Final Score: Cavalry FC 2-1 York United
Goalscorers: Sergio Camargo (32′), José Escalante (51′), Diyaeddine Abzi (79′)
Game of the 2021 season: 4
CPL match: 139
Match in a minute or less
Cavalry took the spoils in the final match of the CPL’s opening weekend, with a superb Sergio Camargo headed goal and a sneaky effort from José Escalante to cause a defensive error ultimately enough to secure the 2-1 win. A late surge from York United — including a brilliant free kick goal from Diyaeddine Abzi — made it a heated contest right down to the final whistle, but the Nine Stripes couldn’t solve Cavalry’s defence to find an equalizer.
Three observations
Cavalry dominates out wide
Fans of Cavalry FC will have been delighted to see Escalante and Camargo return to the lineup together on Sunday, and their presence on opposite wings reminded us all how sorely they were missed at the Island Games (save for the two games Camargo played). The two players were a major handful for York on the outside, and with both teams playing the ball out wide more than 75 percent of the time, this game was always going to be decided by who won the battle on the flanks.
Escalante and Camargo both dominated in duels and were lethal when cutting inside with the ball. Cavalry’s ability to spread the ball to both wings really stretched the York backline and forced them not to cheat to one side — a tip of the hat to young Victor Loturi, who didn’t miss a single pass in 60 minutes, one of which was a phenomenal switch of play (Tommy Wheeldon Jr. called it a “spray can” of a pass) to Escalante before the first Cavs goal.
Mo Farsi and Richard Luca were both able to carry the torch out wide as well, with Farsi well-known as one of the league’s most skillful players around the touchline area. Cavalry’s repeated cycling of the ball from midfield out to wingers, paired with those wingers’ dynamism from the wide areas, will make them extremely dangerous in attack this year. Sergio Camargo, whose goal was a product of that wide play, explained that it was exactly the kind of play the team had spoken about in training — making sure both wingers are aware of when the other is making a run inside.
“I told [Escalante], if either one of us is cutting in, just be aware of that,” Camargo said. “It worked out perfectly.”
York not yet in sync in attacking third
As the club perhaps hardest-hit by the lack of training time leading into the season — Ontario’s COVID-19 restrictions coupled with major roster turnover — York understandably needed time to grow into this game. They certainly did settle in, although by the time they started seeing good stretches of possession they were already down 2-0.
This side had quite a few individual bright spots in attack; Diyaeddine Abzi, traditionally a fullback, moved up to play as a left winger, and he was able to do some real damage with his pace and footwork. He made three good crosses and had three shots on target of his own (one of which, a free kick, found the net). Lowell Wright, playing as the centre-forward, moved well away from the ball and looked aggressive in his runs into the box, but he never quite managed to get a dangerous shot off from Abzi’s crosses.
York continued to be plagued by similar open-play woes that hurt them in 2020. Though they saw plenty of time in the attacking third, final balls and finishing continued to elude; head coach Jimmy Brennan shifted his team’s formation a few times during the game to try and open up space — starting with a 4-4-1-1, he moved into a 4-2-3-1 and, eventually, a 4-3-3 right at the end to get Abzi, as well as substitutes Alvaro Rivero and Osvaldo Ramirez, further up the pitch to put more pressure on Cavalry’s fullbacks.
“We knew the higher up we got Abzi, the more he would create chances and opportunities,” Brennan said after the game.
Attacking chemistry takes a while to develop, which is why York weren’t necessarily on the same page up front, but the individual performances and talent suggest this team should be dangerous going forward once they start clicking together.
Physicality favours Cavalry
This was by far the most physical of the games we’ve seen so far at The Kickoff, with 115 total duels and 37 fouls across both teams. In the second half in particular, these sides did not shy away from contact, with possession changing frequently thanks to some crunching midfield tackles. Cavalry’s deployment of Joe Di Chiara at the 60-minute mark certainly had something to do with it — the former York midfielder had no qualms with challenging his ex-teammates, holding off opponents with his body and sliding in to win the ball.
Cavalry has always played with a bite in the previous two CPL seasons, but Di Chiara’s addition should make them even more taxing to play against. Especially in the early going of the season, with some teams not quite at peak sharpness, Cavalry’s ability to frustrate opponents and win the physical battles will be a major boon in close contests — with York pushing for an equalizer toward the end of this one, the Cavs did well to make life uncomfortable in midfield.
That said, Tommy Wheeldon Jr. doesn’t expect the physicality to be a trademark of his side all the time: “We would prefer to do what we did for the first 60 minutes where we moved the ball around very, very well,” he told reporters postmatch. “It started to get more physical, they were chasing the win, we were holding onto it, and that’s why. If it gets physical, we can stand up to the best of them, but we prefer not to get into that combat.”
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
José Escalante, Cavalry FC
Incredible attacking initiative all afternoon, bagging a superb assist and a goal of his own while causing plenty of trouble for York’s defenders on the wing. The Canadian Premier League is more fun with the dynamic Honduran winger back in it.
What’s next?
Cavalry FC move on now to play Atlético Ottawa on Wednesday, June 30 (10 pm ET/9 pm CT); York United, meanwhile, will play Pacific FC the next afternoon on Canada Day (5 pm ET/4 pm CT). Watch all games live on OneSoccer.