| Final Score: Cavalry FC 3-0 Valour FC Goalscorers: Kobza 3', Ntignee 55', Elva 89' Game of the 2025 season: 94 CPL Match: 689 |
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Match in a minute or less
The defending champs are back in the dance as they clinched a playoff spot on Saturday following a 3-0 victory at ATCO Field against Valour.
Eryk Kobza opened the scoring for a second consecutive match in the third minute, before Cavalry put the match to bed in the second half through goals from Goteh Ntignee and substitute Caniggia Elva.
Cavalry also solidified their third-place position in the table and kept their four-point gap ahead of Halifax in fourth place. Valour, meanwhile, will have to wait until Sunday to learn their fate, as a York United victory against Vancouver FC would eliminate them from playoff contention.
Three Observations
Cavalry clinch playoff spot for a seventh straight year
Cavalry FC will officially get an opportunity to defend their 2024 title as they clinched a playoff spot on Saturday.
Their 3-0 victory over Valour, crucially, has come from a stretch where they have finally found some measure of consistency, after winning back-to-back matches in the league for the first time since May 25. Coincidentally, that was also the last time they played Valour at home.
With an outstanding home record lately, Saturday's win also put them in a good position when it comes to securing a home playoff match, as it consolidated their third-place spot in the table. The victory put them four points up on fourth-place Halifax Wanderers with four matches to play.
While it is unlikely they will catch either Forge or Atlético Ottawa in the standings, as they sit 10 and eight points behind that pair going into Sunday's meeting between the two of them, they recently beat the Hamilton club 4-1.
Next Saturday, they get the opportunity to travel to the nation's capital and play Atlético Ottawa. They also host Forge on the second-to-last week of the season.
Win those matches, and they will go into the playoffs as one of the most confident teams, regardless of where they finish.
Cavalry FC's electrifying attack is finding form at a crucial time
Backflips and a lot of goals.
That has been the main attraction when Cavalry have been at their best at ATCO Field over the years, playing a highly entertaining brand of football that often leads to lopsided victories. In a fourth straight home victory, they have now scored 15 goals in that span -- and incredible offensive output.
On Saturday, there was plenty to like as well in the different ways that Cavalry created chances in this match. They looked fluid and connected in their buildup. They found ways in behind with dangerous balls over the top as well, and crucially looked incredibly well-drilled on set pieces.
They also showed their depth of attack, with Caniggia Elva coming off the bench and scoring a lovely goal that demonstrated his quality, but also just the wealth of weapons that this team has right now.
Ali Musse continued his incredible run of attacking form with a lovely delivery on a corner kick in the third minute. It was one of several chances that Cavalry manufactured from dead-ball situations throughout the game, including one that Musse put narrowly wide on some clever ball movement off of a free kick in the 21st minute. Musse now has four goals and four assists in his past five matches, continuing to build on his best statistical CPL season.
At the number ten position, Sergio Camargo picked up his sixth assist on the season on Goteh Ntignee's goal, which was a well-struck effort from outside the box in the 55th minute.
With the playoffs now just over a month away, Cavalry FC's attack looks as lethal as ever.
Valour FC lose battle of the boxes as their playoff hopes slipping away
Perhaps, it could have been a different story for the visitors on Saturday if, just 45 seconds into the match, Kianz Froese had been able to loft the ball over Marco Carducci and open the scoring.
Instead, Valour were left to chase the game from minute three, as Cavalry went the other way and opened the scoring on a corner kick.
Valour maintained the same 4-1-4-1 system that had brought them success in recent matches, but shifted the personnel. Kelsey Egwu drew in as a left-back, with Themi Antonoglou moved forward to play as a left midfielder, and Jordan Faria shifted across to the right flank.
After the match, Valour manager Phil Dos Santos revealed that part of that shift came because Kris Twardek had travelled to Ottawa for his wedding on Thursday, so he wasn't quite ready to start.
For Valour on Saturday, however, it was less about personnel and more about execution.
"I told the team the game would be defined in the box, either way," said Dos Santos.
On the defensive side, despite some at times outstanding work from central defensive pairing of Diego Konincks and Gianfranco Facchineri, the team made some key errors at inopportune times. They lost Kobza in the box on a corner kick for the first goal, turned over the ball from a throw-in on the second, and allowed Elva to beat them after getting on the end of a Carducci goalkick for the third.
Offensively, Valour created plenty of chances, including that aforementioned Froese chance right at the start. Themi Antonoglou and Twardek both had great opportunities from open volleys in the box, and Froese had another header from in close that he sent wide among 16 shots attempted by the visitors.
Now, their fate may be sealed for them, as York United look to become the final team to book a playoff position on Sunday with a victory over Vancouver FC.
What They Said
"We're not done yet. I think the first step was getting in. Now the next step is trying to finish as high as we can. We can't control the results above and below us, so the lads just have to earn what's in front of them, and they're hitting a nice run of form right now." — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr
"I don't think we played a bad game. I don't think the guys had a poor performance; I think that the guys fought. You came here, you created, you had your chances... I think that the team needed to have scored. We didn't. So that's the difference today." — Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Marco Carducci, Cavalry FC
Carducci made several big stops throughout the game, including just 45 seconds into the match when he denied Kianz Froese. He made four saves in total, and also picked up an assist on a lovely ball forward in the 89th minute.
What’s next?
Cavalry are off to the nation's capital, where they will play a crucial clash against Atlético Ottawa on Saturday, September 27 (11 a.m. MT). Valour, meanwhile, head to Ontario, where they take on York United on Sunday, September 28 (2 p.m. CT).
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