2025 Concacaf Champions Cup — Round One
Cavalry FC vs. Pumas UNAM
Feb. 6, 2025 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET
Starlight Stadium in Langford, British Columbia
Watch Live: OneSoccer
Tickets available here
The last time Cavalry FC stepped on the pitch in an official match, they made club history, winning a Canadian Premier League final for the first time.
In their first match of 2025, they now look to raise that bar even higher, and stun Liga MX side Universidad Nacional — better known as Pumas — to secure a first-ever continental victory. Thursday’s match begins the home-and-away first round matchup in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup between the two clubs. Away goals are in effect.
Usually one of the more mild regions of Canada, Pumas are expected to be greeted by sub-zero temperatures as they land in Victoria, B.C. ahead of Thursday’s match, with the region currently experiencing a snow event.
Cavalry are playing in just their second edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup, after falling 6-1 on aggregate to MLS side Orlando City SC in the first round last year. For Pumas, meanwhile, this is just their second appearance in the competition in the past eight years. However, their most recent, in 2022, was memorable as they made a run to the final before losing to the Seattle Sounders 5-2 on aggregate.
The difference in history between the two clubs as they enter this fixture is stark. For Cavalry, this is just their third match in continental competition. For three-time Concacaf Champions Cup winners Pumas, it is their 58th — seventh-most of any team in the tournament’s 60-year history.
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“Let’s be frank, they are a phenomenal side,” said Cavalry FC manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “We are going to have to punch above our weight to be at our best in this situation. They’re five games into their season, we’re five weeks into pre-season. So any advantages we can create [are crucial] — we know the weather is going to be one of them.”
Cavalry moved the bulk of their pre-season preparations earlier this year, heading down to California in late January. There, they played a friendly against LAFC, who were finalists in two of the past five Concacaf Champions Cup tournaments.
Further aiding in their preparations is the fact that some 20 players from last year’s championship-winning club have returned for 2025. That includes 10 of the 11 players who started the 2024 CPL Final, with the notable exception of back-to-back CPL Defender of the Year Daan Klomp.
The Cavs have signed just one new player to their primary roster: experienced attacker Caniggia Elva, who has spent the past nine seasons playing in Germany. Their Concacaf roster also features three development players from their U-21 team in League1 Alberta: goalkeeper Neven Fewster and midfielders Josh Belbin and James McGlinchey.
That group will now get the opportunity to test itself against one of the giants of North American football. Pumas, founded in 1954 and hailing from Mexico City, are one of the ‘big four’ clubs in Mexico along with Club América, Chivas Guadalajara and Cruz Azul. They have won seven Liga MX titles, most recently the 2011 Clausura.
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They finished fourth in the table during the 2024 Liga MX Apertura, with a 9-4-4 record, but were eliminated by CF Monterrey in the quarter-finals 6-3 on aggregate. A strong defensive side, they allowed the fewest expected goals in the league with just 15.7, and kept nine clean sheets which was the second most.
The club’s attack has since been dealt a big blow, with their Apertura leading goalscorer César Huerta joining Anderlecht on Jan. 10. However, they still do boast a number of dangerous attacking weapons including Mexican international Guillermo Martínez, Argentine danger man Ignacio Pussetto and youngster Jorge Ruvalcaba. The club does also feature Rogelio Funes Mori, who was one of the best strikers in Liga MX during his nine campaigns with CF Monterrey. However, he has yet to find similar form since moving to Pumas.
Pumas also recently brought in experienced Panama international Adalberto Carrasquilla from the Houston Dynamo who has had an instant impact for them in the middle of the park.
Pumas are off to a decent start in the Clausura, with just one loss in their first five matches and a 2-2-1 record. They are coming off of a solid 3-2 victory over Atlético San Luis on Sunday.
With another league fixture coming up this weekend against Mazatlán, expect at least some squad rotation from the Mexican club. Young 21-year-old goalkeeper Álex Padilla, who is on loan from Athletic Bilbao, could be given an opportunity, for example. Meanwhile, Canadian youth international attacker Santiago López has been on the bench for each of the team’s Liga MX matches this season and this could be a chance to give him his full debut.
Similar to last year, weather concerns in Calgary, Alta. during this time of year forced Cavalry to play their home match of this tie at Starlight Stadium. Pumas will be the second Liga MX side to make the trip to Vancouver Island in as many years, with Tigres playing the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 1-1 draw at Starlight Stadium last year as the MLS club faced availability issues with regular home BC Place.
