CALGARY – Cavalry FC announced the signing of 26-year-old Mauro Eustaquio on Wednesday.
Eustaquio was born in Nazaré, Portugal but moved to Leamington, Ontario at 13 months old. At the age of 11, he returned to Portugal and spent his youth years playing with the Nazarenos and União Leiria. Eustáquio’s senior career began in 2012 when he played with Sporting Clube Pombal.
In December of 2013, Eustaquio returned to Canada and signed with North American Soccer League (NASL) club Ottawa Fury FC. Eustaquio played with the Fury from 2013 until 2016 at during which he had the opportunity to play under the direction of then (and now current Cavalry FC) assistant coach Martin Nash. Eustaquio signed with FC Edmonton (at the time part of the NASL) where he would for the first time work with current teammate Nik Ledgerwood.
Most recently, Eustaquio played with Penn FC, part of the United Soccer League (USL).
#WednesdayWelcome
Mauro Eustáquio signs on with Cavalry FC for the inaugural season!
Read about it here: https://t.co/jkQa2l9g90#RideWithUs#CanPL#CavsFC pic.twitter.com/GvzYBSUFqG— Cavalry FC (@CPLCavalryFC) March 20, 2019
“Mauro is a great addition to our squad, a terrific ballplayer with a competitive edge in the midfield,” Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said. “He brings with him a lot of professional experience from across North American (NASL and USL), whilst also being another quality Canadian with international pedigree.”
Eustaquio, the older brother of Cruz Azul midfielder Stephen Eustaquio, has had experience on the international stage as well. He represented Canada in 2013 as part of the under-20 squad and again in 2015 as part of the under-23 team.
“Cavalry FC has put together a great group of professionals,” Eustáquio said. “When you step into the Cavalry environment you realize that everyone here is demanding and holding themselves accountable. No one is scared of hard work. Everyone knows we need to be at our best and a team to be successful.”