| Cavalry FC vs. Pacific FC Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT ATCO Field in Calgary, Alta. Watch Live: OneSoccer, CBC Tickets available here |
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The league leaders look to steady the ship at home this weekend, as Cavalry FC host Pacific FC at ATCO Field in the penultimate matchweek of the 2026 regular season.
With two weeks to go, Cavalry remain on top of the table and in pole position for the Canadian Premier League Shield, but their lead over Forge FC has vanished. In fact, the Cavs go into the weekend tied with Forge on 54 points.
The two sides are also level on wins (16) and head-to-head record (four points each). So, Cavalry are leading the pack based solely on goal differential, where they have a six-goal advantage over Forge.
All that's to say, Cavalry have zero margin for error.
They haven't been quite at their best in recent weeks; their last win was a 6-0 rout of FC Supra back on Sept. 25, before embarking on a three-game road trip where they lost twice and drew with the Halifax Wanderers.
Last Monday's game in Halifax was particularly frustrating; the Cavs conceded first, but battled back to take the lead. They were just minutes away from victory before they allowed the Wanderers to equalize from a set-piece.
With Forge winning on the same day, the Cavs thus found themselves without any cushion for the first time in weeks.
Meanwhile, Pacific come to Calgary this weekend seeking to play spoiler.
The Tridents have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for several weeks, but head coach Terry Dunfield is working to lay foundations for next season by finishing strong.
It's been a rough few weeks for Pacific, who have now lost consecutive games to Atlético Ottawa, Forge and Supra.
They finish the season with back-to-back matchups with the top two sides, so they'll certainly have a part to play in the Shield race. For Dunfield and the Tridents, these final matches are an opportunity to test their mettle and go out swinging against the best teams in the CPL.
Pacific have given a good account of themselves against Cavalry a few times this year; last time the Cavs visited Vancouver Island, Pacific nearly held them off the scoresheet entirely before Daan Klomp found a late winner.
Cavalry have won all three meetings with Pacific this season so far, but they will be extremely wary of underestimating their opponent, especially with the stakes so high.
NEWS & NOTES
- Cavalry midfielders Eryk Kobza (yellow card accumulation) and Harry Paton (red card) will both serve suspensions in this match. Paton received a two-game ban for his red card last weekend in Halifax.
- The Cavs still need 94 more U-21 minutes to hit the required threshold of 2,000. They have to fulfill the quota in order to be eligible for the playoffs. Loan players like Adam Pearlman and Owen Graham-Roache can only account for 1,000 of the total, and therefore cannot contribute any further.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Cavalry FC: Ingham; Pearlman, Klomp, Didić, Kamdem Fewo; Myroniuk, Baldisimo; Musse, Warschewski, Edwards; Elva
Pacific FC: Himaras; Chung, Konincks, Quintana, Greco-Taylor; Browning-Lagerfeldt, Gomulka; Bustos, Daniels, Toualy; Kratt
