2025 CPL Regular Season — Match #8
Cavalry FC vs. Vancouver FC
April 18 at 5 p.m. MT/ 4 p.m. PT
ATCO Field in Calgary, Alberta
Watch Live: TSN 3, OneSoccer // Tickets available here

For the first time since lifting the North Star Cup at ATCO Field in November, Cavalry FC return to Spruce Meadows for their 2025 home opener on Friday night.

It is sure to be a celebratory occasion at the grounds as Cavalry FC supporters welcome their team home following that 2024 triumph, as well as a historic victory in the home leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup tie with Liga MX side Pumas in February. That match was played at Starlight Stadium.

But Vancouver FC come to town looking to ruin the celebratory mood, and pick up their first victory of the 2025 season. Cavalry remain the only club in the Canadian Premier League who the Eagles have not defeated, still winless in their nine all-time meetings. They are also scoreless against Cavalry FC in their past three matches.

Following a difficult start to the 2025 season, with back-to-back home losses to York United (2-0) and Atlético Ottawa (4-1), the Eagles head on the road for the first time this campaign.

Despite scoring just once through those first two games, they have been getting into good positions offensively — just lacking the final product. Through two matches, Vancouver sit tied for second in the league in touches in the opposition box, with 44, and a league-leading 58 passes into the box.

Their first road trip of the season, however, couldn’t be more difficult as the Eagles land in arguably the most treacherous away ground in the league. Cavalry have lost just twice at ATCO Field in CPL action over the past two seasons combined. They have collected 15 victories and a league-leading 56 home points in that time, three more than rivals Forge FC.

Much of that home dominance has been built on defensive performance, as Cavalry have conceded just 26 goals in 28 home matches over the past two campaigns — the fewest in the league.

However, after a 1-0 loss in opening weekend Cavalry still have never won a CPL match in the month of April. They are, however, undefeated in home openers at ATCO Field, with three victories and two draws.

RELATED: Levi Laing ‘hungry to win trophies’ after securing transfer to Cavalry FC

Vancouver FC remain without midfielder Vasco Fry, who is serving the final match of his suspension on Friday. The Eagles are still waiting for visa approval for multiple of their international signings, while Mehdi Essoussi missed this past Sunday’s match with Atlético Ottawa due to school commitments.

Cavalry, meanwhile, have a few injury questions. Diego Gutiérrez and Eryk Kobza are out with longer-term injuries, while Jesse Daley will also be unavailable on Friday. New signing, central defender Levi Laing will come into the 18 and could potentially make his debut, according to Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

All CPL 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

• Can Vancouver FC’s Elage Bah continue his strong start to the season?: Vancouver FC has no shortage of exciting young players, but through two weeks, winger Elage Bah has quickly established himself as one to watch. The tireless attacker had a lovely assist on VFC’s first goal of the season as he curled a ball in behind perfectly into the path of Terran Campbell. Through two matchweeks, he has been heavily involved on both sides of the ball for Vancouver FC, leading all players in the CPL  in dribbles completed (6), and duels won (15). “He has such a great mentality, first player in the clubhouse, a lot of activation after training, and I feel he’s going to have a big season,” said Vancouver FC manager Afshin Ghotbi after last weekend’s game against Atlético Ottawa.
  
  

• How will Levi Laing’s addition aid Cavalry FC’s backline?: Cavalry FC’s backline was always going to be a source of discussion this season following the departure of back-to-back CPL Defender of the Year Daan Klomp, but it was only exacerbated by an early-season injury to Eryk Kobza. This week, Cavalry FC got some crucial reinforcement with the signing of 22-year-old English central defender Levi Laing. A product of the Arsenal and West Ham youth academies, who made a first-team appearance with the Hammers in the UEFA Conference League, Laing brings an exciting profile to the Calgary club. “He’s a big lad, he brings a great deal of athleticism, power, but he can play,” said Wheeldon Jr. “You don’t come through Arsenal’s academy and through to West Ham, even making an appearance in the first team, with you can’t play as well…he’s a highly intelligent lad, that is going to be a terrific defender and a great addition.” 
  

• The pros and cons of Cavalry FC’s week off: Cavalry FC have had a rather unique start to 2025, dating back to opening training camp on Jan. 6 to prepare for their Concacaf Champions Cup tie against Pumas in early February. Then, after kicking off the league season on April 5 in Hamilton, they had another week off, in what Wheeldon Jr. described as a bit of a “false start” to the 2025 CPL campaign. That doesn’t come without its benefits as well, however, particularly when it comes to integrating new players, and the general health of the squad. “It gives us an extra week to work on some things,” said Wheeldon Jr. “Get Sham [Shamit Shome] back to full fitness, get Michael Baldisimo a few more minutes, get Levi Laing through the door.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Montgomery, Field, Kamdem; Shome, Baldisimo; Musse, Camargo, Herdman; Warschewski

Vancouver FC: Irving; Dada-Luke, Campagna, Enyou, Gee; Tahid, Norman Jr., Mezquida, Bah; Campbell, Díaz

ALL-TIME SERIES

Cavalry FC wins: 6 || Vancouver FC: 0 || Draws: 3

Last meeting:

Sept. 28, 2024 —  Cavalry FC 0-0 Vancouver FC

KEY QUOTES

“They always give us a good game. I know they’ve yet to beat us, but it’s never one that we lessen the respect we have for them. Afshin’s a good coach. They try to play a nice brand of football. And they’ve got a nice blend of young players that they’re bringing through to move on, and also some old heads. Like they’re bringing back two of the most potent, if not the most potent — Terran Campbell and Alejandro Díaz, two of the best this league’s seen.”— Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

“The last time we were here was the final, and the celebrations there. So it’s exciting to be back home. I think it’s an opportunity for the team. We have a job at hand first and foremost, which is three points on the line tomorrow. ”— Cavalry FC goalkeeper Marco Carducci                                        

 “Obviously, we’re playing the champion of last season, we’re playing a team that has enormous experience and balance, and they even had a different preparation, as did Forge, because they played in the Champions Cup. So we’re the big underdogs going into the match but I think football has to be played, it’s decided on the day… we go there for victory, we go there for surprise and we go there to give our best, but it’s going to be a massive challenge for our group.” — Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi

“I think our defensive shape has been really lacking recently. Obviously, we are still pretty early on in the season but we’ve got to get that straightened out before things get worse. I think overall we’ve been decent, we’ve had our fair share of chances but we can’t put it into the net. But obviously defensively we’re lacking, that’s the thing we’ve been working on in training and hopefully we’ll be ready for the next game.” — Vancouver FC defender Kunle Dada-Luke