With Forge FC and Cavalry FC set to square off for an eighth postseason meeting, this time in the qualifying semi-final at Tim Hortons Field on Sunday, Oct. 27, players and coaches from both sides have been speaking to the media to give their thoughts on the latest chapter in this rivalry.

Both sides know that the winner of Sunday’s game (to kick off at 4 p.m. ET/2 p.m. MT) will go directly to the CPL Final, while the loser has to play a semi-final against either Atlético Ottawa or York United.

Here’s what each of Forge and Cavalry’s head coaches and some key players had to say before this one.

RELATED: PREVIEW: Forge FC vs. Cavalry FC — 2024 CPL Playoffs

Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis

On the knockout experience in his dressing room

“This isn’t the first time these players have done this, and it’s not just talking about the past in CPL. Any type of cup competition you play, whether that’s Canadian Championship, Concacaf, you look on the experience of the past in those guys in the dressing room, but you have players that are new to the squad and it’s always important that they’ve lived those type of moments. We’ve had that this year within the squad and that plays a big role.”

On why his team is better against opponents like Cavalry

“Important matches usually bring out the best in us. Whether that’s been Concacaf, whether that’s been a playoff match, it’s that match where your level of concentration has to be at its best. Your attention to detail must be top. …

“It’s the enjoyment of playing in it. Also for us as a staff, you enjoy these games, the level of preparation that goes into it. When the players have been through these types of matches very often — and we have a group of them who have done it a lot over the years — they also know the feeling coming out of it when things go well. That’s something you want to feel as a human being. … We know the recipe, you have to go out there and execute as best as possible, and you can only fail through chance and luck.”

Forge FC midfielder Tristan Borges

On playing Cavalry in the playoffs again

“In games like this, the adrenaline and energy is always high. The respect is there between both teams; obviously I have respect for anybody that steps on the field that we play against. When we’re on the field in any game, there’s not really any friends, but playoffs kind of enhance that a little bit. Most people that know me know that I love games like this, I love playoff time. It’s the best time of the year.”

Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

On his team’s up-and-down season so far

“I think this is probably the first year where we’ve never been first place at all. Midway through the season, we were totally out of the playoff picture, we were in sixth place and struggling to turn ties into wins. Then we got our attacking product back and developed the resilience needed to make sure that we were still around and still close to the pack, and what we’ve ended up doing is we’re a steelier team this year, because it hasn’t been easy. Every game in the back half of the season has felt like a playoff game, where we’ve needed to win to climb above this person, needed to win to climb above that; every game in the last seven games has certainly felt like that, and I think the boys have developed great character and been really exciting to watch.”

On Cavalry’s momentum heading into the playoffs

“That’s been our superpower. We’ve never been first place at all for the first time, and I think this is the least amount of losses we’ve ever had as a club. So we’ve been a contradiction at times. But we do go in with a very strong defensive unit; we go in with the ability and the mavericks that can score goals in big moments. But we also have to look at the task at hand. We’re playing against the best team in the league, who’ve been phenomenal this year. For us to progress, we’ve got to be at our best, and probably beyond our best.”

On what makes Forge vs. Cavalry games special

“It’s two clubs that aspire for excellence, and it’s not just in terms of wins on the board — it’s about player progression, it’s about opportunities for Canadians, it’s about having a pathway and a development system underneath and a competitive edge when it comes down to games. Year in and year out, if you’re going to go through the league, you have to come through us; if you’re going to go through playoffs, you have to come through them. Maybe this year it reverses. …

“The last dragon to slay is Forge. But I think this group, because of our season, we’ve embraced the challenges. We’re looking forward to going again, we’re looking forward to doing what we haven’t done yet this season, and I think that’s the excitement for this team.”

Cavalry FC captain Marco Carudcci

On Cavalry’s season progression to get into the playoffs

“It was really about us continuing to double down on what we know makes this team good. We were frustrated, because the results weren’t going the way we wanted, and it was a different challenge for us being lower in the table and having to work our way up. We embraced that, we continued to believe in the qualities we have, and we knew it would eventually turn those draws into wins. We’re in a good place, the momentum is important but we know in playoffs it comes down to the small moments in these one-off games.”

On being better prepared for the playoffs after playing higher-stakes regular season games

“In years past we’d always been at the top of the table or around there for the majority of the year, and that’s a different type of challenge. We’re battle-tested, a bit more resilient because we had to be. We had some questions externally about whether we were the same Cavs, and if we were going to be able to compete, and at the end of the day we finished two points off of first place. I think we’ve proved throughout the year that we have that resilience, we have that capability to fight, and that’s huge. That’s what playoff games are all about, we have that experience as a team and we know what it takes.”

Cavalry FC defender Daan Klomp

On Golden Boot winner Tobias Warschewski

“I could see Tobi already from his first year in Edmonton that he was a special player. I’m happy to have him on my team right now; the things he shows in training, his ability is unbelievable. It’s something that I’ve not seen in this league so far. It’s very good to have reps against him in training, because he does things that other players in this league are just not capable of, and the ceiling is very high for this player. All credit to him and I’m glad he got the Golden Boot because he’s a special, special player.”