Final Score: Cavalry FC 0-3 Orlando City SC
Goalscorers: McGuire 21′, Torres 38′, 75′
2024 Concacaf Champions Cup
Round 1 – Leg 1
Match in a minute or less
A historic night for Cavalry FC ended in a humbling defeat as they made their continental debut in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday night in a 3-0 loss to Orlando City SC. The match, which was played at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C. and served as Cavalry’s home leg, got off to a promising start for the hosts who pressed Orlando early. But the visitor’s quality quickly shone through. A 21st-minute opener from American international Duncan McGuire was followed by a brace from Uruguayan international Facundo Torres to give Orlando a commanding lead in the round one match. The three away goals conceded mean Cavalry need to score three goals, and keep a clean sheet, just to force extra time in Orlando. Any further goal for the MLS side and they will need to score at least four, and win by three, to advance. The second leg will be played next Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Inter&Co Stadium.
Three Observations
Cavalry FC taught a lesson by Orlando, but those learnings will only benefit the club
Ahead of Wednesday’s match, Tommy Wheeldon Jr. joked with media that much like the film Rocky IV, underdogs Cavalry FC had been training in the mountains and cold of Alberta, while Orlando were playing against top opposition in Southern climates. That experience might come in handy for Cavalry, as they now have a mountain to climb in their first-round Concacaf Champions Cup matchup after a 3-0 loss to the MLS side. But the value of a match like Wednesday’s goes beyond the result. It was an opportunity for the club and its players to showcase themselves against one of the top teams in the region. They certainly did, with some spells of real quality, but perhaps lacked the sharpness and decisiveness to make them appear on the scoresheet. “I don’t think it was a 3-0 game,” said Cavalry FC coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “I think between both boxes we matched up with them very, very well, I think they probably defended better in theirs, and they finished better in ours, and that’s the difference.” The differences, of course, extend beyond that, in terms of the budget and preparation of both sides — even if this was the first competitive fixture of the year for both teams. It was a home leg away from home, due to weather concerns with Calgary’s climate. Cavalry fans, however, deserve every credit for showing up in numbers on Wednesday night and creating a solid atmosphere in Langford. Their team, deserve the same for the effort they showed in the match. “We are not here to make excuses, we are here to get in the experience of being in the Concacaf Champions Cup,” said Wheeldon Jr. “We have waited five years to get into this competition, and we’re going to go and play in it. I wanted the players to be brave, and there are certainly things we can learn from it.” Unfortunately, given the deficit in the series, those lessons are likely ones that benefit Cavalry in their upcoming domestic season versus in this year’s competition. But getting to play at this level will only benefit the team, its staff and players in the years to come. “I don’t often say this after a loss, but I actually really enjoyed that,” the Cavalry coach added.
Wide open first half benefits brilliant Orlando City
Much was made in the buildup to this match about the smaller dimensions of the pitch at Starlight Stadium, which in theory would amount to less time on the ball for both sides during the opening leg. Instead, a fast-paced opening 45 minutes in Langford, B.C. was likely more open and transitional than either side would have liked — but ultimately benefited the sharper visiting team. After a bit of a shaky start, Orlando adjusted and began to find pockets of space behind Cavalry’s aggressive fullbacks. With the Cavs deploying Shamit Shome as a right fullback who would tuck into the midfield when they were in possession, Orlando were particularly able to exploit the gaps left on that flank in transitional moments. That is where their first goal came from, as Martin Ojeda found himself in behind and had time to pick out a cross to Duncan McGuire. That space grew even wider for Orlando on their second goal, as this time fullback Dagur Dan Þórhallsson carried the ball forward down an unmarked right flank. By the time he was closed down, he had laid off the ball to Facundo Torres at the top of the Cavalry box, and the Uruguayan star did the rest. Orlando’s third goal was the best of the bunch, a masterclass of movement and passing. An eight-pass sequence saw Orlando go end-to-end in 14 seconds down the left flank, with the outstanding Iván Angulo using his pace and directness before making a perfect run between Cavalry’s central defenders, receiving a return pass, and squaring to Torres for the goal.
“We can’t make any new signings and bring in Usain Bolt to mark Angulo, but we can certainly work on ways in which to nullify the spaces he works in,” said Wheeldon Jr. “We’ve got to have the action before, and not the reaction to, because if we react to situations, they want that.” Without the ball, Orlando also did an outstanding job of keeping pressure on Cavalry whenever and wherever they were in position. Pressing their backline, in particular, often forced Cavalry to play longer than they would have liked and rarely resulted in sustained pressure. The hosts had just 37 per cent of the ball in the opening half.
Cavalry create chances, but lack composure in the final third
While they were held scoreless on Wednesday night, Cavalry were not without moments of attacking brilliance against one of the best defensive sides in MLS last year. Cavalry finished with eight shots, four of which were on target, and got into some good areas throughout the match. If Sergio Camargo had just been able to get a piece of a superb ball from Tobias Warschewski, or Diego Gutiérrez’s thunderous volley wasn’t blocked by Felipe Martins, this match could have looked different for the Alberta side. They broke into the final third fairly well throughout the 90 minutes, particularly in transition, but had a few too many miscues in and around the Orlando box to turn their many half chances into full-blown scoring opportunities. “There were moments in that game where I thought ‘we are going to be a fun team to watch this year’,” said Wheeldon Jr. “The way we were trying to play and move it between half spaces and attack them, get facing forwards, I thought that was good. Always in these details, the final action is the last thing to come in, and look it took us a bit of rhythm even in the CPL last year to get into those final pieces.” Wheeldon Jr. highlighted one first-half sequence in particular — at that point the game was just 1-0 for Orlando — which could have made all the difference. “We got in a really good position, and I think that’s probably the naivety of our lads and the acuteness of theirs,” said Wheeldon Jr. “Where I think Musse goes down, he wins a penalty, it’s a different game. But these are the experiences.” Cavalry’s attacking players will take those learnings into the second leg, understanding that the time and space — or second chances — they are sometimes afforded at the CPL level simply isn’t the same at this level. Chances, even half chances, have to be taken, even more so with the team needing a boatload of goals in Florida this coming Tuesday.
CanPL.ca Pla****yer of the Match
Facundo Torres, Orlando City SC
The Uruguayan designated player lived up to his reputation as one of Major League Soccer’s most dangerous attackers, scoring a brace on Wednesday night at Starlight Stadium.
What’s next?
Cavalry FC and Orlando City SC renew acquaintances next Tuesday, February 27, when they meet for the second leg at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida. That match will take place at 6 p.m. ET/4 p.m. MT and is available to watch on OneSoccer.