Canadian Premier League — Match #79
Cavalry FC vs. Pacific FC
September 22, 2019 — Spruce Meadows (3:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. MT)
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

It’s been a week and a half since we saw Cavalry FC, but the Spring season champions are back on Sunday to host Pacific FC for the second time in a month.

While they were idle, the Cavs fell behind Forge FC in the Fall title race, but the gap between the sides at the top of the table is only three points after the Hamilton-based club drew twice with HFX Wanderers FC. Cavalry will make up their game in hand this weekend, so they’ll need all three points to keep pace. Their last outing was a slightly flat-footed 1-0 win over FC Edmonton, in which a first-half penalty was all they needed to capture the Wildrose Cup.

RELATED READING: ‘Everything has been phenomenal’: Zator playing key role for Cavalry | Pacific FC’s Hojabrpour emerging as key contributor in Fall push

Pacific is third in the CPL standings, although there’s a 10-point gulf between them and the top. Their last match was, coincidentally, also a 1-0 defeat of the Eddies, as Kadin Chung’s first CPL goal gave them the edge they needed in a tight contest. The Tridents’ Fall season has been an up-and-down ride, especially recently, as they’ve lost at home to York9 and drawn with both Forge and Cavalry, all in the last few weeks. Few teams have caused as many problems for Cavalry as Pacific has, though; Michael Silberbauer’s squad won a very heated Canada Day clash 3-1 to end their Spring season on a high note.

The going does not get any easier after this for Pacific. They’ll be on the road again next weekend, as they visit Hamilton to play Forge FC on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer). Cavalry’s next stop is in Ontario as well; they’ll take on York9 FC in the third match of the CPL’s September 28th tripleheader (6:00 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer).

KEYS TO THE MATCH

• Where does Verhoeven play? Against FC Edmonton, Pacific boss Michael Silberbauer shook up his backline, slotting in Ryan McCurdy at centre-back instead of Hendrik Starostzik. Even more unusually, he put central midfielder Noah Verhoeven at left-back, a new position for the 20-year-old. He performed well in the role, but it’ll be interesting to see whether Silberbauer chooses to move Verhoeven back to his regular duties or not. The new defensive setup pulled out a clean sheet against the Eddies, so Pacific may not be in a hurry to change it, but Verhoeven is also a key part of their buildup play when he’ further up the pitch.
• Carducci’s return: Cavalry’s lineup will get a boost this week as goalkeeper Marco Carducci makes his return after spending some time away with the Canadian men’s national team. Although Niko Giantsopoulos was very solid in Carducci’s stead, every team plays a little more confidently with their number one keeper behind them. The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the top goalkeepers in the CPL, routinely sitting at the top of the Volkswagen Premier Performer rankings. He’ll make it even harder for Pacific to find a goal at Spruce Meadows.
• Taste of your own medicine: In the Al Classico a week and a half ago, Cavalry was subjected to a kind of pressing similar to what they typically employ themselves. With the Eddies closing down space all the time, Cavalry’s pass accuracy took a dip to about 70 per cent, and they weren’t able to generate many serious chances. Perhaps that’s a strategy Pacific could try and imitate; their energetic midfielders could definitely cause problems for the Cavs. If they do adopt a kind of press, Cavalry may be forced to play less conservatively and look for long pass options over the top.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Cavalry FC: Marco Carducci; Nathan Mavila, Dominick Zator, Joel Waterman, Malyk Hamilton; Nik Ledgerwood, Julian Buscher, Elijah Adekugbe; Nico Pasquotti, Dominique Malonga, Jose Escalante

Pacific FC: Mark Village; Noah Verhoeven, Hendrik Starostzik, Lukas MacNaughton, Kadin Chung; Alexander Gonzalez, Alessandro Hojabrpour, David Norman Jr.; Zach Verhoven, Terran Campbell, Ben Fisk

HEAD TO HEAD

May 15 – Pacific FC 0-2 Cavalry FC (CanChamp)
May 22 – Cavalry FC 2-1 Pacific FC (CanChamp)
July 1 – Pacific FC 3-1 Cavalry FC
July 6 – Pacific FC 2-3 Cavalry FC
August 28 – Cavalry FC 1-1 Pacific FC

STATS LEADERS

Dominique Malonga – 6 goals (Cavalry FC)
Terran Campbell – 10 goals (Pacific FC)

INJURIES

Chris Serban (Cavalry FC) – Out (Knee)
Dean Northover (Cavalry FC) – Out (ACL)
Sergio Camargo (Cavalry FC) – Doubtful
Marcel De Jong (Pacific FC) – Out (Achilles)
Blake Smith (Pacific FC) – Questionable

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

None

ACCUMULATION

(Players are suspended for one match 14 days after accumulating a 4th Yellow Card)

Joel Waterman (Cavalry FC) – 3
Nico Pasquotti (Cavalry FC) – 3
Émile Legault (Pacific FC) – 3
Victor Blasco (Pacific FC) – 3

REFEREES

Referee: Fabrizio Stasolla
ARs: Daniel Boudreau & Graham Forsyth
4th Official: Michael Mund