2022 CPL Regular Season — Match #46 Cavalry FC vs. FC Edmonton June 26, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. MT / 7:00 p.m. ET ATCO Field in Calgary, Alberta Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here​

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There is no better time for an Al Classico.

Already always a good matchup, albeit one that has been rather one-sided on the scoreboard, this weekend’s clash between Cavalry FC and FC Edmonton on Sunday couldn’t come at a better time, with both teams entering in fine form ahead of this matchday's ComeOn! Match of the Week. Which, for two teams that never have any lost love out on the field whenever they get a chance to share it, is quite exciting. Especially if their last matchup, a cagey 2-1 Cavalry win over Edmonton in the Canadian Championship earlier this year, is to mean anything, entertainment should most definitely be on the cards on Sunday. To begin, there are the hosts, Cavalry, who are in dreamland right now, currently sitting atop the CPL standings with 19 points through 10 games. Not only that, but with two games in hand on second-place Pacific FC, and one game in hand on third-placed Atlético Ottawa, they’re in a good position to extend that lead, too, especially if they’re able to pick up a victory in this game. And considering the form that they’re in, you’d back them in that quest. Currently riding a seven-game unbeaten run in league play, including a streak of four consecutive victories, they’ve been the team to beat right now in the CPL. Be it at home, or on the road, they’ve just continued to find a way to win games, looking like a team that has strong title aspirations in their sights. Therefore, as they get set to face an opponent they’ve never lost to in CPL play, they have no intentions of slowing down in their process, allowing them to build off their all-time record of 9W-4D-0L that they have versus Edmonton. “We're in a great run of form,” Cavalry head coach, Tommy Wheeldon Jr, said ahead of this game. “This weekend, we get a chance to make a new record, we'd be eight games unbeaten if we beat or tie Edmonton, so I think that’d be nice for this group of players, we have confidence, and that should make for a really good game.”
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Yet, while logic would dictate that a last-place Edmonton side should be fearful of Cavalry ahead of this game, especially given their tough record against them in Al Classico matches, they’re also quite confident ahead of this game, however. Of course, they give Cavalry their full respect, having seen them fly up the table as they have, but they’ve also been on a nice run of soccer of their own, having finally picked up their first win of the season in a 1-0 win over Ottawa, doing well to build off of a strong run of performances as of late. They still remain quite entrenched in last place, to be fair, but all of a sudden, a win could have them tied for second-last if all goes right for them, which would be a fair sign of what they’ve been building recently. On a run of six straight games having scored a goal, and fresh off of nabbing just their second clean sheet of the season, the pieces are starting to click for Edmonton at the moment. Because of that, while a trip to Calgary is always a daunting venture, Edmonton feels that they’re about as well-equipped as ever to endure it, giving them hope of leaving with something in their back pocket. “Yeah, I think there's a good vibe amongst the group,” Edmonton head coach, Alan Koch, said this week. “I think anytime you win a game, everybody feels a little better about themselves. So there's a little bit more confidence about the group, but I'm also very much (trying) to be the voice of reason, as one win (also) doesn't change anything, obviously, so we have to stay grounded and we have to stay focused.”
Make your match picks prior to kickoff at canpl.ca/predictor for a chance to win prizes, including the grand prize of a trip to the 2022 CPL Final! To learn more about ComeOn!, . All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.

3 THINGS TO WATCH​

  • Cavalry eager to keep scoring more goals: Despite their offensive exploits as a whole this season, Cavalry haven’t always blown the doors off their opponents in games this season, often just as content to win a 1-0 game as they are a 4-3 game. Due to their physical and imposing style, which often best suits those close, cagey games, that’s to be expected, to be fair, but at the same time, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have that attacking flair in them. They showed as much in their last game out, nabbing four in a 4-2 win over Valour, and have shown it in the past, such as when they put up three in a 3-0 win over Edmonton earlier this year. So having done well to find their offensive legs last week, knowing that they could also be set to welcome back the dangerous Myer Bevan this week, look for him and the likes of Sergio Camargo, Joe Mason, Aribim Pepple and Jose Escalante to keep rolling, as has mostly been the case recently. With a deep attacking crew, Cavalry has had no problems finding the back of the net in games, especially at home, and won’t want to stop in a game like this. “If there was a golden boot for shared goals I think we’d have it,” Wheeldon Jr noted last week of his attack, just further demonstrating the confidence that he has in his group.
  • Edmonton looking to build off of strong defensive performance: Meanwhile, on the other side, Edmonton will be doing everything in their power to stop Cavalry from getting those goals, as they look to build off of that Ottawa victory and clean sheet. It wasn’t easy for Edmonton on that day, but seeing that they held Ottawa to just one shot on target, as well as 1.03 Expected Goals (xG), they did what they needed to defensively, which hasn’t always been the case this season. Because of that, building off of what they did in that game is key. Led by the solid Andreas Vaikla in goal, and supplemented by the likes of Luke Singh, Nyal Higgins, Bicou Bissainthe and more in front of him, Edmonton has had good flashes defensively in games. Yet, despite that, they haven’t always had the stats to show it, as sloppy moments in games would sink them. In that Ottawa game, however, they avoided that, showing they have it in them to get the job done. Therefore, as they get set for this strong Cavalry attack, finding a way to build off of that is key, as they look to make picking up clean sheets more of a regular occurrence as a team. “We have a younger group and we’re all trying to learn together,” Koch said of his club’s quest to keep more clean sheets. “We're trying to lead through committee and we're gonna keep pushing, we've got a clean sheet this last game, that gives the players a little more confidence, and hopefully we can get several more as the season keeps on doing.”
  • Pride Night festivities set to bring in strong crowd for Sunday: For those in Alberta who are set to go to this game out in Calgary, it promises to be a special one, on many fronts. The biggest of them all? Cavalry’s Pride Night, which comes in honour of Pride Month, as Cavalry is dedicating this match to the support of the LGBTQ+ community. As a result, there will be all sorts of important and fun initiatives on display at this game, as $1 from tickets will go to the cities ‘Centre for Sexuality’, while the first 3000 fans in the building will receive a pride-themed towel, with the first 2500 fans also receiving a pride-themed bracelet. And the city has certainly welcomed this initiative, as the club noted in their pre-game conference that they’re looking for a crowd of upwards of 5000 fans for this game, with there still being time to sell more tickets. Because of that, it could set to be a memorable game, which given that it is also an ‘Al Classico’ clash, one with the ‘Wildrose Cup’ implications on the line, is only going to add to the occasion. “I think this is one of the beauties of Canada,” Wheeldon Jr said. “I think we make everybody feel welcome, it doesn't matter, race, religion, sexual orientation, everybody is welcome because the only colours that really matter are the jerseys or the scarves you wear of the team you support.”

ALL-TIME SERIES​


Cavalry FC wins: 9 || FC Edmonton wins: 0 || Draws: 3

Previous match:

May 6th, 2022 — FC Edmonton 0-3 Cavalry FC​

KEY QUOTES​


“We don't expect an easy game, and it shouldn't be - it's an Alberta battle. It's a game that both sets of fans have put a trophy on. So even though it's part of the league, it gives us our own little competition, and we want to keep retaining it year in, year out, so we'll be ready and I'm sure they will be too.” -- Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

“We know we've never beaten them before, and those are the things that motivate us. They (Cavalry) inspire us. I said this at the beginning of the year, we have to dream big. And we are still dreaming big. We're going to dream big going into Sunday, and hopefully we can do something very, very special for the club and for our supporters.” -- FC Edmonton head coach Alan Koch. ​

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