2024 CPL Regular Season — Match #107
Cavalry FC vs. Halifax Wanderers
October 12, 2024 at 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET
ATCO Field in Calgary Alberta
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

This past weekend confirmed that Cavalry will not be repeating as Canadian Premier League regular season winners, with longtime nemesis Forge clinching the CPL Shield — which they will lift on Saturday in Hamilton.

But for Cavalry, the focus now turns to securing a second-place finish, an outcome which would significantly improve their chances of returning to the CPL Final this season. A victory for them on Saturday, coupled with dropped points for Atlético Ottawa in Hamilton earlier in the day, and that spot is theirs.

Finishing second would mean a spot in the qualifying semifinal against Forge, with a chance to host a CPL Final match for the first time since the inaugural season.

For their opponents on Saturday, the match is even more critical, it is do or die. Anything but three points for the Wanderers at ATCO Field and their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs for a second consecutive season are over.

“This is a game where Halifax need to win, we need a win,” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “I think when you have that, what a great playoff rehearsal it is. It plays like [a final].”

Winning in Calgary on Saturday would mean making club history for the Wanderers, who have never won at ATCO Field. Cavalry have only lost two of their past 29 home matches overall, making this a remarkably difficult proposition for the visitors.

Halifax have also been shut out in six of their nine all-time trips to Calgary. They have also won just three of 27 road matches since Patrice Gheisar took over as manager ahead of the 2023 season.

But with the odds stacked against them, Halifax will feel that they can still pull off another stunning result after a string of miraculous last-ditch efforts have kept their season alive of late. That included a 98th-minute Vitor Dias equalizer against Vancouver FC this past weekend, as they are now undefeated in their past five matches.

They also handed Cavalry one of just four losses this season, a 1-0 Canada Day victory at the Wanderers Grounds. They drew 1-1 in their other matchup against the Alberta club in Halifax, before falling 3-2 courtesy of a Daan Klomp birthday brace at ATCO Field on August 10.

That win was one of just two home victories in Cavalry’s last eight matches at ATCO Field, where they have struggled to pick up more than a single point this season. With eight home draws, they have set a single-season CPL record for the most collected by a club in a season — and with 12 overall are tied for the most ever in a campaign with 2021 York United. They will be searching for just their fifth home victory of the season.

Another storyline to watch in this match is how Halifax handles the 298 domestic U-21 minutes they still require in their final two matches in order to be playoff-eligible.

They will be without a few key players for this match, as Zachary Fernandez serves a suspension after being sent off late against Vancouver FC this past weekend. Captain Andre Rampersad and striker Ryan Telfer, meanwhile, are with the Trinidad and Tobago national team. Lorenzo Callegari, meanwhile, will be a game-time decision having missed out last week against Vancouver FC through injury.

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

• Have key Cavalry attackers woken up at the right time?:  Cavalry FC will come into Saturday’s clash with a significant amount of confidence, after their biggest win of the season this past week, 4-1 over Pacific FC. Just as critical as the four goals is who got them, with leading scorer Tobias Warschewski scoring a brace, his first goals since July 13. Striker Lowell Wright opened his Cavalry account, as did new signing Jay Herdman, who was outstanding against the Tridents. These players are all potential difference-makers for Cavalry, especially as they enter the postseason, so having them as sharp as possible is critical. Saturday against Halifax is another opportunity for the Calgary attacking group to continue their fine form in front of goal.  “What’s pleasing for us, I think for the first time this season we’ve had every single attacking player that was on the pitch either score or contribute with an assist,” said Wheeldon Jr. “That’s really good for us.”

• Can Halifax collect a crucial victory after a string of dramatic draws?: Turn a Halifax Wanderers match off early over the past month, and you are sure to have missed something. That was never more true than this past weekend, where they rescued a draw from the jaws of defeat with a 98th-minute equalizer. The week before, it was an 89th-minute equalizer in Winnipeg from Zach Fernandez. Prior to that, Nassim Mekidèche earned a point with a goal in the 79th minute against Atlético Ottawa after it was Pacific who gave Halifax a taste of their own medicine with a crucial late equalizer in the 96th minute back on September 18. While all of those single-point efforts have kept Halifax alive, barely, that isn’t an option anymore. That never-say-die attitude will need to be even stronger in order to earn three points instead of one.

• How does Halifax manage significant international absences?:  Wanderers captain Andre Rampersad picked up a big assist on Thursday, but unfortunately for the Halifax club it came in the red of Trinidad and Tobago. Rampersad, along with key striker Ryan Telfer, are off on international duty and will therefore miss this critical clash on Saturday — meaning other players will need to step up in their place.  The obvious opportunity goes to Tiago Coimbra, as the 20-year-old will look to lead the line and earn crucial U-21 minutes for Halifax in the process. The Canadian youth international scored against Cavalry in their most recent meeting, and will need to have another big performance at ATCO Field on Saturday in order to keep his side’s season alive. The hope is that Lorenzo Callegari will be available again to replace Rampersad, but if not Halifax’s other cast of midfielders will have to step up in a big way to replace these critical absences. “We have four starters missing next game, I don’t see one person worried about it,” said Gheisar. “They’re saying, here’s a chance of getting four new fresh faces in, and I love that outlook the team has.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Klomp, Montgomery, Kamdem; Trafford, Gutiérrez; Musse, Camargo, Herdman; Warschewski

Halifax Wanderers: Fillion; Alphonse, Nimick, Mekidèche; Bayiha, Daniels, Gagnon-Laparé, Ferrazzo; Probo, Ferrin, Coimbra

ALL-TIME SERIES

Cavalry FC wins: 11 || Halifax Wanderers wins: 3 || Draws: 7

Last meeting:

Aug. 10, 2024 — Cavalry 3-2 Halifax Wanderers

KEY QUOTES

“They’ll come out and want to attack and want to win the game here. Our series [this season], if you look at it, over three games is level, they’ve won at their place, we’ve won here and we’ve tied at their place. So this is a series decider, but there’s a lot more implications in terms of the pressure of having to win.” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

“If we make the playoffs, we would have to be on the road anyway. So for me, playoffs start on Saturday. That’s the way I look at it, one game at a time.” — Halifax Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar