Cavalry FC vs. FC Supra du Québec
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Cavalry is playing only its 11th match of the season, while Supra is playing its 10th. However, this marks a true restart for both sides, and as with any return to play, the key question will be which team has managed to preserve its momentum best.
For Cavalry, the objective will obviously be to build on an excellent start to the season and maintain the high standard they set early on. Currently sitting second in the standings with 23 points, Cavalry headed into the break fresh off a 5-1 thrashing of Inter Toronto.
On the whole, Tommy Wheeldon Jr.'s men have put up numbers that would make many teams envious: with 19 goals scored, Cavalry boasts the best offence in the league. For comparison, that is four more goals than league-leaders Forge FC, and six more than today's opponents, FC Supra.
Leading this offensive onslaught is marksman Tobias Warschewski, who dominated the competition in May and was deservedly named Player of the Month. During that stretch, the German forward scored three goals and added an assist, bringing his regular-season totals to five goals and two assists, in addition to a goal in the Canadian Championship.
However, Cavalry will need to be careful, as FC Supra’s Sean Rea is in equally fine form. With four goals in nine matches, the Québécois attacking midfielder stands toe-to-toe with his Cavalry counterparts. In fact, he is tied for the league lead in assists with three—alongside Cavalry's Goteh Ntignee, among others. Rea was particularly lethal in the weeks leading up to the break, racking up three goals and two assists over his last four matches.
Although the first meeting between the two sides this season was a rather dull affair—which ended in a 1-0 win for Cavalry courtesy of a Warschewski penalty—this upcoming clash could look very different.
Both teams lead the league in shots, with Cavalry attempting 56 since the start of the season (the highest in the league) and Supra right behind them with 46 (the second highest). As a result, fans can expect fireworks in Alberta.
Both teams are also desperate for points. Cavalry needs to keep pace with the relentless tempo set by Forge FC at the top of the table if they want to stay in the regular-season title race.
For Supra, their recent defeat against Atlético Ottawa was a painful blow. With a spot on the podium within reach, Supra ultimately suffered a 5-3 loss and now finds itself fighting once again to secure its position in the playoff picture. Sitting fifth ahead of this matchday, FC Supra is just one point behind Inter Toronto and three points behind Ottawa. However, breathing down their necks is Vancouver FC with the exact same number of points (11), while the Halifax Wanderers are also waiting in the wings, trailing by just two points.
In the Canadian Premier League, things can change very quickly, and neither Cavalry nor Supra can afford to drop too many points against their direct rivals.
News & Notes
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Cavalry attacking midfielder Sergio Camargo signed a contract extension this week that will keep him with the club until 2028.
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Zachary Fernandez, FC Supra's newest signing, is available for selection.
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Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. completed his Concacaf License during the break and only returned two days before the match. His assistants managed the team's return to training.
Projected Starting XIs
Cavalry: Ingham; Pearlman, Klomp, Didic, Kamdem; Baldisimo, Paton; Ntignee, Camargo, Musse; Warschewski
FC Supra: Milli; Fernandez, Ferdinand, Auguste, Abzi; Biello, Sissoko; Choinière, Rea, Bayiha; Kwemi
Key Quotes
"We learned a lot of lessons from the first part of the season, whether they were hard lessons, like in the matches against Ottawa, or everyday lessons. I wouldn't say we've found all the answers yet, but what I can say is that we understand who we are as a team a bit better now. Cavalry is in good form, they're at home, and they'll want to make a strong restart, but we've grown too." - FC Supra head coach Nick Razzaghi
"I took some time to rest because we had been going non-stop for six months. We're a new club, we started very early in January, and the break did us a lot of good. I was able to do a bit of a reset. The coaches were really able to review what went well in the first few games and what went less well. Some things will stay, and others will be adjusted—very specific things about our style of play and what we truly want to implement." - FC Supra defender Matisse Chrétien
"The match will be very different from our first meeting. Stade Boréale is a very difficult place to play; the atmosphere is great, and so are the fans, but the playing surface is probably not as professional as we would like it to be. Here, on natural grass, it will be very different, and I think it will be a more exciting game." - Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
"We played our last match two weeks ago and the coach gave us some time to rest and get away from the competition… but I don't think I've watched this much football since the last World Cup! It was amazing. On the professional side, we found time to make sure we stayed fit and were ready to pick up right where we left off against Inter Toronto two weeks ago. This last week of training has shown us that we can be confident and that we haven't lost a step." - Cavalry FC midfielder Sergio Camargo
Notes et nouvelles
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Le milieu offensif du Cavalry, Sergio Camargo, a signé un nouveau contrat cette semaine avec le club jusqu'en 2028
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Zachary Fernandez, recrue la plus récente du FC Supra, est disponible pour ce match
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Le coach du Cavalry, Tommy Wheeldon Jr, a passé sa Licence Concacaf durant la pause et n'est revenu que deux jours avant le match. Ce sont ses adjoints qui ont assuré la reprise de l'entraînement
Les XI probables
Cavalry : Ingham; Pearlman, Klomp, Didic, Kamdem; Baldissimo, Paton; Ntignee, Camargo, Musse; Warschewski
FC Supra : Milli; Fernandez, Ferdinand, Auguste, Abzi; Biello, Sissoko; Choinière, Rea, Kwemi
Citations importantes
Nick Razaghi (coach FC Supra) : On a appris beaucoup de leçons de la première partie de saison, que ce soit des leçons dures, comme dans les matchs contre Ottawa, ou des leçons du quotidien. Je ne dirais pas qu'on a trouvé toutes les réponses encore, mais ce que je peux dire, c'est qu'on comprend maintenant un peu mieux qui on est en tant qu’équipe. Le Calvary, ils sont en bonne forme, ils sont chez eux, ils vont vouloir bien recommencer, mais nous aussi, on a grandi.
Matisse Chrétien (joueur du FC Supra) : J’ai pris un peu du temps pour me reposer parce que nous avons été sans arrêt pendant six mois. On était un nouveau club, on a commencé très tôt en janvier et la pause de jeu a vraiment fait du bien. J’ai pu faire un petit reset. Les coachs ont vraiment pu faire un compte rendu de ce qui était bien sur les premiers matchs et ce qui s'est moins bien fait. Il y a des choses qui vont rester et d’autres qui vont être ajustées, des choses vraiment spécifiques de notre style de jeu, sur ce qu'on veut vraiment mettre en place
Tommy Wheeldon Jr (coach Cavalry) : Le match sera très différent de notre première confrontation. Le stade Boréale est un endroit très difficile pour aller jouer, l’atmosphère est super, les fans aussi, mais la surface jeu n’est probablement pas aussi professionnelle que nous aimerions qu'elle soit. Ici, sur une pelouse naturelle, ce sera très différent et je pense que ce sera un match plus excitant
Sergio Camargo (joueur du FC Supra) : Nous avons joué notre dernier match il y a deux semaines et le coach nous a donné du temps pour nous reposer et nous éloigner de la compétition… mais je ne pense pas avoir regardé autant de football depuis la dernière Coupe du Monde ! C'était incroyable. Du côté professionnel, on a trouvé du temps pour nous assurer de rester en forme et être prêt à repartir de la manière dont nous avons arrêté, contre l’Inter Toronto il y a deux semaines. Cette dernière semaine d'entraînement nous a montré que nous pouvons être confiants et que nous n'avons rien perdu.
