2020 CPL regular season (The Island Games) — Match #4
Valour FC vs. Cavalry FC
August 16, 2019 at 12:00 p.m ET/ 1:00 p.m. AT
UPEI Artificial Turf Field in Charlottetown, PEI
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

There is no rest for the wicked at The Island Games.

Just a few days after kicking off the regular season with a 2-2 draw against Forge FC, Cavalry FC is back in action on Sunday as Valour FC gets their 2020 campaign underway against the Cavs.

This fixture hasn’t been particularly kind to the Winnipeg-based side in the past, with the Cavs taking three of four meetings in 2019 (including an 8-0 win), and the fourth being a gutsy draw saved by a stoppage-time equalizer by Marco Bustos for Valour.

This time around, though, it’s barely the same club taking on Cavalry. Most of the 2019 cast for Valour — Bustos included — has been replaced, as coach Rob Gale looks to rebuild after an inaugural campaign that saw them avoid the Wooden Spoon by a slightest of tie-breaking margins over HFX Wanderers FC.

They’ve made plenty of additions, particularly at the back, to try and improve on what was the leakiest defence in the league last season — experienced defenders such as Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Arnold Bouka Moutou have recently been joined by young Toronto FC II loanees Julian Dunn and Dante Campbell, giving Valour fans a lot more confidence in their ability to hold off the fiery Cavs’ attack.

Cavalry, meanwhile, will look for their first win in PEI after they saved a point against Forge with a controversial late penalty. The familiar squad will like its chances against Valour, but with plenty of variables at play they’d best not be overconfident.

Up next for these sides will be midweek fixtures: Valour will take on CPL newcomers Atlético Ottawa on Wednesday (1:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. AT), while Cavalry has an Al Classico showdown with FC Edmonton on Thursday (2:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. AT).

RELATED READING: CPL regular season: The Island Games || CPL season previews for all eight teams

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Rested or rusty?: Cavalry coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. pointed out after Thursday’s game that having one game under their belt before Sunday could be a blessing or a curse. On one hand, his side will be much less rested than Rob Gale’s. On the other, though, the Cavs have played 90 competitive minutes, while Valour hasn’t played a proper match since last October. Time will tell whether momentum will help out Cavalry, or whether their tired legs will falter against a Valour squad that’s raring to go.

• Shiny new defence: The new Valour defence, on paper, looks strong. The experienced internationals will hopefully be able to keep things under control and organized more than last year — Jean-Baptiste helped Haiti stay organized against Mexico in the Gold Cup for over 90 minutes, and Bouka Moutou has played 42 games in France’s Ligue 1. The youngsters should provide pace back there, as well. With so many capable defenders, will Rob Gale perhaps opt to play with three centre-backs, and provide more cover for speedier wingbacks?

• Defence Against (Nico Pasquotti’s) Dark Arts: Perhaps the most shocking thing to come out of Thursday’s CPL opener was Cavs winger Nico Pasquotti’s famed throw-in getting whistled down for a foul throw. The set-play became a dangerous part of Cavalry’s arsenal in 2019, with Pasquotti’s range making throw-ins in the attacking third akin to corner kicks. Of course, we’ll see if referee Juan Marquez feels the same as Yusri Rudolf did on Thursday — if not, then that’ll be one more threat for Valour to contend with on Sunday.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Valour wins: 0 || Cavalry wins: 3 || Draws: 1

Previous match:
October 2, 2019 – Cavalry FC 4-1 Valour FC

REFEREES
Referee: Juan Marquez
ARs: Philippe Bettez-Quessy & Michael Hood
4th Official: Filip Dujic