Host HFX Wanderers await Cavs with league ‘On Tour’ series, loss to Whitecaps has Calgary CPL club on mind
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The last few weeks Cavalry FC has focused on BC.
The involvement of the Calgary club in the possible expansion of the national soccer circuit to Kelowna is included.
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So, this little trip for Cavalry (1W-2D-1L) across the country to the East Coast in the middle of an intense schedule of games against West Coasters to play host HFX Wanderers FC (0-0-3) in the Canadian Premier League on Saturday. in Halifax (noon MT, OneSoccer, OneSoccer.ca) seems a bit strange.
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“We finish all these games with West Coast clubs and then we head as far east as we can in our league,” said Cavalry coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “We still haven’t named the same 11 in a row, and that includes Concacaf Champions Cup matches (February). But it’s because we play every four days. So you have to manage that workforce very well in the long term.”
The long trip to Nova Scotia comes fresh off Tuesday’s first-leg loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship quarterfinals and the news that the Cavalry was named one of the teams involved in the series opener. CPL ‘On Tour’.
The initiative launched by Canada’s top flight of men’s professional soccer sees competitive games held at neutral sites across the country in the coming years, as the CPL continues its mission to connect with fans of ‘The Beautiful Game’ on the coast at the cost and expand. in new communities across the country.
Kelowna is a high-priority expansion market for the circuit.
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So much so that the country’s national soccer circuit will make central BC its first stop of its ‘On Tour’ series next month.
That upcoming game in the Okanagan Valley includes a regular season game between the Cavalry and “host” Vancouver FC.
“When this CPL On Tour concept came up for Kelowna, it made sense to have both sides of the Rocky Mountains represented,” said Cavalry President Ian Allison. “We know how many people from this part of the world hang their shingles in the Okanagan Valley for much of the year. So I hope there will be a balanced crowd on June 16. We can even bring the CPL 2023 Shield to take pictures and get inspired.
“I’m excited about it.”
The matchup between Vancouver and CPL shield holder Cavalry is scheduled for the Apple Bowl in Kelowna on Sunday, June 16 (5 p.m. ET, OneSoccer, OneSoccer.ca). It marks the second of four league meetings between the Western Canadian rivals and is one of two home games for Vancouver in the season-long series between the rivals.
The game marks the first time the league will host a single competitive match at a neutral venue.
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Cavalry season ticket holders got pre-sale access to Thursday’s game.
Tickets went on sale Friday to the general public.
“Our new On Tour series is an innovative way to bring our league, clubs and players to potential new CPL markets, and we are thrilled to make Kelowna our first ‘On Tour’ stop this summer,” said CPL Commissioner , Mark Noonan.
“We look forward to engaging with current CPL fans in the Okanagan Valley, attracting new fans to our game, meeting with Kelowna city officials and turning the On Tour series into a destination event for other potential CPL communities.” .
And, hopefully, join, sooner rather than later, the eight teams that make up the league.
“Especially the Okanagan Valley, and Kelowna in particular, has been on the CPL’s radar for some time,” Allison said. “The circumstances were that the first group that looked at it couldn’t put the puzzle together. But it has risen somewhat from the ashes and the city seems to agree. And with the Apple Bowl out there, there’s a place that has hosted our sport in the past. In fact, the Vancouver Whitecaps have played a neutral site game there (or many of them there), so we know it’s a great soccer community.
“We already have a concentration of teams in the area where Ottawa, York and Forge are,” Allison added. “So it would be a huge benefit if all the stars aligned to have a team on Vancouver Island, a team in Vancouver, a team in Calgary and maybe in the Okanagan. And presumably one day we’ll be able to look back at Edmonton and do all that.
“Exciting times.”
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