Written by:Charlie O'Connor-Clarke
2025 CPL Regular Season — Match #48
Cavalry FC vs. Atlético Ottawa
June 28 at 4 p.m. MT/6 p.m. ET
ATCO Field in Calgary, Alberta
Live: OneSoccer // Tickets available here

The Canadian Premier League leaders head to the den of the champions on Saturday evening, when Atlético Ottawa make their second trip of 2025 to Calgary for a clash with reigning North Star Cup winners Cavalry.

Atleti sit atop the CPL table with 25 points from 12 games, having lost just once all year. However, they need to win to ensure they'll hold onto that place this week; Forge, just two points behind now, also have a game in hand on Ottawa, and could move ahead if they beat York United on Sunday and Atlético lose in Calgary.

Diego Mejía's Ottawa side comes into this match after battling York to a 0-0 draw in suffocatingly hot conditions last weekend. Mejía wasn't too concerned with his side being shut out in that match, given how tough it was to play at the fast pace they usually like to; he expects a much more dynamic performance this weekend in Calgary, where temperatures should be much cooler, with a little rain possible as well.

Cavalry, meanwhile, are also pretty hapy with their current form, as they sit in third place and four points back of the top. They're unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitions, and last weekend they saw off Pacific with a reasonably comfortable 1-0 win thanks to an early Ali Musse goal.

However, the memory of their last meeting with Atlético Ottawa may still be present in the Cavs' minds. Atleti paid ATCO Field a visit near the end of April, and it was fairly disastrous for Cavalry.

The first half was fairly uneventful, but a five-minute sequence around the hour mark featured a Bradley Kamdem own goal, a Kamdem red card, and a quick transition Ballou Tabla goal to put Cavalry down 2-0, with 10 men, in the blink of an eye. The final score was 3-1 after the sides traded late goals, but it was a difficult result to swallow for Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and co. who felt they hadn't played badly outside of that one catastrophic sequence.

Now, Cavalry have a chance to redeem themselves, at a point in the season where they're in much better form — they still hadn't won a game yet at that time in April, but now they're undefeated since that day.

Ottawa head coach Mejía said this week that he expects his team to be near full strength for this game, the only major absences being those with long-term injuries, like Amer Didić. Cavalry, likewise, find themselves slowly returning to their usual squad; Diego Gutiérrez is a potential returnee this week, after he played his first CPL minutes of 2025 off the bench last weekend. He would provide a major boost to the Alberta side. Wheeldon Jr. also said that Eryk Kobza will be back in the 18 this week, while Michael Baldisimo and Bradley Kamdem both remain a few weeks away from returning.

Some of the absolute best in the Canadian Premier League will be on display in Calgary this weekend, which should make for a fascinating matchup.

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3 THINGS TO WATCH

  • Clash of attacking superstars: This is a game you won't want to miss, because there's a lot of starpower on either side which usually leads to some dazzling goals. Atleti will probably roll out their usual front three featuring Ballou Tabla — who scored on his last visit to Calgary, CPL Golden Boot leader Sam Salter (eight goals), and current Player of the Year frontrunner David Rodríguez, who has five goals and five assists. The Cavs, however, can counter with some stars of their own, including last year's Golden Boot winner and CPL Final MVP Tobias Warschewski, as well as a former CPL Players' Player of the Year in Ali Musse. There's no shortage of big names for either team, so don't be surprised if the two heavyweights trade powerful blows.

  • Youth movement strong with both clubs: In addition to the stars up front, a similarity between these sides is the impact of their U-21 players this season. Ottawa are way out front in the CPL's U-21 minutes race, in large part thanks to a back three which will likely again be composed of 17-year-old Sergei Kozlovskiy, 20-year-old Noah Abatneh, and 21-year-old Loïc Cloutier. Cavalry, however, have been seriously boosted by their own youngsters recently, especially 20-year-old utility man Mihail Gherasimencov, who has started both at left-back and up on the wing this season. He, along with the likes of Max Piepgrass, Jay Herdman and Maël Henry among others, has done a great job challenging Cavalry's more established veterans for minutes, which has helped lift the whole team to a new level.

  • Who can win the possession battle? Ottawa coach Diego Mejía spoke recently about how he wants his side to tire opponents out by suffocating them with possession; to him, the best way to defend is by spending the whole match on the ball. They did a good job two weeks ago of pulling Valour out of their shape by passing the ball laterally, and they definitely controlled the second half against York by holding onto possession. That may be trickier against Cavalry, though. Atlético Ottawa and Cavalry are first and second, respectively, in the CPL in average possession share in a match, at 59.3 and 52.7 per cent. Atleti may still look to hold onto the ball in Calgary, but the Cavs are likewise an excellent ball-moving team who don't often give it up easily. That said, it could be an opportunity for Cavalry's trademark high press to challenge Atleti's possession and look to strike on the counter.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Laing, Montgomery, Gherasimencov; Shome, Gutiérrez; Musse, Camargo, Elva; Warschewski

Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Kozlovskiy, Abatneh, Cloutier; Dos Santos, Aparicio, Castro, Antinoro; Rodríguez, Salter, Tabla

ALL-TIME SERIES

Cavalry wins: 4 || Atlético Ottawa wins: 9 || Draws: 4

Last meeting:

April 26, 2025 — Cavalry FC 1-3 Atlético Ottawa

KEY QUOTES

“It's good that we've got young players settling in. It's really good to see our stars shine. It's good for Marco [Carducci] and his backline to be keeping clean sheets. Seven years in the league, [I know] you've just got to stay within the pack that's chasing. The second half of the season is where it really gets interesting, so we're in the mix.” – Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

“In our model we have the principle that 11 players build the game, and 11 players defend. For us, to try to have a good build-up and create a lot of chances, for me it's really important, the first passes and the first decision you take on the ball. I think if we have the ball more than the time we defend, we suffer less and concede less chances to the rivals. That's our best defence, because this team is amazing on the ball.” – Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía