| Cavalry FC vs. Halifax Wanderers FC July 18 at 1 p.m. MT / 4 p.m. AT ATCO Field in Calgary, Alb. Watch Live: OneSoccer Tickets available here |
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For the second time in just over a month, Cavalry FC will host the Halifax Wanderers at ATCO Field in Canadian Premier League action on Saturday.
No doubt, Cavalry would like to put in a repeat performance from the one they had during that last meeting, as they picked up a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Goteh Ntignee and Daan Klomp.
Given that game kicked off the current three-game winning streak that they're riding in CPL play, they'll feel confident in their ability to keep that positive momentum going.
They're reeling after their recent elimination from the Canadian Championship at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps, who defeated them 5-2 on aggregate in that tie. Still, they'll hope to use that elimination as fuel for this game.
After doing well to pick up a moral victory in the form of a draw in the second leg of that Whitecaps tie, that can serve as proof of what this Cavalry team can do against top teams. Now, with them sitting just five points behind first-place Forge FC in the CPL table, they'll know that they're in a good position to push up the table if they can continue on the path they're on.
The Wanderers, meanwhile, are looking to keep a firm hold on the playoff spot they currently find themselves in, as they currently sit in fourth in the table as of writing.
Sitting just two points behind third-place Atlético Ottawa and 11 points behind Cavalry, they know that a victory here could not just push them up the table, but put a decent dent in the gap that exists between them and the top two.
They come into this game in decent form, having won two of their last three games, although it's worth noting that both came against a Pacific FC side yet to win this year.
Perhaps, though, those victories can serve as a confidence boost for this side, one who had won only two of their first 10 CPL games of the season.
Certainly, beating Cavalry on the road would serve as a good sign of their intent, showing why they'll look to put in a strong performance in this match.
For what it's worth, they come into this game with fresh legs, having last played on July 5th - Cavalry, meanwhile, played the Whitecaps twice since then.
News and notes:
- This week, the Wanderers announced the signing of Adonijah Reid, who they acquired from USL Championship side Sporting Club Jacksonville in exchange for Marcus Godinho. Reid previously played in the CPL for Pacific FC and Inter Toronto
- Marco Carducci is set to make his second appearance at ATCO Field after spending 2019 to 2025 with Cavalry FC
- Cavalry have four players who are one yellow card away from an accumulation suspension in Eryk Kobza, Adam Pearlman, Goteh Ntignee and Harry Paton
- Cavalry FC's head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. will not be on the sidelines for this game as he continues to work toward his Concacaf Pro License. Assistant coaches Jay Wheeldon and Nik Ledgerwood will lead the team in his absence.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Cavalry FC: Ingham; Pearlman, Klomp, Didic, Kamdem; Kobza, Baldisimo; Musse, Camargo, Ntignee; Warschewski
Halifax Wanderers FC: Carducci; Alphonse, Linder, Sow, Telfer; Callegari, Olguin; Arilla, Johnston, Bahamboula; Ciccarelli
KEY QUOTES
"Nobody ever regrets it if you give everything that you have, and we did that. And not just that, but we played, we had some nice patterns, we played out with bravery against the press, we played the long diagonals, we broke into the back, I love how we played with such courage." -- Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. (post-match vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, leg 2 of Canadian Championship)