Cavalry FC bolster defence with Canadian CB Callum Montgomery

2023-02-09

Charlie O’Connor-Clarke, Digital Content Editor (@charliejclarke)

Cavalry FC revealed a major off-season coup on Thursday, announcing that the club has signed Canadian central defender Callum Montgomery.

The 25-year-old native of Nanaimo, B.C., was most recently in the system of Major League Soccer side Minnesota United, playing on loan in 2022 for reserve side Minnesota United 2 in MLS NEXT Pro. Before being traded to the Loons in 2020, Montgomery had been part of the FC Dallas organization, having been picked by the club fourth overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft — a strong class, which also included Canadian national team members Tajon Buchanan, Dayne St. Clair, and Kamal Miller.

Montgomery previously played on loan in both the USL Championship and USL League One for clubs including San Diego Loyal, San Antonio FC, and North Texas SC — winning the USL1 Cup and regular season title in 2019 with the latter.

The 6-foot-3 centre-back has been a top defensive prospect in Canadian soccer circles for several years now, having represented his country at the 2021 Concacaf Olympic Qualifiers as part of the national U-23 team. He played against both Mexico and El Salvador in that tournament, alongside the likes of Buchanan, Ballou Tabla, and Aidan Daniels.

“[Montgomery] has got a really high ceiling,” Cavalry manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. told CanPL.ca. “He’s one who has been unfortunate, whether it’s the club that he’s reported to or he’s not had that chance to play that, say, Kamal Miller has had, who was in the same draft class but had the opportunity to play for Orlando and then transfer to Montreal.

“There’s a shortage of left-sided domestic defenders, but he would be one of the top ones. Young, he’s mobile, he’s intelligent, he’s a great competitor and a terrific ball player. He’s balanced with both feet. I’ve played against him with Calgary Foothills for many years through the USL PDL leagues when he was at Victoria Highlanders, and he put his body on the line a lot so he fits the system we want to play and we’re delighted to have him.”

With this addition, Cavalry have bolstered their defensive group, which was a key priority for Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and co. after Karifa Yao and David Norman Jr. left the club this off-season. With 57 professional games to his name, Montgomery will provide experience as well as strong defensive acumen and physicality.