Canadian Premier League — Match #5 Cavalry FC vs. York9 FC May 4 — Spruce Meadows (1:30 p.m. MT, 3:30 p.m. ET) Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca (Pre-show begins at 3:00 p.m. ET)

It's Cavalry FC's turn to make its debut in the Canadian Premier League. Spruce Meadows, an iconic showjumping facility, welcomes soccer to its grassy green and forest-lush grounds, as Cavalry FC takes on visiting York9 FC in the Calgary-based outfits first CPL tilt. Head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. has been hard at work assembling his Cavalry team, on the back of a PDL-winning Foothills side that saw many of his players make the next step up to the CPL for the inaugural campaign. Meanwhile, Y9 head coach Jimmy Brennan will look to add to his sole point from the inaugural match, with a first win, in what is his team's second of three away games to start the season. Tensions will be high, too, as these two sides played three heated tilts against one another in pre-season in the Dominican Republic. Wheeldon Jr.'s side got the better of York9 throughout those encounters, and will hope that is a sign of what's to come in their first-ever CPL fixture. But Brennan's side comes into the match with something to prove, and have already gone through one trial in the form of Forge FC – and experience is the best experience, not theory or matchups on paper. It's the second of three matches on Saturday, with HFX Wanderers FC kicking off the day at Wanderers Grounds against Forge FC (1 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. AT, available on CBC Gem and OneSoccer), and Valour FC rounding off the triple-header against FC Edmonton (6 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. MT, available on OneSoccer) at Investors Group Field.
KEYS TO THE MATCH

  • Focus on the fundamentals: York9 FC will be without Manny Aparicio in midfield, and while losing a captain is never ideal, the Nine Stripes' problem is further compounded by the fact that the Argentine-Canadian creative type is a big piece connecting the rest of the team's lines. As such, Y9's passing and movement might need to be a bit more direct in Aparicio's absence.
  • Contain the early press: If there's any lessons that Cavalry FC can take out of York9's first match against Forge, it's focusing on the long-game – not crosses, but in timing. Forge grew into the match and completely overwhelmed Y9 in the second half. If Cavalry can survive the early wave, they have a chance to do the same, especially against Brennan's already-depleted midfield.
  • Split the three-man backline: Luca Gasparotto single-handedly saved York9 on numerous occasions against Forge, so Cavalry FC will be wary of the Y9 centre-back's presence when picking passes or whipping in crosses. Luckily, Cavalry has a pair of strikers who could work in tandem to get behind Gasparotto while he's marking one or the other. This requires additional bodies though, so players like Sergio Camargo, Jose Escalante or Elijah Adekugbe will need to time their own runs forward. As Kadell Thomas showed, space can be found on the break, too.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Cavalry FC: Marco Carducci: Dominick Zator, Mason Trafford, Jay Wheeldon, Jose Escalante; Nik Ledgerwood, Elijah Adekugbe, Julian Buscher, Sergio Camargo; Dominique Malonga, Jordan Brown York9 FC: Nathan Ingham: Daniel Gogarty, Luca Gasparotto, Justin Springer; Joe Di Chiara, Ryan Telfer; Wataru Murofushi, Emilio Estevez, Kyle Porter; Simon Adjei, Cyrus Rollocks
HEAD-TO-HEAD

First meeting between these clubs

STATS LEADERS

Ryan Telfer – 1 goal

INJURIES

Chris Serban (Cavalry) – Knee Kyle Porter (York9) – Shoulder (questionable)

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

Manny Aparicio – Red card vs. Forge FC

ACCUMULATION

None

REFEREES

Referee: Drew Fischer

Assistant Referees: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt & Daniel Boudreau

4th Official: Giancarlo Pavone

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