For the second time in nine days, Cavalry FC travel to Winnipeg to take on Valour FC on Tuesday at Princess Auto Stadium.
Their last trip across the prairies ended in a dramatic 2-1 victory, with Sergio Camargo scoring the winner in stoppage time. They also defeated Valour 4-0 at ATCO Field earlier in the season -- and have not lost in their past seven matches against the Winnipeg club.
They face a determined Valour FC side, however, who are fresh off a 3-1 victory over Vancouver FC this weekend, and will feel hard done by the result from their most recent meeting with the Calgary club.
Tuesday's match represents the game in hand that both clubs have on the rest of the league, and as such, it is a vital opportunity to pick up three points and make up ground in the increasingly stretched CPL standings.
Cavalry have seen the clubs around them in the table go on incredible runs of form, as they are the only team in the top four currently who are not undefeated in their past six CPL matches. With just two wins in their past six themselves, York United are now just a single point behind them in the table.
Valour, meanwhile, are looking to win back-to-back matches in the league for the first time in nearly a year, since August 4, 2024.
A victory on Tuesday would push them up into sixth place in the table, and narrow the gap between them and the fifth and final playoff spot to ten points -- still a sizeable one, but crucial progress nevertheless, with a lot of the season still to play.
Cavalry, meanwhile, are coming off a frustrating loss to York United at home on Saturday, where they dominated possession and chances, with 26 shot attempts and 2.8 expected goals, but were blanked 1-0.
Those frustrations boiled over in the aftermath of the match, and Ali Musse was shown a red card, and, as a result, is suspended for Tuesday's match. Tommy Wheeldon Jr. also confirmed that Caniggia Elva and Shamit Shome are still not available. Midfielder Michael Baldisimo will travel with the squad, however.
With both sides also in action over the long weekend, this could be a critical six-point week for one of them. But that starts with a big performance in Winnipeg on Tuesday night.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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Can Valour FC survive a difficult stretch?: Valour FC snapped a five-match losing streak in the league with a 3-1 victory over Vancouver FC on Friday night. But it doesn't get any easier for them from here as they take on the current top five teams in the CPL in their next five matches. That starts on Tuesday when they host Cavalry, before travelling to Hamilton Stadium to take on Forge FC on Saturday. Then the next three weekends it's Atlético Ottawa at home and York at home, before a trip to the Wanderers Grounds. If they want to put themselves in playoff contention, Valour will certainly have a chance to take some points from the league's top teams over the coming weeks. But they will also need to find ways to grind out wins against the CPL's hottest teams.
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Ntignee has the potential to be a game changer for Cavalry: In his first CPL match since departing the league for France in 2023, Goteh Ntignee picked up where he left off as one of the league's most dynamic attackers. Against York United this past Saturday, he had three shot attempts, created six chances and had 13 touches in the box -- as his intelligent runs, dynamic dribbling and speed in behind gave Cavalry's attack a whole new threat. Now, it's about continuing to build that last bit of chemistry and finishing off chances in front of goal. But with Ali Musse suspended, Ntignee will once again be crucial for Cavalry against Valour on Tuesday, and has all the attributes to be another gamechanger in attack.
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Kianz Froese finding his form for Valour: After scoring his first Valour goal, and delivering a strong performance against Vancouver FC this weekend, Kianz Froese was named the CPL's Player of the Week. The 29-year-old attacking midfielder has added another element to the Winnipeg club's attack this season. While Froese is making a significant impact on the pitch for the Winnipeg club, his leadership is also proving vital for a young Valour team over the second half of the season. "He's a very down-to-earth guy, very humble," said Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos. "And I think there's a lesson there for many players when they see a guy that has been around the game the way he has, and in very good environments, display such humility in character. So I hope a lot of the young players feed from that and learn from it."
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Valour FC: Viscosi; Fernandez, Facchineri, Romeo, Antonoglou; Mlah, Figueiredo; Twardek, Froese, Alarcón; Morgan
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Kobza, Montgomery, Field; Piepgrass, Gutiérrez; Ntignee, Camargo, Gherasimencov; Warschewski
ALL-TIME SERIES
Valour FC wins: 3 || Cavalry FC wins: 15 || Draws: 6
Last meeting:
July 20, 2025 — Valour FC 1-2 Cavalry FC
KEY QUOTES
"At the end of the day, you prepare for the collective that the opposition is, and you have to stay aware of what every individual could bring. It doesn't change our preparation. It's just being mindful of what those players, when they're on the pitch, can bring. What types of characteristics they bring to the game, or if they start that we alert our guys of how they could hurt our team." -- Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos
"We got ourselves in [this] situation, now I think it's our responsibility to get out of it. So I think every game it's a final for sure. So I think three points is mandatory for this game for sure." -- Valour FC defender Zach Fernandez
"We like being the hunters. It's a great opportunity to respond. So we're actually looking forward to it, we had a good result there last time. I'm sure Valour will be feeling confident after a win at Vancouver, so makes for a really good game." -- Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
"This is our game in hand we've been waiting for, and a chance to climb the table, get three points, and hopefully go put in a performance like we did at the weekend there against York, which should be enough to win the game hopefully." -- Cavalry FC defender Fraser Aird
