Cavalry FC’s home debut includes Round 1 of the Canadian Championship

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This home opener is more than just pomp and pageantry at ATCO Field.

It is important…

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Great importance because it is also the debut of Cavalry FC in the 2024 Canadian Championship.

“Yeah… definitely exciting for all of us,” said Cavalry midfielder Shamit Shome, ahead of Tuesday’s match against visiting Vancouver FC at Spruce Meadows (7 p.m., OneSoccer, OneSoccer.ca). “The history of the Cavalry in the Canada Cup has been quite good. You know…we’ve done some deep runs. And I think all the guys want to get back to that.

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“And we know we can, and it helps that this time we get to play that first game at home.”

It sure does.

A year ago, Shome and Cavalry were on Vancouver Island to play their only Canadian Championship game.

That first game ended in defeat (1-1 and 5-3 in penalty kicks) against Pacific FC, marking the Cavs’ fastest exit from the national soccer tournament.

With the natural grass setting at ATCO Field always offering a big advantage for the Cavalry, the feeling is that they can at least go beyond Game 1 in the 2024 bid to hoist the Voyageurs Cup.

“We’re excited to be back home,” said Cavalry general manager and head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “I don’t think we’ve seen our fans in almost six months.

“We miss this place,” Wheeldon continued from ATCO Field Monday morning. “We miss our fans and it’s the magic of the Cup. All those things are very exciting as you prepare for the game.

“These guys traveled and played our CONCACAF game as visitors. And now we have played against two very tough teams (away) that I hope to see in the race (in the Canadian Premier League)… We will be delighted to see our fans again on Tuesday.”

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However, the Cavalry (0-1-1) may not be as thrilled to see Vancouver FC (2-0-0) as originally thought.

Last year’s penultimate team, after a campaign of only eight wins, has turned the tables so far this season to sit tied at the top of the table.

“They really had a good offseason, very similar to Atlético Ottawa in the sense that they got stronger and will be competitive,” Wheeldon said. “They’ve had a really strong start to the season, playing some really good football. I like some of the new strategies that (head coach) Afshin (Ghotbi) and his coaching staff have implemented. They have the right players, so I think what they will do is bring their best. be. I imagine they will enter with confidence.

“So it’s certainly a game we’re taking very seriously.”

Awaiting the winner is two-time defending champions Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer in a two-legged quarterfinal tie.

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“The league is the marathon,” Wheeldon said. And cup competitions like the Voyageur’s Cup and the playoffs are like a sprint, so I think what you have to do is have a mentality of how you can win the game in the first half, how you can win the game late and how you can closing a game, because it is different from getting three points. It’s putting your name in the hat for the next round.”

In total for this year’s tournament there are 13 teams (one less than last year’s 14) competing for the Voyageurs Cup.

The 17th edition of the Canadian Championship, Canadian soccer’s premier men’s national cup competition, features all eight CPL teams, three MLS teams and three Canadian League 1 clubs: CS Saint-Laurent, Quebec League 1 winner, and Simcoe County Rovers, Ontario League 1 champion. FC and League1 Ontario team TSS FC Rovers, who replaced League1 BC leaders Victoria Highlanders FC just before the tournament.

Last year’s finalists, the Whitecaps and CF Montréal of the MLS, have earned a direct berth to the quarterfinals.

The tournament consists of four rounds, with the quarterfinals and semifinals being two-legged and the preliminary round and final being single-legged, meaning the loser goes home between the hosts Cavs and Vancouver FC.

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“I wouldn’t say there’s more desperation,” Wheeldon said. “I would say there is more emotion.

“These guys are competitive anyway. So every game we play in training and every league game we play, the result is always your judge. I think when you put football in its simplest form, it’s an 11-on-11 game where the score is your judge. But only in these cup competitions, the results do matter, because you win and you’re in, and if you don’t do it, you don’t do it.”

Of course, Cavalry kicked the door in winning fashion during their Cup debut in 2019, when they reached the semi-finals before losing to MLS side Montreal Impact in a two-game semi-final.

After COVID limited the 2020 edition to just one championship game between league winners Forge FC and Toronto FC, Cavalry reached the quarterfinals in 2021 before falling to Pacific 1-0 at ATCO Field.

And in 2022, the host Cavs lost in the quarterfinals to the Whitecaps 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw.

Then came the first-round loss on the road last year.

“I think it’s a big advantage for us to play in front of our home fans,” Shome said. “And it’s something we’re all looking forward to: hopefully beating Vancouver and moving on to the next one.”

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The Cavalry comes fresh off two road games to start their season: a 2-1 loss to Forge FC in Hamilton and Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Atlético Ottawa in the nation’s capital.

“I think it’s a little disappointing,” said Shome of Cavalry, who earned just one point out of a possible six in their first two games of the CPL schedule.

“But at the end of the day, it’s a long season,” Shome added. “It’s the first round of games. You know, hopefully you won’t look back on this and say, ‘Well… what could have happened if we had gotten more points?’ But I think we have confidence in what we can do at home and in the upcoming games to take advantage of this.

“And I think going into the Canadian Cup, and now we have three games in a row in Spruce, I think getting a point (in Ottawa) is very positive, especially after falling (1-0) in the game. So I think this result builds confidence in this group and we know we can take advantage of it and move forward.”

FREE SHOTS

A handful of former Cavs return to ATCO Field with Vancouver FC: goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos, midfielders Ben Fisk, Elliot Simmons and David Norman Jr. and attackers Gabriel Bitar and Mikaël Cantave… Cavalry midfielder Jesse Daley ( leg) is questionable for Cup competition. His status will be determined by a pre-match fitness test… Cavs midfielder Maël Henry (hamstring) and defender Callum Montgomery (foot) will be out for the Cup competition. match against Vancouver FC.

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X: @ToddSaelhofPM

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