The champions continue searching for their first league win of 2025 this week, as Cavalry FC host an undefeated Atlético Ottawa at ATCO Field in Saturday afternoon's nationally-televised clash.
Through two games so far this year, Cavalry haven't quite had the start to the regular season they would've hoped, with just one point -- a draw against Vancouver FC, snatched in the 95th minute last week by Tobias Warschewski. The Cavs will therefore be keen for the attack to start flowing better this week after it took them over 180 minutes to score their first goal of the campaign.
Of course, the good news for Cavalry is that Warschewski has picked up right where he left off last year; the German striker was once again the hero for the Calgary side, and looks like he'll continue his rampant scoring form in early 2025.
Meanwhile, it's a confident and dangerous Atlético Ottawa side that arrives in Alberta this weekend. They've played three games and remain unbeaten, with two wins and a draw.
Last weekend, Ottawa came out on top in a five-goal thriller against York United, where young defender Noah Abatneh was the hero in the 96th minute to grab a 3-2 win for Atleti at home. The capital city club have now scored a league-leading nine goals already this seasons, with their attack clicking excellently under new head coach Diego Mejía.
Ottawa have become something of a bogey team for Cavalry, with eight victories in 16 contests against the Alberta-based side. These teams drew both matches at ATCO Field last season, and in fact the Cavs have only ever won at home once against Atlético, in seven attempts.
The sides are effected to be near full strength for this clash, although Ottawa will need to wait another week for Brett Levis to return to full health. Cavalry, meanwhile, remain without Diego Gutiérrez and Eryk Kobza, as the two stalwarts continue to battle longer-term injuries. The good news, though, is that Chanan Chanda and Jesse Daley have returned to training after missing the first couple games.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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Cavalry looking to ignite attack: The Cavs have taken 21 shots in their two games played so far, but have just one goal to show for it. While Tobias Warschewski is undoubtedly a remarkable talent in the CPL, who has played the hero on multiple occasions now, Cavalry can't always rely on him to provide a moment of magic. Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and co. will have been working hard in training this week to find ways of unlocking Atlético Ottawa, and in particular to get Ali Musse going on the right side of the attack. The Cavs scored the third-most goals in the league last season, and they'll be keen to get back to their high-scoring ways as soon as possible -- though it's easier said than done against Ottawa's well-drilled back three.
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Ottawa's depth helping them over the line: One thing that's been immediately evident with this Ottawa team is how many weapons they're able to bring off the bench. In their opening match, Aboubacar Sissoko came on in the second half and scored the equalizer; last week, Kevin Dos Santos came off the bench to set up Noah Abatneh's winning goal. Atleti have consistently been able to bring difference-makers on to change games late; Monty Patterson has caused problems for defences in all three of his substitute appearances. Head coach Diego Mejía has shown that he intends on using his squad to the fullest extent this year, with calculated rotation throughout the season, meaning everybody stays sharp and is ready to make an impact at any point in a game.
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Any rotation for Cavs yet? Cavalry's starting XI has been stable through the first two matches of the season, with no changes last week from the lineup in week one. Indeed, nine of the players in the Cavs' lineup also started last year's CPL Final, as well as the Concacaf Champions Cup matches in February. However, a few new faces in Cavalry's squad could be primed for more significant roles this week. For instance, Michael Baldisimo seems a likely option to start in midfield ahead of youngster Niko Myroniuk, while experienced centre-back Levi Laing could be in line for a Cavs debut. After a disappointing output against Vancouver last week, Tommy Wheeldon Jr. might feel the time is ripe to freshen up his team. Wheeldon mentioned Friday that Laing is fully fit and is working to get accustomed to Cavalry's tactical identity; meanwhile, Caniggia Elva and Baldisimo are apparently close to
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Laing, Montgomery, Kamdem; Baldisimo, Shome; Musse, Camargo, Herdman; Warschewski
Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Didić, Abatneh, Cloutier; Moreno, Aparicio, Castro, Antinoro; Rodríguez, Salter, Tabla
ALL-TIME SERIES
Cavalry FC wins: 4 || Atlético Ottawa wins: 8 || Draws: 4
Last meeting:
Sept. 15, 2024 — Cavalry FC 2-2 Atlético Ottawa
KEY QUOTES
"If there's anything I know about this group it's that they're very resilient. They respond, they react to situations that don't always go their way. They have to earn their stripes again, and that's something we worked on in the training ground this week; no game is easy in this league.” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
"It's important that the 23 players know the model. I like to switch players depending on the rival's patterns; I analyze and I try to attack the weakness of the rival. So it's important the 11 starters and the other seven guys on the bench [are ready]." — Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
