2024 TELUS Canadian Championship — Preliminary Round
Cavalry FC vs. Vancouver FC
April 23, 2024 at 7 p.m. MT / 9 p.m. ET
ATCO Field in Calgary, Alberta
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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On Tuesday night in Calgary, high-flying Vancouver FC will look to soar to new heights in the 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship, as they take on Cavalry FC in the preliminary round.

A victory for VFC, which would already be their third of the year, would bring with it a trio of firsts. Cavalry, the 2023 CPL Shield winners, remain the only Canadian Premier League club that Vancouver has not defeated. The Eagles are also searching for their first victory in the Canadian Championship, having lost 1-0 to York United in the preliminary round last season. Doing so would mean a home-and-away series with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the quarter-finals, and would be the first time they match up against the province’s MLS side.

“I think the most precise way I can articulate the vibe and the feeling in the team, I think I can use the words humble, hungry and hopeful,” said Afshin Ghotbi of how his group is feeling ahead of Tuesday night’s match.

Cavalry, meanwhile, fell at the same hurdle last season as they were defeated in penalty kicks by Pacific FC in the preliminary round. It was the first time in club history that they failed to win at least one round in the Canadian Championship.

The ambitious Calgary club will unquestionably be looking to make a deeper run in 2024, and will have the advantage of starting this year’s competition at home. Cavalry were outstanding at ATCO Field last season, winning 11 of the 16 matches they played at home in 2023 in all competitions, and losing just twice.

“It’s almost been six months since we last played here,” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “We miss this place, we miss our fans, and it’s the magic of the cup. So all these things are very exciting as you prepare for [this] match.”

Vancouver FC, meanwhile, have only ever won three matches out of 15 matches played away from the Langley Events Centre in club history. In fact, they have only scored more than a single goal in an away match twice, with the fewest goals scored (10) and points collected (11) on the road last season in the Canadian Premier League.

However, as they travel for the first time in 2024, they do so with a squad containing significantly more CPL experience. Paris Gee, David Norman, Ben Fisk and Moses Dyer in particular have hit the ground running since joining the club this off-season and added to the already solid complement of CPL veterans Vancouver kept from 2023.

Thus far, Cavalry FC have owned the all-time series between these two sides since they first met in a 1-1 draw in Vancouver’s inaugural home match last season. The Cavs won the other three meetings by a combined score of 10-3.

But this is undoubtedly a different Vancouver FC side in 2024, and Tuesday night will be a big chance to prove that fact. They head into the game without any significant injuries or absences, something Ghotbi attributes to the club’s fitness and depth.

Cavalry FC will be without a few players on Tuesday night, including former Vancouver FC attacker Maël Henry who remains out through injury. Centre-back Callum Montgomery picked up a knock against Forge in the club’s opening match and is still unavailable, while midfielder Jesse Daley is a game-time decision.

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

• Defending champion Whitecaps await winner in the quarter-finals: On the line on Tuesday night is not only a position in the Canadian Championship quarter-finals, but also a chance to face the two-time defending champions Vancouver Whitecaps. For Vancouver FC in particular, this would have significant implications as an opportunity to further establish themselves in the province’s soccer scene. Cavalry, meanwhile, will be keen to once again do battle with the MLS side they famously defeated over two legs back in 2019. The Whitecaps and Cavalry met again in 2022, this time with the Caps prevailing on penalty kicks. Vancouver Whitecaps went on to be Canadian champions that year, as well as last year, and are looking for the three-peat in 2024. But they will have to go through one of Vancouver FC or Cavalry first.

• Can Cavalry learn from ‘reps’ in cup competitions?: Cavalry FC will undoubtedly enter this tie with an experience advantage over Vancouver FC. While many of the Eagles players, particularly former Pacific FC trio Alejandro Díaz, Kadin Chung and Callum Irving, have a strong history in the Canadian Championship the club itself has only ever played in one knockout match. Cavalry, meanwhile, are battle-tested coming off a run to the CPL Final to finish their 2023 season, and a two-legged tie against Orlando City SC to open the 2024 campaign. The Calgary club will be looking to build on those experiences in do-or-die football and draw on those as they look to go on a run in the 2024 Canadian Championship. “I think what you’ve got to do is have a mindset going into it as to how can you win the game in the first half, how can you win the game late, and how can you close the game out?,” said Wheeldon Jr. “It’s a difference from three points, it’s putting your name in the hat for the next round.”

• Alejandro Díaz and Moses Dyer forming dominant striker duo: One of the biggest storylines in the Canadian Premier League season thus far is how dangerous Vancouver FC’s dynamic duo of Alejandro Díaz and Moses Dyer has been unplayable at times. Through two matches in the Canadian Premier League, Díaz has a goal and two assists, while Dyer scored the club’s opening goal of the season, and played a key role in Díaz’s goal against Halifax. The chemistry between the two has developed breathtakingly quick as they lead the line for this rejuvenated VFC side. “He’s a beast,” said Díaz of Dyer in the pre-match availability. “He’s everywhere, he’s running everywhere, he’s fighting, he’s scoring goals. Since day one when he came in the training, everything went perfect, was a really good connection. We have shown it in the games, and hopefully, we can still build that relationship bigger and bigger in training and of course during matches. It’s been great and it’s awesome to share the pitch with Moses.”

ALL-TIME SERIES

Cavalry FC wins 3 || Vancouver FC wins: 0 || Draws: 1

Last meeting:

Sept 16, 2023 — Cavalry FC 2-1 Vancouver FC 

KEY QUOTES

“They’ve had a really strong start to the season, playing some really nice football. I like some of the new strategies that Afshin and his coaching staff have put in. They’ve got the players that suit it. So I think what they’ll do is they’ll certainly bring their best self. I’d imagine they’ll come in full of confidence. A lot of our former players are on that side as well, so there’ll be an edge. It’s certainly a game that we are taking very seriously.” — Cavalry FC Manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

“To be honest I think [Cavalry] is a deeper and better team than last season. The only exception is maybe they’re missing Bevan’s influence that they had up top. I believe that they’ve signed a new striker that in time will integrate and get better and better. So I do believe that Cavalry is a very strong team. They have history, they have chemistry, they have personality, they have an identity.” — Vancouver FC Manager Afshin Ghotbi