The Wanderers Grounds will be packed again on Saturday afternoon, as the CPL's reigning champions Cavalry FC head east to challenge Halifax in a tantalizing clash, to be broadcast nationwide on TSN.
The host Wanderers return home looking to re-establish their winning ways and continue their unbeaten start to the Canadian Premier League season. They enter matchweek six with a 3-2-0 record, good for second place in the league table, but their momentum has faltered somewhat over the past week.
Wednesday's disappointing loss at Forge FC in the TELUS Canadian Championship was a tough result to swallow for Patrice Gheisar and co., who had been confident after holding Forge to a 0-0 draw in their league match just a few days before. However, the Wanderers' defence couldn't hold this time around, and they conceded three in Hamilton.
Meanwhile, Cavalry have had the full week to prepare for this one, having played their own Canadian Championship tie a week prior (a resounding 6-0 win over League1 Alberta side Edmonton Scottish). The Cavs' most recent action was a trip to meet York United last Friday night, where they finally banked their first win of the regular season with a 2-1 triumph over the Nine Stripes, thanks in part to Fraser Aird's second-half winning goal.
Cavalry find themselves fifth in the table at this early stage with a 1-1-2 record -- and a game in hand on all but one of the other teams in the league. Their attacking explosion against Edmonton Scottish seems to have restored confidence in Calgary, however, and on Friday Tommy Wheeldon Jr.'s side looked much more like the championship-calibre team they were a year ago.
Halifax will be all too familiar with playing that kind of Cavalry team; they lost to them twice at ATCO Field last season. The Wanderers' fortunes were better at home -- a win and a draw in 2024 -- but this is still an opponent they have historically struggled against.
In 22 total meetings between these sides, Halifax have won just three, while Cavalry have taken 12. At the Wanderers Grounds, Halifax are 2-4-4, so they've had a little more success, but still they haven't often had an upper hand against the Cavs.
Patrice Gheisar will be hoping to change that narrative this week, though.
Expect both teams to have most of their key contributors available; Gheisar said Friday he expects everyone to be fit to play, including Sean Rea who left Wednesday's game early with a cramp. Cavarly meanwhile remain without suspended left-back Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, and midfielder Michael Baldisimo is expected to be out for several weeks after suffering a strained MCL in last week's game at York.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
-
Halifax demanding stout defence: After five games, the Wanderers have conceded just four goals in league action, which is a massive improvement after posting the worst defensive record in the league last season. Large credit for that is due to a few off-season additions, including veteran centre-back Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, Toronto FC loanee Adam Pearlman, and goalkeeper Rayane Yesli -- who maintains the best save percentage in the CPL at 82.6 per cent. Wednesday's CanChamp loss in Hamilton was, they hope, an anomaly, as a few key mistakes landed the ball in the back of their own net three times.
-
Cavalry backline could see changes: With the suspension to Kamdem-Fewo adding to Cavalry's list of absences at the back, which already included Eryk Kobza, their depth of defence is being tested. Tom Field has played a lot of the year at centre-back but moved out to his more natural left-back position in Kamdem-Fewo's stead last week, and he'll likely play there again. Meanwhile, Levi Laing has looked steady in his first few games with the Cavs. His experience should help them shore things up. The right-back position will also be one to watch; Nicolas Wähling played there last week, but Fraser Aird scored the match winner off the bench. He seems the more likely option to start, especially given Halifax's threat on that side of the pitch.
-
Battle in midfield key to establishing control: Both of these teams are very comfortable with the ball and want to play a possession-based style, often building up through the midfield. Halifax's double pivot features a combination of Isaiah Johnston's workrate and Lorenzo Callegari's outstanding passing range, complemented by the creativity of Giorgio Probo and Sean Rea just in front, with Ryan Telfer also dropping in occasionally. Cavalry, however, will look to counter that with Shamit Shome, one of the CPL's best ball distributors. Losing Baldisimo will be a major concern for the Cavs, and it seems as though they'll turn to 21-year-old Max Piepgrass in that spot next to Shome; the youngster came off the bench for Baldisimo at York, and Wheeldon Jr. hinted this week that he could be in line for the starting spot now.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Halifax Wanderers: Yesli; Pearlman, Meilleur-Giguère, Sow, Timoteo; Callegari, Johnston; Baï, Rea, Probo; Telfer
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Laing, Montgomery, Field; Myroniuk, Shome; Musse, Camargo, Elva; Warschewski
ALL-TIME SERIES
Halifax wins: 3 || Cavalry wins: 12 || Draws: 7
Last meeting:
Oct. 12, 2024 — Cavalry FC 2-1 Halifax Wanderers
KEY QUOTES
"You have to have energy when you play [Cavalry]. They're a team that really thrives on that, and once they find there's an opportunity to grow with their energy you're in big trouble, so we need to match their energy. ... The defending will be a big part. We want to look to score first, because that'll change the narrative of the game." — Halifax Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar
"They've not skipped a beat really. They play in a nice 4-2-3-1 system; one fullback goes, one swings around. [Gheisar] likes them playing football; a lot of play through Callegari, who's a top player in this league. And they've got goal threats, whether that be through Coimbra or Telfer. They've got a nice way about them, and they're tough. They play really good football, but they're also tough and they play physical." — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
