2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #74
Valour FC vs. Cavalry FC
August 11, 2023 at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET
IG Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba
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The Canadian Premier League weekend opens in Winnipeg with a clash between two sides at opposite ends of the form guide, with Valour FC hosting Cavalry FC.

After a 3-0 victory over rivals Forge last Friday, the Cavs are undoubtedly the hottest team in the CPL. They have won six of their past eight matches, with their only losses coming against Atlético Ottawa. They currently sit second in the table, just two points behind Pacific FC.

Valour, meanwhile, sit seventh and missed a significant opportunity to make up some ground in the table this past weekend in a 0-0 draw in Langley with Vancouver FC. With Halifax Wanderers, York United and Atlético Ottawa all dropping points ahead of them, they failed to truly narrow the gap between them and the playoff line which now stands at eight points — not to mention the fact that they fall well short on the first tiebreaker, which is wins.

“It is a totally different game from what we played recently with guys that are contending near the top,” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “The thing with Valour is they are not mathematically out of it and have a very good home record. So what we have reiterated with the team is we enjoyed the performance against Forge, but it is one game. Now we have to move on.”

The Winnipeg side are the only team in the league who have not won in their past five matches, in fact a stretch that extends back to seven matches to a June 25, a 1-0 win over Vancouver FC.

Valour’s significant struggles in attack especially of late are highlighted well by their opponent on Friday. In their past three matches, Cavalry FC have managed to score eight goals, more than Valour has scored in their last 13 matches (seven). The Winnipeg side have gone over 260 minutes since their last goal.

While a lot of clubs have struggled to pick up results at IG Field, Cavalry have perhaps been the exception. They have lost just once in nine matches against Valour at IG Field, and have just three losses in 17 all-time matches at the venue, including the Winnipeg bubble to start the 2021 CPL season.

Valour’s home form in general, however, has taken a bit of a hit lately as the traditionally defensively solid side have lost three straight at IG Field, and have been outscored by a combined 7-1 during those losses to Cavalry, York United and Pacific. A big reason for that is the fact that they have allowed goals against inside the opening six minutes in each of those matches. Returning to being difficult to play against, especially at home, will be critical to their success in the final few months of the season.

Cavalry, meanwhile, despite their dominant record at home know that it will be on the road where they can truly make up points during the run-in, something Wheeldon Jr. has highlighted in the past. They have three wins in nine away matches this season, trailing fellow title contenders Forge and Pacific who both have five.

Cavalry will be bolstered in this match by the return of Golden Boot leader Myer Bevan, who has been serving a suspension for the past two matches. Bevan has scored in both meetings between the two sides this season, and will be keen to get back on the scoresheet on Friday in order to further his quest to finish as league’s top scorer in 2023.

For Valour, key midfielder Dante Campbell has been suspended two matches after picking up his eighth yellow card of the season. Juan Pablo Sánchez should at least be back in the squad for this match, while Matteo de Brienne and Andrew-Jean Baptiste are progressing well but won’t be available on Friday.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Cavalry’s offensive options increase even further with Myer Bevan back in the lineup: In what feels like a case of the rich getting richer, following arguably their most impressive performance of the season, a dominant 3-0 home victory over Forge, Cavalry get their leading goalscorer Myer Bevan back. Wheeldon Jr. said it actually might have served as a bit of a positive to have Bevan rested heading into the last few months of the season, even if that rest was forced. Now though, he has to decide where Bevan fits into his incredibly competitive frontline and which player he replaces both on Friday and going forward. With Goteh Ntignee and Ben Fisk putting in strong performances on the left, William Akio and Ali Musse providing quality on the right and Joe Mason as another option up top, Wheeldon Jr. has his work cut out for him in deciding which combination suits each match best. “I think that’s what they deem Hollywood problems isn’t it, to get the top scorer in the league back in the side,” said Wheeldon Jr with a chuckle. “He’s now rested, he’s champing at the bit and we look forward to introducing him in whatever role we do Friday. But I’m sure he will play a factor in it at some point.”

• William Akio makes his return to IG Field: Just over a year after he made his last appearance at IG Field as a Valour player, William Akio will be back in Winnipeg this weekend, this time wearing the colours of Cavalry FC. As aforementioned, what role he plays remains to be seen as Cavalry have a lot of players deserving of a spot in the starting eleven at the moment. Akio scored twice, and added an assist against Cavalry for Valour in a 4-2 victory during the 2021 season, so will be looking to return the favour for his current side. Akio scored his first Cavalry goal this past weekend against Forge, a goal punctuated with an electric backflip celebration. “I’m sure he’s got a lot of happy memories there at IG Field,” said Wheeldon Jr. “He’s looking forward to it, it’s a club where they trusted in him, and they’ve given him a chance. He is someone that Phil Dos Santos knows very, very well so I’m sure they’ll have done their homework on him.”

• Valour needs to start turning draws into wins, fast: With a 0-0 draw on the road against Vancouver FC in Langley last weekend, Valour now leads the league in matches drawn, with eight of their 18 matches this season ending with the points split. That is already more draws than they had all of last season, and with only three wins to their name so far this year, the consistent failure to turn a single point into three is a big reason why they now find themselves so far below the playoff line. As aforementioned, with total wins being the first tiebreak, it is imperative that they start to stack up the three-point performances. Dos Santos knows that time is quickly running out to close that gap, and that playing this match and the next at home present a big opportunity for the club to start building some momentum and stringing together results. “It is 30 points, it is 10 matches, we know it is not impossible,” he said. “Difficult but not impossible so we have to keep pushing for it. The truth is this, get the performances right and the results will follow and that is our main focus. It is making sure that we start getting the performances right.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Valour FC (4-2-3-1): Yesli; Baquero, Cela, Samaké, Haynes; Gutiérrez, Polisi; Ponce, Williams, Niyongabire; Selemani

Cavalry FC (4-2-3-1): Carducci; Aird, Klomp, Kobza, Kamdem; Trafford, Daley; Musse, Camargo, Ntignee; Bevan

ALL-TIME SERIES

Valour wins: 2 || Cavalry FC wins: 10 || Draws: 4

Last meeting:

July 1, 2023 – Valour FC 0-2 Cavalry FC

KEY QUOTES

“We are probably getting them coming off perhaps their best game of the season. They are in a good moment now so I think it is important to recognize that. I think that it is good that we recognize the strength in the moment in which the opposition comes to play us. Because it allows us to prepare better for moments like these. Players are aware that these are games that the margin of error is very small.” — Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos

“What we have to do now is come up with a different type of performance away from home against a good team, and they are a good team. It is a very tight league and we have seen that with the parity so it won’t be a carbon copy of the performance we have against Forge, I’m pretty sure, so we’ve got to be ready to adapt to the circumstances.” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.