Final Score: Cavalry FC 4-0 Pacific FC |
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Match in a minute or less
Cavalry FC's red-hot May continued on Saturday, as they thumped Pacific FC 4-0 at ATCO Field to move up to third in the CPL table. Their festivities began early, as Mihail Gherasimencov smashed a shot from the edge of the box into the top corner for his first goal with the Cavs.
In the second half, the home side's stampede continued thanks to two penalty kicks within minutes of each other just after the hour mark. Tobias Warschewski slotted the first, then handed off to Ali Musse who scored the next one in the 69th minute to make it 3-0.
Finally, Nicolas Wähling powered home a free kick with the final touch of the match, as the Cavs rode to a resounding win over a frustrated Pacific side.
Three Observations
Cavalry stay aggressive, ruthless with direct attacks down flanks, good set-pieces
When Cavalry FC get the ball to Ali Musse or Tobias Warschewski at pace on the right wing, there's very little any defender in the CPL can do. Both players are so lethal when they get moving with the ball, and it becomes a no-win situation for a defender: Step forward, and they might beat you on the dribble and get in behind, or back off and give them space to pick out an assist or aim for goal.
In the first half, Cavalry managed to ensure the game was played at the speed they wanted. They pulled Pacific out of position and moved forward quickly enough to prevent their opponents from setting up in their shape, which let Warschewski, Musse and Mihail Gherasimencov stretch the game and hit in transition.
None of the goals, however, came from those fast-paced moments. Rather, the Cavs used their speed to win corners and free kicks, which was how they ultimately scored. The first three were the result of corners, indirectly; the first was a failed clearance, and the two penalties were won thanks to well-delivered crosses into heavy-traffic areas to draw Pacific's mistakes.
Cavalry have always been one of the CPL's most dangerous teams from dead-ball situations, and they did well on Saturday to make the most of those; even though it wasn't their traditional method of turning set-pieces into goals, they capitalized on their opportunities.
The stats sheet paints a picture of dominance in this performance: 19 shots for Cavalry, 59 per cent possession, 137 passes in the final third, and 32 touches in the box.
As Tommy Wheeldon Jr. pointed out postmatch, the momentum is with Cavalry right now. They've won four on the trot (including their Canadian Championship win), and in the last two matches they've out-scored opponents 7-0.
Organized Cavalry defence stifles toothless, 'unconfident' Pacific attack
As has been the case a few times in 2025, Pacific's failure to create much in attack was a serious concern for them on Saturday.
So far this season, they've had performances where they've looked dangerous and dynamic, as well as performances where they've struggled to get the ball into the attacking third.
This match was the latter; the Tridents had enough trouble getting the ball off Cavalry, but when they did get it, they found themselves running into dead ends and unable to connect passes into attacking areas.
There might not be a more frustrated player in the Canadian Premier League right now than Marco Bustos. The creative attacker has been looking better and better the last few weeks, and once again he was the focal point of the Tridents' few chances, but he found himself heavily marked every time he was on the ball. Bustos delivered a couple of excellent balls and created two chances -- one of which was an excellent free kick to Dario Zanatta, who probably should have finished it.
Josh Heard mentioned after the match that he thinks Pacific's attacking players are lacking confidence at the moment, and certainly it feels like it; there's a fragility and sluggishness to the way they move the ball forward, probing slowly and speculatively toward the box rather than being decisive and ruthless.
Pacific were limited to five shots -- none of them on target -- and only 0.84 expected goals, of which 0.71 was that single Zanatta chance. They got the ball into the final third 40 times, but they turned that into just nine touches in the penalty area.
Credit is due to Cavalry's defence, though. They did a very good job of isolating Pacific's forwards, Bustos especially, which was a large part of the reason the Tridents' front three couldn't connect.
The Cavs' back four didn't need to make a ton of defensive actions like tackles or clearances, because their positioning and organization was so good that they could keep Pacific away from the penalty area. Fullbacks Fraser Aird and Tom Field did well staying compact on the flanks out of possession and springing forward quickly, while Levi Laing and Callum Montgomery patrolled the central channels.
Pacific punished for errors in key moments
When they look back at the tape from this one, Pacific will be most annoyed at themselves for how preventable the goals were.
Shortly before Gherasimencov's opener, Dario Zanatta had a chance to head the ball to safety -- or at least back toward the corner flag, rather than directly to the top of the box where Gherasimencov was.
Then in the second half, both penalties were the result of individual errors; Lajeunesse was perhaps unfortunate for the ball to strike his arm on the first one, but he still missed the potential clearing header. A few minutes later, Emanuel Montejano's challenge on Musse was sloppy and poorly timed, and it put the game completely out of reach only four minutes after he'd come into the match to try and save it. Even the fourth goal was the result of a poor foul right on the edge of the box.
This loss is a tremendous setback for Pacific, who seemed like they might turn a corner after last week's comeback win over York.
James Merriman was evidently furious with the way his team started the match; he mentioned in his press conference that the fact they conceded so early from a poorly cleared set-piece was evidence that they weren't ready from the start of the match.
Back to the drawing board for the Tridents, who can't afford to just forget about this one and move on, but will hope to put it behind them quickly in a tricky home game against Forge next weekend.
What They Said
“We're getting there. It's a process; sometimes we're a bit slow out of the gates, but good things are starting to happen. Like I said before the game, it was all about just finding rhythm, and it's nice to do that at home in front of our fans. A lot of goals to celebrate, but also a shutout.” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Ali Musse, Cavalry FC
In his 100th match for the Cavs, Musse was tremendous again, not only scoring the third goal but also delivering excellent balls ahead of the first two. Musse had five shots, eight touches in the box, won seven duels and drew a pair of fouls, looking dangerous every time the ball came to him.
What’s next?
Both sides are back at home next weekend, starting with Pacific next Saturday, May 24 when they host Forge FC (2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET). Cavalry then take on Valour FC on Sunday at ATCO Field (3 p.m. MT/5 p.m. ET).
Before that, however, the Cavs are in action against Vancouver FC on Wednesday, as their TELUS Canadian Championship quarter-final clash kicks off.
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