York United look to make it six straight matches unbeaten in CPL action as they step onto the pitch at ATCO Field on Saturday.
Their last loss? It came against the same side they will face, Cavalry FC, 2-1, back on June 8 in Calgary.
They come into Saturday's match riding the high of their biggest victory of the season, 4-0 against Vancouver FC this past Saturday at York Lions Stadium.
Getting results against Cavalry has always been a difficult proposition for the Nine Stripes, however, as they have won just four of 23 all-time meetings.
They also lost earlier in the year on May 2 at home. A big factor in both losses? Conceding first. Tobias Warschewski opened the scoring in that first meeting in the first half, before Sergio Camargo struck just two minutes into the match on June 8.
Just how important could the first goal be in this match? Cavalry are yet to win this season, 0-3-3, when allowing the opening goal. They are undefeated, a stunning 7-1-0, when they do score first.
Cavalry are coming off of a dramatic late victory in Winnipeg this past Sunday, where Camargo scored in second-half stoppage time to hand them a crucial three points.
The result pushed Cavalry into third place, a spot they will be looking to maintain on Saturday, while keeping the pressure on the league's top two -- currently trailing Atlético Ottawa and Forge by seven and six points, respectively.
The Nine Stripes, meanwhile, are just four points behind Cavalry, and will be keen to narrow that gap to just a single point as they look to push into the top four themselves. Cavalry has played one fewer game than everyone in the league with the exception of Valour FC -- who they meet on Tuesday.
York will get a boost from the return of Orlando Botello and Oswaldo León, both of whom were suspended for this past weekend's match and have been important pieces on the left side of defence this season. Other than Steffen Yeates, everyone else is available for the Nine Stripes, according to head coach Mauro Eustáquio.
Cavalry, meanwhile, are without Shamit Shome and Caniggia Elva for this match, while Michael Baldisimo is close to returning from injury but more likely to feature on Tuesday against Valour. The Calgary club are bolstered, however, by new signings Ayman Sellouf and Goteh Ntignee, both of whom are expected to be available following the opening of the secondary transfer window on Thursday.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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Can Cavalry go on a second-half run once again?: The 2025 Canadian Premier League campaign is about to officially enter what OneSoccer analyst Gareth Wheeler has dubbed "Cavs season". It is called that for good reason, as the second half of the campaign has traditionally been where Cavalry have hit their stride. Over the past two seasons combined, they went an incredible 20-5-3 during their final 14 matches of the campaign. Last year, after 14 matches, Cavalry found themselves in sixth place, ironically coming off of a 2-1 loss against York United. They ended the season in second place, just two points behind CPL Shield winners Forge FC and would go on to win the CPL Final. Currently in a much better position than a year ago, third, whether they can replicate that form this season remains to be seen. But this is a team that over the years has proven they know how to go on runs this time of year.
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York United's attacking depth: Last weekend against Vancouver FC, York United exploded for a season-high four goals. They have scored 12 goals in their last four matches in all competitions. Part of what has made them so deadly is the depth that they now possess up front. Against Vancouver, they opened the scoring through Adonijah Reid, who now has three goals and an assist in his last three CPL matches. He started alongside the team's leading scorer Julian Altobelli and Massimo Ferrin. By the time the match finished, York had a completely new front three, with Shola Jimoh, Gabriel Bitar and Shaan Hundal. Hundal, making his York debut, was outstanding in holding up play, while Bitar scored a brace off the bench. Having so much attacking depth, especially when it is in form, is only going to make this York team that much more dangerous over the back half of the season as they look to present different issues for opponents, both with the players who start and finish matches.
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Cavalry FC also have some new weapons: Speaking of attacking depth, Cavalry added some big pieces to their team over the past few weeks with the signings of Goteh Ntignee and Ayman Sellouf -- two players who have proven to be prolific attackers in their past time in the CPL. The pair will critically give Cavalry some different profiles of attackers to add to their mix, with Ntignee's speed and ability to get in behind backlines a significant asset, as is Sellouf's ability to beat defenders in one-v-one situations. "We all know what Goteh did with us, and I think there's more to come, he's still only 23," said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. "We've got to really build his love of the game. With Sellouf, always hated playing against him. I think he's that type of player where we are seeing low blocks and tight defending and you can't just score in this league. So we need a lock picker, and that's exactly what he is."
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Laing, Montgomery, Gherasimencov; Kobza, Gutiérrez; Musse, Camargo, Ntignee; Warschewski
York United: Urtiaga; Singh, Sturing, León; Ferrazzo, Adekugbe, Kibato, Botello; Reid, Ferrin, Altobelli
ALL-TIME SERIES
Cavalry FC wins: 16 || York United wins: 4 || Draws: 3
Last meeting:
June 8, 2025 — Cavalry FC 2-1 York United
KEY QUOTES
"We always seem to hit [York] in the hot streaks, so maybe that's a good thing because it raises our level...we've got to respect what they bring. Mauro's done a really good job with them. They play a nice brand of football." -- Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
"This is the part of the season where things get exciting. We see the end in sight, playoff positions start becoming clearer...now it's really seeing teams separate from each other." -- Cavalry FC midfielder Sergio Camargo
"The [most recent] game we had in Calgary, reviewing it a couple of times back, we were the better team. They ended up getting three points. And that's what makes Cavalry a dangerous team. In even the games that they're not the best at home, they can get results" -- York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio
"I feel like there's still another gear for us to go. I feel like we've been improving a lot since the beginning of the season, especially the last couple of weeks, last two months. I feel like everyone really understands the system now, and understands what Mauro wants from us, and it's going really well." -- York United defender Frank Sturing
