Match in a minute or less
Another ruthless performance from Cavalry FC resulted in a second-consecutive 4-0 victory in CPL action, as Tommy Wheeldon Jr's side dominated Valour FC at ATCO Field on Sunday.
It was Valour who controlled the possession and a lot of the scoring opportunities in the first half, outshooting Cavalry 12-3 in the first 45 minutes, but it was Cavalry who made one of theirs count - with Levi Laing heading home his first professional goal. Cavalry's three-headed monster of Sergio Camargo, Tobias Warschewski and Ali Musse all scored after the break to leave no doubt about which team would be leaving Calgary with three points.
It continued an incredible month for the Cavs, who have scored 13 goals in four league games since the calendar flipped to May, and find themselves within striking distance of the top of the table again.
Three Observations
The Tobias Warschewski Show continues with another outstanding performance
Tobias Warschewski ended the 2024 Canadian Premier League season on a tear, lifting Cavalry FC to their first North Star Cup and winning the Golden Boot and Final MVP in the process. He has continued that magnificent form into 2025, and is firmly in the conversation to repeat as the league's top scorer.
With his second half strike, an incredible cross-goal rocket from distance that soared past Eleias Himaras, Warschewski is up to 15 goals in his last 16 matches for the Cavs in all competitions. Five of his goals this season have been in the league, an he's added two in the Canadian Championship and one in the Concacaf Champions Cup for a memorable start to the season that he will be looking to ride for as long as possible.
On Sunday Warschewski also added an assist on Sergio Camargo's goal less than five minutes into the second half, bringing the German forward up to five goals and two assists in seven league games. He's one back of Ottawa's Sam Salter and York's Julian Altobelli for the goals lead, and finds himself two back of David Rodriguez of Ottawa for the assists lead.
Combine Warschewski's recent form with that of Ali Musse as well and the Cavs attack finds itself in a very good place heading into the end of the month. Musse, who scored the fourth Cavalry goal on Sunday, is just behind his teammate with four goals and two assists in CPL action, in addition to a goal of his own in the cup.
When these two are at their best, Cavalry as a whole are arguably the most dangerous team in the league, and they are currently leading an incredible run for the entire squad from top to bottom.
Valour create a lot of chances, but learn a tough lesson about being clinical in front of goal
After getting their first win of the Canadian Premier Legaue season last weekend against York United, followed by a midweek draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship, Valour FC made the trip west to Calgary high on confidence, and it showed in the first half.
The Winnipeggers took 12 shots in the first 45, more than their season average of 11.3 shots per game coming into the weekend. They were pinning Cavalry in their own half for long stretches, and the hosts didn't have an answer at times for their pressure, but every time Valour created some room to get a shot away, they were sending it high or wide of the target.
Just two of those 12 first half shots forced a save from Marco Carducci - a dipping shot from distance off the foot of Bruno Figueiredo that the Cavs goalkeeper was able to get a fist to, and a rushed attempt on a breakaway that Jevontae Layne was unable to take advantage of.
In contrast, Cavalry only had two real opportunities in the first half but found the back of the net with one of them, an example of what sometimes separates good teams from great ones. After being let off the hook a bit in the first half, Cavalry opened the floodgates when play resumed, finding three more in 27 minutes to put them game to bed and lock down the three points.
In total, Cavalry had six shots on target from 13 attempts and scored four, while in the end Valour had no goals with three shots on target from 17 attempts. Cavalry made their chances count, and they stacked them one after the other to twist the knife.
There's no question it was a tough night at the office for Valour, but there were signs, mostly in the first half, that is it a team capable of taking another step forward. The challenge now is living up to it week in and week out, and putting the ball into the back of the net with regularity to take leads and hold on to them.
After April showers, Cavalry's May flowers continue to bloom with another statement victory
One of the most unbelievable stats in CPL history is that Cavalry FC have never won a league match in the month of April. It comes up every year, and every year head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr stresses that the season is not a sprint but a marathon. The Cavs always find a way to challenge for trophies at the season, so why overreact in the early weeks of the season?
That has proven to be true once again so far, with Cavalry shooting up the table in recent weeks and scoring goals for fun. In four league matches since the calendar flipped, they are now 4-0-0 with 13 goals scored and just one conceded. They beat York United 2-1 to kick off May, before beating current league leaders Halifax Wanderers FC 3-0 and picking up back-to-back 4-0 victories over Pacific FC and now Valour FC.
Those 13 goals have come from seven different players as well, with Nicolas Wähling, Sergio Camargo, Mihail Gherasimencov and Levi Laing all finding the back of the net for the first time this season over the course of the past two matches. Tobias Warschewski has scored in four games in a row in the league while Ali Musse has scored in three straight, as the reigning CPL champions fire on all cylinders.
Wheeldon Jr compared his attacking unit to surgeons after the match - clinical and precise in everything they do as they continue to rack up the points.
Suddenly the Cavs find themselves in third place, just four points back of Halifax and second-place Atlético Ottawa with a game in hand over both of them. They are tied on points with last year's CPL Shield winners Forge FC as well, setting up a mouthwatering CPL Final rematch next weekend in Hamilton. Forge are the only unbeaten team remaining in the league, but after a string of unconvincing performances will want to pick up three big points against their bitter rivals from Alberta.
Trophies can't be won in April or May, but teams can certainly fire warning shots to set the tone for the rest of the campaign, and if the last few weeks are anything to go by, the Cavs are continuing their legacy as perrenial contenders.
What They Said
“Enjoying his football. We often complicate things as coaches. We can give them principles about how we want to play with or without the ball, but at the end of day there's still a kid inside that just wants to play football, and we've brought that player out in him. He's got a great support cast with Sergio [Camargo], with [Nicolas] Wähling, with [Ali] Musse, [Jay] Herdman today, Mihail [Gherasimencov] and Sham[it Shome] on the underneath, and I think he's just doing what he does best. That's one of the best goals we've scored here. They were like a group of surgeons near the end.” — Tommy Wheeldon Jr on Tobias Warschewski
“This one's pretty easy to take a lesson from. Certainly the last thing I'm going to do is take away anything from what they did today. Plenty of quality on their team and on that field for them today, but today's a bit more of a matter of I feel like we beat ourselves. They played a very good game, but we believe, it's a collective feeling, that there are things that we could have done, to minimize how that went. I believe the first 45, we felt like we were on the front foot, but simple, little things that we can do to get better." — Gianfranco Facchineri
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Tobias Warschewski, Cavalry FC
Warschewski's outstanding form continued on Sunday with another goal and assist, as he led the charge in Cavalry's second half domination.
What’s next?
Cavalry FC hit the road next weekend, visiting Forge FC in Hamilton on Saturday for this week's TSN game on TSN3 (5 p.m. ET/3 p.m. MT). Valour return home for a date with Pacific FC on Sunday at Princess Auto Stadium to close out matchweek nine in the Canadian Premier League.
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