Week 19 of the 2025 Canadian Premier League season wraps up in Calgary on Sunday evening, with Cavalry FC hosting Vancouver FC at ATCO Field.
Vancouver FC head to Calgary riding the high of a huge first leg result in the Canadian Championship midweek, beating high-flying Atlético Ottawa 3-1 at home thanks to goals from Michel da Silva, Hugo Mbongue and Nicolas Mezquida. It was The Eagles who knocked Cavalry out of the competition on penalties at the beginning of July, and the Cavs have won just one game out of six since.
Tommy Wheeldon Jr’s side snapped a three-game losing streak with a scoreless draw at home last weekend against the Halifax Wanderers, but the winless streak hit four games, failing to score in three of those games. Vancouver FC have seen an upturn in form and performances since Martin Nash replaced Afshin Ghotbi, but before their triumph midweek had lost a 3-2 thriller in the Salish Sea Derby against Pacific FC last weekend. That came after a 2-1 win in Halifax for their first win under Nash and first one in months, amidst a run of games recently where they have been much better in attack and are building up their defensive solidity as well.
Now, the Eagles head one province east looking for their first-ever CPL win over a Cavs side who will also be desperate to get back into the win column in front of their home supporters.
Allan Enyou is unavailable for the Eagles as he serves a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation. Midfielder Mehdi Essoussi and forward Henri Godbout have left the Eagles as they head back to their university programs for the fall semester, but Thomas Powell will be sticking around until the end of the CPL season. All three have had their rights retained for next season – as has Cavalry’s Max Piepgrass, who has become a key piece in Cavalry’s midfield and will be staying until the end of the campaign.
Ali Musse is back from a three-game suspension and is expected to slot back into the Cavalry lineup. Tommy Wheeldon Jr’s side will also be boosted by the return of club legend Daan Klomp, with the Dutch defender putting pen to paper on a deal through 2027 with the Cavs and available for selection – possibly even from the start – according to the Cavs boss.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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Cavs welcome back CPL legend Daan Klomp: Cavalry FC added a huge piece to their backline this week, welcoming Daan Klomp back to the club. Klomp, a two-time Defender of the Year and 2023 Player of the Year in the CPL, is one of the best players in league history, and his absence has been felt since he departed after Cavalry’s triumph in the 2024 CPL Final. A very strong defender as well as one of Cavalry’s key targets on attacking set pieces, Klomp is a huge addition to a club that he has called his home. “To use a different sporting reference, when you take Tom Brady out of the New England Patriots, things are different, right?,” said Tommy Wheeldon Jr, who added later that there was always an open door and mutual interest for Klomp to return to the club eventually. “He's the quarterback.”
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Will Vancouver rotate the squad to conclude a busy week?: After playing last weekend in CPL play and midweek in the Canadian Championship, Vancouver FC will likely have some tired legs in Calgary on Sunday, and head coach Martin Nash might need to rotate his squad in the first real test of his squad’s depth since he took charge. Seven players started both of those matches – including goalkeeper Callum Irving, centre-back duo Matteo Campagna and Aidan O’Connor, as well as attacker Thierno Bah, playing the full 90 minutes in both games. Those players seem undroppable at the moment after recent excellent form, but their minutes may need to be managed if they are fatigued. As of Friday afternoon’s pre-match press conference Nash had not fully decided his squad for the weekend, but said any rotation will be minimal as he looks to build consistency and partnerships in his squad. The Eagles will be forced to make at least one change with Allan Enyou suspended for yellow card accumulation.
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Can Ali Musse’s return boost dormant Cavalry attack?: After spending three matches on the sidelines through suspension after being involved in a post-game shoving match following a 1-0 defeat at home to York United on July 26, Ali Musse is now available again for selection on Sunday. Musse’s return comes at a crucial time for the Cavalry attack, with the team scoring just once in the three games he was away, losing two of them and drawing the other 0-0 against the Halifax Wanderers last weekend. Cavalry are winless in four games including those three and the aforementioned York game, so Musse’s arrival comes at a time where they can really use his attacking prowess. His partner in crime from set pieces Daan Klomp is back, and Tobias Warschewski is still looking to break a long goalless run of his own, and Tommy Wheeldon Jr’s side will be hoping they can put all of the pieces together now to get their season back on track with ten games remaining in the regular season.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Kobza, Montgomery, Gherasimencov; Baldisimo, Gutierrez; Musse, Camargo, Ntignee; Warschewski
Vancouver FC: Irving; Dada-Luke, Campagna, O'Connor, Gee; Fry, Norman; Powell, Mezquida, Bah; Mbongue
ALL-TIME SERIES
Cavalry FC wins: 5 || Vancouver FC wins: 0 || Draws: 5
Last meeting:
July 13, 2025 — Vancouver FC 0-0 Cavalry FC
KEY QUOTES
"It feels good, it feels like home like I've said before. Just happy to get back started again, get my fitness back, and hopefully trying to help the team win some games.” – Cavalry FC defender Daan Klomp
"I'm kind of preaching the defensive side of the game right now, I think we need to be trying to aim for clean sheets, we haven't had a clean sheet yet. I think we've been able to create chances and score goals, but if we can keep clean sheets, we become a very dangerous team." — Vancouber FC interim head coach Martin Nash