"We are in the entertainment business, are we not entertained?"
A smile grew on Tommy Wheeldon Jr.'s face as he sat down for his postgame press conference at ATCO Field on Sunday night.
"That's one of the best ever games I've ever been involved in," the Cavalry FC boss added. He had just left the pitch after Cavalry emerged victorious from a back-and-forth match that ended with his side picking up a 5-4 victory, and a much-needed one too to snap a four-game winless run.
After the high of going up 4-3 in the 88th minute thanks to a goal from Mihail Gherasimencov, Cavalry's excitement vanished when Emrick Fotsing headed home a corner kick five minutes into stoppage time to make it 4-4. With one last chance to win the game moments later, a familiar hero stepped up for the Cavs: Daan Klomp.
The Dutch defender only landed in Calgary a few days earlier to begin a second stint with the club. The first brought CPL Shield and North Star Cup triumphs, two Defender of the Year awards and the 2023 Player of the Year crown. On Sunday, seven minutes into stoppage time, he returned to ATCO Field with a bang, coming off the bench and heading home the winning goal, before celebrating with his arms outstretched right in front of the fans who have chanted his name for years.
"It's kind of like a fairy tale," Klomp said after the game, emotional and with a smile that wouldn't soon fade. "I couldn't write it any better, so it's the best welcome home story I could have wished for. To be honest, I was still coming down when the ball went in, so I didn't really see it go in, and then I heard the noise and knew it was in.
"I was a bit overwhelmed when it went in, it's an amazing feeling."
Klomp, whose résumé is among the best in league history, said that the goal was among the best moments he has experienced with the club.
"It's close to being at the top," he started. "Of course, I've had some wonderful moments at this club, winning trophies is a different type of happiness I think, but like I said I could not write it any better. It's an incredible feeling [and I'm] happy to celebrate it with with the fans and my teammates and all the staff."
Klomp being high up the pitch in an attacking position after coming off the bench was not orchestrated by the coaching staff according to Wheeldon Jr. His decision to go forward and get involved, and ultimately score the winning goal, come from an elite positional awareness, and years of stepping into the attack in similar ways made it all happen naturally.
"He reads the game, reads the situation, goes where the ball needs to be, and on the defending side he's very good at his duels," Wheeldon Jr. said. "We couldn't have scripted that any better, could we? I think the fans all left here star struck, shocked, entertained, and they said that's what this business is all about."
Klomp's goal capped a win that was significant in many ways for Cavalry. Their winless streak ended, Tobias Warschewski found his first goal since May to snap an uncharacterisitc drought, and they set a new CPL record for the fastest time to score two goals in a match, at just three minutes and 36 seconds.
"I think when [Klomp] walked into the locker room, he brings a great swagger and in that inspires confidence in the time we need it," Wheeldon Jr. said. "What [the goal] did is validate why we brought him back, because he's a big player in a big moment.
"We could have won that game four times over, but we didn't, and it took his goal at the end -- when hope was lost, he comes up with a big goal."
The match was also a special one for Wheeldon Jr., as it was his 200th in charge of Cavalry after leading the club since day one. It was certainly an eventful match at ATCO Field, but it is certainly one that he will never forget.
"I'd have preferred a three-nil win, of course, but I'll take any win at this point," Wheeldon Jr said. "I said to the lads, 'Let's just go out and attack with freedom', and I think we did that.
"We'll touch on defending next week," he added with a laugh.
Despite picking up the full three points, the Cavs will need to be better in their next match -- when they visit Atlético Ottawa in the capital on Saturday evening. Currently ten points back of Ottawa with nine matches remaining, this match is a huge opportunity for Cavalry to close that gap to seven points, and keep their hopes of finishing in the top two alive.
Ottawa lost to league leaders Forge earlier on Sunday, while the other two teams above the playoff line -- York United and Halifax Wanderers FC -- drew their matches as well. That helped the Cavs make up a bit of ground, and with Saturday presenting another direct opportunity to improve their playoff positioning, they need to put up a strong performance.
"It's a chance for us to start climbing the table," Wheeldon Jr. said. "There's 10 points now between us and Ottawa, we've got to try and bring that down and we have an opportunity to start, playing against them next week. We're going to enjoy this game, enjoy the result and move on to next week."
With several players returning from injuries and suspensions and new singings bolstering the squad, Cavalry's depth has been built back up, and when they are at their full strength, are capable of being the best team in the Canadian Premier League -- as their 2024 North Star Cup suggests.
Despite the recent slide, they have never stopped believing in their potential.
"We always knew we had talent," Wheeldon Jr. said. "Have the results gone our way? No, not really, but I wouldn't want to play us if I'm another coach."
Klomp and Cavalry are a match made in heaven, and if he and his teammates can continue to provide moments of magic like on Sunday night, there could be another special end to the season in store.
