Canadian Premier League — Match #65 Cavalry FC vs. Pacific August 28, 2019 — Spruce Meadows (9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MT) Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Smarting from their first loss of the Fall season, Cavalry FC returns to Spruce Meadows on Wednesday to take on a surging Pacific FC, in a match that the CPL's other Fall contenders will watch with great interest.

The Cavs slipped out of first place on Sunday, falling 1-0 to Forge FC thanks to Jonathan Grant's late screamer. They're still just one point off the top, though, with four wins and three draws to go with that defeat. Although they're already destined to appear in the CPL Championship thanks to their Spring title, Cavalry is intent on repeating the accomplishment in the Fall, so these home points are all too valuable.

Not much farther down the table is Pacific (3-4-1), who staked their claim as a potential title challenger with a 2-1 win on Saturday over Valour FC. Their 10 points have them six back of Forge, but with 10 games left to play, they feel they could pose a real threat to the clubs currently above them. Michael Silberbauer's young squad has now won two in a row, and things are looking bright on Vancouver Island.

Pacific will head back to Westhills Stadium after this one, where they'll take on Forge FC next Wednesday, September 4 (10:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. PT, on OneSoccer) to begin a three-game homestand. Cavalry will be back on the road, going to Winnipeg to play Valour FC on Labour Day Monday (3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT, on OneSoccer).

KEYS TO THE MATCH

  • Regroup, don't panic: Cavalry suffered perhaps one of their most frustrating defeats on Sunday as they generated just five shots (two on target) in their loss to Forge. Perhaps it was a trace of fatigue rearing its head, but the performance was out of character for a team that's rarely shut out. However, there's no need for Tommy Wheeldon Jr. to change too much to try and rekindle the spark; just last Wednesday, Cavalry put three past York9 FC. Their high-pressure system has caused tons of problems for Pacific in the past, so there's no reason to make major changes.​
  • Choices up top: Michael Silberbauer has some very difficult lineup decisions to make now that Marcus Haber has returned from injury. Terran Campbell has been perhaps the hottest scorer in the CPL in the Fall, but Haber's experience makes it very hard to justify leaving him on the bench. How Silberbauer chooses to incorporate the two forwards will be a story to watch going forward, and this Wednesday could be the first test of a new setup at Pacific.​
  • Find Pasquotti: The winger from Lethbridge is one of Cavalry's most dynamic attacking players, but recently he's been a little quiet — he's been most noticeable when making his long throw-ins. Whenever he does find the ball in space, though, he shows flashes of incredible quality that terrify opposing fullbacks. Perhaps the onus is on midfielders like Elijah Adekugbe or Julian Buescher to clog up the middle and create gaps for Pasquotti, but somehow the Cavs need to get more from this talented player.​

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Cavalry FC: Marco Carducci; Nathan Mavila, Dominick Zator, Joel Waterman, Malyk Hamilton; Nik Ledgerwood, Julian Buscher, Elijah Adekugbe; Nico Pasquotti, Dominique Malonga, Jose Escalante

Pacific FC: Mark Village; Kadin Chung, Hendrik Starostzik, Lukas MacNaughton, Blake Smith; Alexander Gonzalez, Noah Verhoeven; Victor Blasco, Matthew Baldisimo, Ben Fisk; Terran Campbell


HEAD TO HEAD

May 15 - Pacific FC 0-2 Cavalry FC (CanChamp) May 22 - Cavalry FC 2-1 Pacific FC (CanChamp) July 1 - Pacific FC 3-1 Cavalry FC July 6 - Pacific FC 2-3 Cavalry FC

STATS LEADERS

Dominique Malonga - 6 goals (Cavalry FC) Terran Campbell - 8 goals (Pacific FC)

INJURIES

Chris Serban (Cavalry FC) - Out (Knee) Dean Northover (Cavalry FC) - Out (ACL) Jordan Brown (Cavalry FC) - Doubtful Marcel De Jong (Pacific FC) - Out (Achilles)

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

Matthew Baldisimo (Pacific FC)

ACCUMULATION

(Players are suspended for one match 14 days after accumulating a 4th Yellow Card)

Elijah Adekugbe (Cavalry FC) - 5 - (will miss Sept. 11 vs. FC Edmonton) Joel Waterman (Cavalry FC) - 3


REFEREES

Referee: Alain Ruch ARs: Daniel Boudreau & Stefan Tanaka-Freundt 4th Official: Richard Kent

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