tobias Warschewski. The German forward scored five goals in the last three matches of the season to catapult up the league’s goalscoring leaderboard, snatching the Golden Boot all for himself with a penalty in the 89th minute of Cavalry’s last game against Valour FC.

142 balls won in the final third

Cavalry have always been known as one of the most front-footed teams in the CPL, and this year it’s been no surprise to see them maintain their aggressive high press. The Cavs’ attackers love to put pressure on opposing defenders trying to play out of the back, and this year they’ve had a lot of success there. Cavalry won possession in the final third 142 times this year — 21 more than the CPL side with the second-most, Atlético Ottawa.

The Stars 

Tobias Warschewski, Forward

As mentioned earlier, Warschewski seized the Golden Boot right at the end of the CPL season with his 12th goal, but he’s been one of Cavalry’s most impressive players all year. The German forward signed for the club just before their Concacaf Champions Cup campaign in February, and it was hard to predict how quickly he might fit into the Cavs’ well-defined structure, given their recent CPL regular season title. Even though Warschewski hadn’t played competitive football in almost two full years prior to playing for Cavalry (his previous side being FC Edmonton in 2022), he got up to speed quickly in Calgary.

The 6-2 forward is adept at using his strength to hold the ball up and put pressure on defenders, but he’s also soft with his feet and quick, able to beat his man on the dribble and control the ball in tight spaces, and Warschewski won more duels than anybody else in the CPL this year with 187. Plus, he’s got an absolute wondergoal or two in his back pocket — remember his outrageous bicycle kick in Edmonton a few years ago?

Ali Musse, Forward

Musse was voted the Players’ Player of the Year in 2023 after an outstanding season, and he remains one of the most dangerous attacking players in the CPL. He’s had a difficult year in 2024, missing 12 straight league matches in the middle of the campaign due to injury, but since his return he’s been in excellent form. Musse finished the year with four goals and four assists; he’s always a threat to shoot from distance, but he can also deliver pinpoint crosses from open play or set-pieces, and there are few defenders in the CPL who can stop him on the dribble.

In last year’s CPL Final, Musse’s screamer in extra time nearly won the North Star Cup for Cavalry. This year, they’ll need a magic moment from him again if they’re to get over that hurdle and lift the trophy.

Daan Klomp, Defender

Arguably the best centre-back in the CPL, Klomp won the league’s Player of the Year and Defender of the Year awards in 2023. This season, he’s continued to deliver at a high standard, starting all but one of Cavalry’s matches. Much of Cavalry’s possession play starts with Klomp distributing the ball forward; he’s always composed on the ball, and doesn’t mind carrying it forward himself to create a more beneficial passing lane.

Klomp is a well-rounded defender, able to win his duels both on the ground and in the air. In 2024, he led the league in blocks (23) and was third in passes completed (1,412) and second in aerial duels won (88).

The Soundbites 

“It’s exciting. I think the last few games have been [like playoffs], whether it be Halifax, Pacific, they were trying to win games to get into the playoffs so that replicated it. The North Star Cup goes through Forge; they’ve just won the regular season, so they’ve been the best team this season because the league table never lies. To face them, it’s a game we’re looking forward to.”

— Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

“There’s a Final on the line, and for us that’s our goal. We know [Hamilton] is never an easy place to go and play, and credit to Forge for being the champions of the regular season, but we finished two points behind them. If you look at how we responded, especially in the second half of the season how good we’ve been, how good we’ve been on the road, there’s a lot of things we’re super excited about.”

— Cavalry FC captain Marco Carducci

The Scenario

Cavalry have been in the playoffs in every CPL season, but they have yet to win the championship. Last year, they took Forge FC all the way to extra time in the Final, and even took the lead, only for Forge to score twice in quick succession and rip the North Star Cup out of their hands.

This year, Cavalry come in with expectations a little more tempered, as the underdog in their first postseason match. On Sunday, Oct. 27 they’ll play CPL Shield winners Forge at Tim Hortons Field in the qualifying semi-final, the winner of which goes directly to host the Final. Last season, Cavalry hosted this match at ATCO Field as the first-place side, but they lost at home to Forge before ultimately losing to them again in the Final.

Could the fact that the Cavs come in as underdogs perhaps alleviate some pressure in this year’s playoffs? Regardless, they’ll still feel internal pressure to get back to that championship game and finally win it. The journey begins in Hamilton, and Cavalry would absolutely love to win it and host the Final this year. Beating Forge would finally end the narrative of Cavalry’s postseason struggles against the Hamilton side — the teams have met seven times in CPL playoff games and Cavalry haven’t won any of them — but the main priority is finding a way to get into that Final.

If they can’t get it done on the first try, Cavalry would still have the chance to play either Atlético Ottawa or York United in the second semi-final. However, the focus will be entirely on finding a way to beat Forge on Sunday.