One Cavalry player who has particularly enjoyed his trips to Langford over the years is 2024 Canadian Premier League Golden Boot winner Tobias Warschewski, who has scored four goals, and added an assist in five career trips to Starlight Stadium in all competitions.
Cavalry enter the match with a fairly clean bill of health. Young striker Chanan Chanda did not travel after picking up a knock in training, while the club is still being cautious with Maël Henry as he returns from injury and will not be available on Thursday.
The 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup is available to stream in Canada on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
- Cavalry looking to use familiarity with Starlight Stadium to their advantage: It won’t be a traditional home field advantage for Cavalry FC on Thursday in Langford, more than 700 kilometres away from their home stadium of ATCO Field. But Cavalry are keen on using every advantage they can get at Starlight Stadium. The weatherman has helped them out, as does the fact that they played against Orlando City SC in this competition in this very stadium last year. Also crucial will be using Starlight Stadium’s uniquely small dimensions to their advantage, particularly when it comes to being difficult to play through, and pressing Pumas in key moments. “This isn’t ours, but it feels like it,” said Wheeldon Jr. “And like I said, I think the people of Langford have welcomed us. I think the people here at Pacific have been a great partner for us in these moments, so we’ll use that. It’s going to be a nice, tight pitch, it’s going to be a cold evening, but I think our boys are relishing that, and that will hopefully balance the scales of the game.”
- Who will step up for Cavalry in place of Daan Klomp?: You don’t replace a player like Daan Klomp, not directly at least. That was the message from Cavalry FC manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. in an interview with OneSoccer’s Oliver Platt before Thursday’s match. Klomp, the back-to-back Canadian Premier League Defender of the Year and 2023 Player of the Year, has arguably been the club’s most important player over the past few seasons, especially in big matches like Thursday. He also contributed six goals last season, and is a significant threat from set pieces. In replacing those invaluable contributions, multiple players will have to step up, but one, in particular, will have to inherit his spot next to Callum Montgomery. Eryk Kobza is likely the favourite, but after an outstanding 2023 campaign, the 23-year-old struggled to replicate that form last year. Veteran full-back Tom Field, meanwhile, has spent time at centre-back as well and could also be an option. Either way, Klomp’s absence will loom large, not just on Thursday but this season as a whole for Cavalry.
- How will Pumas tactically approach the away leg?: Under manager Gustavo Lema this season, Pumas have shifted between two different tactical approaches. Both feature a back three, usually with the experienced trio of Brazilian Nathan Silva, captain Lisandro Magallán and Spaniard Rubén Duarte. In some matches, they have deployed a 3-4-3, pushing Robert Ergas and Pablo Bennevendo forward and attacking aggressively with plenty of numbers. On other occasions, they adopt a more conservative 5-3-2, moving Ergas and Bennevendo further back and replacing their wingers with two strikers up top. What approach they decide to take on Thursday, and critically with what personnel, will be a key area of the match to watch.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Kobza, Montgomery, Field; Shome, Gutiérrez; Musse, Camargo, Herdman; Warschewski
Pumas UNAM: Padilla; Bennevendo, Silva, Magallán, Duarte, Ergas; Rivas, Caicedo, R. López; S. López, Funes Mori
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP HISTORY
Cavalry FC all-time record: 0-0-2
Best finish: Round one (2024)
Pumas UNAM all-time record: 28-16-13
Best finish: Champions (1980, 1982, 1989)
KEY QUOTES
“You can see a clear identity as one of the strongest, if not the strongest defensive team in Liga MX. So we know they’re going to be tough to break down. They’re very good in transition with the ball. They’ve got exciting players, they’ve got big target men. They’ve got diminutive dribblers, and like I said they’ve got a clear identity. So I think for us, it’s to not make the game too chaotic. I think the more chaotic it is, the more it favours them.” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
“I’ve actually played some of my best games in the snow. I don’t know what it is. It kind of just makes me play free. So it’s a fun environment. It’s one we hope we are more used to than the Mexicans. So we’re going to take all the advantages that we can get and start off strong.” — Cavalry FC midfielder Sergio Camargo
The 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup begins Tuesday. Feb. 4. Canadian Premier League clubs Forge FC and Cavalry FC will be taking on Mexican sides CF Monterrey and Pumas UNAM, respectively, with their matchups beginning Feb. 5 and 6.
Canadian viewers can watch the tournament live on OneSoccer. For more information on the Concacaf Champions Cup, click here, and for further coverage of the tournament at CanPL.ca, click here.