2024 CPL Regular Season – Match #98
Cavalry FC vs. Vancouver FC
September 28, 2024, at 5 p.m. MT/4 p.m. PT
ATCO Field in Calgary, Alberta
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

Calgary outfit Cavalry FC welcome Vancouver FC from neighbouring British Columbia in a Canadian Premier League matchup that is crucial for both sides. 

The Cavs sit third in the CPL table, just six points off league leaders Forge, and with just four games left this season, still have a mathematical chance of winning the league. While their place in the playoffs is all but guaranteed, their opponents Vancouver need to win all of their remaining games to be confident of a place in the knockout stages.

The Eagles were sitting pretty until the end of August, when four straight losses derailed their changes of qualifying for the playoffs: their 1-0 defeat away to Atlético Ottawa on Aug. 31 was followed up by another 1-0 defeat to York United a week later. They then fell to a 3-0 defeat in the Salish Sea derby to local rivals Pacific FC, before conceding another three at home to league leaders Forge. Those results have left them with a record of 7-5-12 this season. 

While Vancouver know three points at ATCO Field in Alberta will be crucial, the hosts are not going to make it easy for them: with the exception of a 2-1 defeat to Forge on Sept. 7, Cavalry have won three and drawn two of their last six games, and appear to be fired up for the season run-in and the playoffs. Cavalry have a rather impressive record of 9-11-4, but head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. will be hoping his team do not drop more points at home. 

It doesn’t help, either, that Vancouver have failed to beat Cavalry during their three CPL meetings this season: the Cavs beat them 1-0 in British Columbia on July 26, and that was preceded by a goalless draw on 16 June. The last time Vancouver travelled to Calgary, they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat. 

To give his side a fresh perspective before going into the game, Eagles head coach Afshin Ghotbi did give his team a day off in midweek, scheduling training days on either side of their break in the hope that they would come into the game with fresher legs. The 90 minutes spent at ATCO Field will stand witness to whether his refresher has been successful. 

Vancouver defender James Cameron is hopeful his team’s preparation will pay off in Alberta.

“I think we’ve prepared quite well this week and I think at this moment in the season, we’ve taken every team equally,” he said, at Thursday’s pre-match press conference. “I don’t think we’re looking too deeply at our past history with this team. We’re just going in or going to try to get our first win.”

“At this point in the season, we really have no time to reminisce on our losses and we really just need to put everything behind us, and do whatever we can to sort out the last four games,” he added. 

Cavalry will be welcoming back three key players from injuries and suspensions: towering centre-back Daan Klomp is once again available for selection, as are young forward Lowell Wright and veteran midfielder Charlie Trafford, who both trained this week. Jesse Daley and Malcolm Shaw, however, are still out.

With the season taking its toll, many of the Vancouver players are nursing little injuries, but are using the philosophy of mind over matter to remain available for selection. The Eagles have two long-term absentees: defenders Kadin Chung and Tyler Crawford.

All CPL and Canadian Championship matches will be broadcast live on OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Telus’ Optik TV (Channel 980) as well as online at OneSoccer.ca, through the OneSoccer app and on the fuboTV Canada platform.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Cavalry hope to stop conceding from corner kicks: After conceding from set pieces at home against both Atletico Ottawa (who sit in second place), and Valour FC in their previous home games, Cavalry head coach Wheeldon Jr. is hoping his team stop leaking goals from set plays against Vancouver, with three points being vital at this point of the season. He believes this is one area his team need to address, with several other aspects of their game going just the way they should. “Defending corner kicks, especially at home for whatever reason, maybe it’s because we don’t afford opponents that many opportunities at home that they put a lot into their set plays,” he said, when asked about where his team’s weaknesses lay. “We had a very good performance against Valour, and dropped two goals. We had a very good performance against Ottawa, and felt that we had to chase the game. Two different games, but the same outcome. We just want to get back to winning ways at home.” Vancouver defender Cameron, however, is hopeful that his team can profit from what has been Cavalry’s Achilles Heel. “I think you know that in every game, set pieces are massive,” he said. “You look at football now, and more and more goals are being scored from set pieces. So that’s obviously something that we need to improve on, and I think we are improving on it.”

• Alejandro Diaz key to Vancouver attack: Mexican forward Alejandro Diaz has scored eight goals in the CPL for Vancouver, making him the side’s leading scorer this season. He’s been aided by Lebanese midfielder Gabriel Bitar, and New Zealand attacker Moses Dyer (each with four), but he will be crucial to the Eagles attack on Saturday. Vancouver have conceded the highest number of goals in the CPL this season (41), and will therefore be hoping for an attack is the best form of defence approach in Calgary, in the hopes of beating Cavalry and picking up three crucial points. “He’s probably one of the most prolific finishers,” said Ghotbi. “He doesn’t need so many chances to score, but obviously he needs the right service. He needs to be placed in the right areas of the field. I think in the last game, we did a good job and I think we had enough chances to score. It was one of his off days, but I do believe that over time he can always get over a dozen goals a season, so that’s what we’re hoping for. I’m hoping that he gets hot at the right moment in the last games and helps us go to the playoffs.

• Both teams are fully committed to youth development: One of the objectives of the CPL is to develop quality youth players to represent Canada and other countries in the future, and both head coaches are committed to following that philosophy. Eighteen-year-old Michael Harms was handpicked for praise by Wheeldon Jr. following his showing against York. “With your young players, as they grow in confidence, the more they are trusted. I’m looking forward to watching him play because he is one of the fastest players in our league. What better for Ali Musse when he likes to cut inside, than to have a player that’s gone round him like Michael? But he’s also willing to track back and hunt down and deal with the opposition threats.” His opposite number Ghotbi selected Grady McDonnell, who recently scored his first goal for the Republic of Ireland U-17s. “I think one of our most important missions is how many young players we develop and place in international football, how many young players come through,” he said. “I think that the mission is greater than any individual and I think the project is not about me or about one person. It’s about trying to make this work. I think this ideology is necessary.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Cavalry FC: Carducci; Field, Montgomery, Klomp, Harms; Gutiérrez, Shome, Musse, Camargo, Wähling; Warschewski

Vancouver FC: Irving; Gee, Campagna, Enyou, Bah; Rommens, Garcia, McDonnell, Bitar, Sellouf; Diaz

ALL-TIME SERIES

Cavalry FC wins: 6 || Vancouver FC wins: 0 || Draws: 2

Last meeting: 

July 26, 2024 – Vancouver FC 0-1 Cavalry FC

KEY QUOTES:

“I am a dreamer, I am a believer, you’ve just got to play the games ahead of you. A lot can happen in football. We were nowhere near a playoff zone half a season ago, and everybody had written us off, and now we’re only six points off [the top] and there’s 12 points still left on the table. Whilst mathematically, the points are still there to be won, we’re still going to hunt that shield down” – Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. 

“There is always hope, and I think one of the things that is very important in sports, as you work in this industry a long time, you try to manage to control the goals you need to focus on…what you as a group collectively can control, and that is the energy that you bring to your work, the attitude you bring to work, and as a collective, you try to find solutions. We’ve been happy with the process, even though we’re not happy with the results.” – Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi