Two titans on the Western Canadian soccer scene are set to collide Tuesday night.
ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows is the site of the first leg of the Telus Canadian Championship quarterfinal with the MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps and Cavalry FC locking horns in the cup competition for the third time in six years on May 7 at 7 p.m.
“What it does now is give our young players, our young kids around in the city, supporters of different clubs around the world they can now see their hometown team play against an established club like the Whitecaps,” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr., in the pre-match press conference on Monday.
“I think there’s nothing better, for us, we’ve developed a really good history in the cup competitions we’ve had so let’s hope this is another classic.”
Cavalry got the better of Vancouver in the 2019 cup clash, a two-leg affair which saw the Alberta side win away from home, with the Whitecaps returning serve via the penalty shootout in 2022 at Spruce Meadows.
Round three might just feature the best versions of the teams to date.
“They’ve done a lot in this country in terms of trying to grow a brand, survive a brand, rebrand and under Vanni Sartini now they’re playing a very specific way,” Wheeldon Jr. said. “They’ve very organized and tough to break down, they’re very clever and quick on their counters, (Brian) White and (Ryan) Gauld have a very good partnership together.
“We’ve also got things where we feel we can match up with them in other areas and I’ve always liked those matchups with them, but this team we’re playing is a different one that we’ve played previously.”
The Whitecaps, who launched in 1974 in the North America Soccer League, celebrated their 50th anniversary on the weekend playing in front of 32,465 supporters at BC Place, a record crowd at the MLS level for the club.
Vancouver, two-time defending Canadian Championship titleholders, sits fourth in the MLS’ Western Conference standings.
“They’re proving to be a formidable opponent to anybody in the Western Conference, but again they’re on a short turnaround,” said Wheeldon Jr. “We know cup competitions, it does level the playing field…it does make for an interesting challenge, you’re not going into it with a full week of video.”
The Cavs, defending regular season champions in the Canadian Premier League, enter the contest in strong form as well with four games without a loss and coming off their first win of the campaign in a resounding 3-1 result over Vancouver FC on Friday.
“What we’ve got to do is respect our opponents,” said Wheeldon Jr. “Every opponent that comes into our field we respect, but we also have to make sure we impose our DNA on the other teams and that’s what we’ve done.
“We’ve looked at the nuances that Whitecaps have over the last couple of days here and how we can nullify their strengths and look at some of the weaknesses where maybe we can expose them.
“We’ve got to make sure the boys believe in themselves and give a good account.”
The May 7 contest will mark the fifth time the Cavalry have taken on a MLS team in cup competition, its third battle with the Whitecaps along with a 2019 match against CF Montreal along with Concacaf Champions Cup contest with Orlando SC in February.
The second leg of the fixture is in BC Place on May 21.
"Tuesday night will be a match for the fans; a dynamite clash between the two best soccer teams in Western Canada,” added Mason Trafford, Cavalry FC commercial director.
“It’s a massive event for Alberta soccer. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just looking to celebrate our home-grown talent in an incredible atmosphere, this is a game that may only come around once every couple of years. You don't want to miss this one."
The club says tickets are selling fast, but seats are available at cavsfc.com and on Ticketmaster.
