Saturday's Canadian Premier League doubleheader kicks off in Calgary on Saturday afternoon, where Cavalry FC and Halifax Wanderers FC will face off in a crucial match in the battle for third place.
Third place is so important for CPL clubs because it allows that team to skip the Knockout Match, held midweek a few days after the final day of the regular season between the fourth and fifth-place finishers, and host the winner of that game in the Semifinal Qualifier on the weekend instead. That extra rest, and lack of travel, can be hugely beneficial after the regular season and before the highest-stakes battles of the year in the playoffs -- and it is also a guaranteed home playoff game, which all clubs are striving for.
Cavalry currently sit third on 33 points, with Halifax in fourth on 32 points -- tied with York United but ahead of the Nine Stripes because of their head-to-head records. Matchweek 23 presents a huge opportunity for Cavalry to grow that gap over the two teams chasing them, if they can take care of their own business on Saturday afternoon and get some help from high-flying Atlético Ottawa on Sunday when they visit York.
On the other hand, they could end the weekend in fifth and chasing the other two teams, making this weekend a crucial one.
Both Cavalry and Halifax played Forge FC and York United in their last two matches, but they had very different results.
Halifax crushed York United 4-0 at home on Labour Day Monday, with a brace from Jason Bahamboula leading the way. They then travelled to Hamilton Stadium last weekend, where they held off Forge for most of the match before a moment of lost concentration saw the Hammers win after a goal from Mo Babouli in the 81st minute.
Cavalry, meanwhile, demolished Forge at ATCO Field, crusing to a 4-1 victory in the first match between the two longtime rivals in Calgary since the Cavs won the 2024 Canadian Premier League final. It was Forge's first defeat of the season after a record-breaking unbeaten streak, increasing expectations ahead of Cavalry's trip to York Lions Stadium last weekend, but the Nine Stripes recovered well from their defeat to the Wanderers, winning 3-1 with the only Cavs goal coming from an 87th-minute Fraser Aird penalty.
Saturday's match will be the fourth and final meeting of the regular season between these two sides, but as mentioned, there is a strong chance these sides might cross paths again in the CPL Playoffs. Cavalry won 3-0 in their first trip to the east coast this season back in May, but settled for a 1-1 draw in the rematch in Halifax in June.
The Wanderers visited Calgary on August 9 for the most recent game between these two sides, but nobody could break the deadlock in a goalless, yet entertaining draw at ATCO Field.
Both sides are expected to be missing some key players for this match, or have them reduced to limited minutes.
From Halifax's perspective, Lorenzo Callegari will get a rare night off after being suspended one match for yellow card accumulation. Tiago Coimbra's availability will be a last-minute decision according to head coach Patrice Gheisar, who said that his leading scorer is "95 per cent" healthy after a minor injury, but was not able to confirm if he will play or even travel.
Ryan Telfer and Andre Rampersad will be available after playing for Trinidad and Tobago in World Cup qualifying this week. They both flew directly to Calgary, and could both be slotted right into the starting lineup to play in place of Coimbra and/or Callegari.
Cavalry, meanwhile, had Mihail Gherasimencov and Ali Musse overseas this week, representing their national teams -- the Moldova under-21s and Somalia, respectively. How involved they will be on Saturday remains to be seen, but both would be contenders to start or play key minutes off the bench if they can.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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Who replaces Lorenzo Callegari in Wanderers midfield?: A key cog in the Halifax Wanderers midfield will be missing on Saturday, with Lorenzo Callegari set to miss out as he serves a one game suspension for yellow card accumulation. Callegari is one of four players to have appeared in all 22 matches for the Wanderers so far this season, playing 1,888 of a possible 1980 minutes as the leader in Patrice Gheisar's midfield. Several players are in contention to replace him and start next to the other expected starter in midifield Isaiah Johnston, including club captain Andre Rampersad, who played the full 180 minutes for Trinidad and Tobago in World Cup qualifying this week. Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé has also been back into the mix over the past few weeks and could slot in there, while Alessandro Biello could also fill in and be a candidate for his second start of the year.
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Third place up for grabs with six games to go: Finishing third, rather than fourth or fifth, has a huge advantage in the Canadian Premier League, with that team skipping the first round of the CPL Playoffs and advancing straight to the Semifinal Qualifier, where they will host the winner of the fourth versus fifth battle a few days earlier. Extra rest and a guaranteed home playoff game are what every team wants at that time of year, and this weekend's matches could go a long way to deciding who takes that spot. Cavalry is currently in third, one point up on both Halifax and York United, and can increase that gap to a more comfortable four points if results go their way this weekend. They could also slip to fourth with a loss to Halifax, or fifth if York United win as well, making this clash at ATCO Field one of the most important games of the season after losing to York last week.
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Which Cavalry will we see at ATCO Field?: Cavalry has been the best home team in the Canadian Premier League since the league's inception, something that the club is proud of, and uses to its advantage with the passionate fans at ATCO Field. Last time they were at home, they crushed league leaders Forge FC 4-1 in a rematch of last year's CPL Final, but they then went to York Lions Stadium last weekend and lost 3-1 to York United. They had more possession and shots than the Nine Stripes in that game, but they were not able to turn chances into goals like they did in their clinical performance a week prior. Which version of the reigning champions shows up on Saturday will dictate which way the results go, with the Cavs boasting the quality to beat any club on their day.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Laing, Klomp, Kamdem; Kobza, Baldisimo; Sellouf, Camargo, Ntignee; Warschewski
Halifax Wanderers FC: Yesli; Alphonse, Meilleur-Giguère, Sow; Pearlman, Rampersad, Johnston, Timoteo; Dias, Bahamboula, Rea
ALL-TIME SERIES
Cavalry FC wins: 13 || Halifax Wanderers FC wins: 3 || Draws: 9
Last meeting:
August 9, 2025 — Cavalry FC 0-0 Halifax Wanderers FC
KEY QUOTES
"They're such a good team. They had a bit of a setback last week, but the game before that they were brilliant, so you expect them to be out for revenge." – Halifax Wanderers FC head coach Patrice Gheisar
