Monday will mark a full year since Cavalry FC lost the 2025 CPL Final in extra time in a blizzard in Ottawa.
They will commemorate it by kicking off their preparations for the 2026 Final against the very same opponent, Atlético Ottawa, this time on their home turf at ATCO Field.
It has been an incredible journey for the Calgary club, its players, and its coaching staff, during those 365 days, one that required a lot of soul-searching and difficult decisions to return to the season's biggest game.
It will be the club's fourth final in four years, a testament to the incredible standards set at Spruce Meadows. Now they have an incredible opportunity to make more history as the first CPL club to win the regular season and playoffs in a single year.
So will revenge be on the table for Cavalry FC when they host Atlético Ottawa on Saturday, Nov. 21?
"I'd like to say yes, because that would make a really good headline," said Cavalry FC head coach Wheeldon Jr. "But we really didn't care [who we played in the final]. What we really wanted to do was control our own destiny. We wanted to host the final back here [In Calgary] because last time we did, we had really good memories."
The last time the final was played at ATCO Field, Cavalry defeated rivals Forge 2-1 in the 2024 CPL Final to lift their first North Star Cup. It was a cathartic moment for a club that, up until that point, had tasted only gut-wrenching defeat in the playoffs.
To get the final back on home soil two years later, this season's edition of Cavalry FC have displayed an incredible amount of consistency and resilience.
Despite a record-breaking regular season, Cavalry needed a win on the final day to hold off Forge FC and win the CPL Shield.
They began the playoffs against an FC Supra du Québec side who were unbeaten under new head coach Kyt Selaidopoulos during a miraculous run to claim a playoff spot.
In the first leg of the semifinal, Cavalry found themselves down two goals after just nine minutes. On Saturday, they battled all the way back in leg two to overcome Supra on aggregate with a 2-0 victory at home.
"They're the most in-form team," said Wheeldon Jr. "Like, that was their first loss [under Selaidopoulos]."
Every time this Cavalry team were doubted this season, every time the noise around them increased, and with each new challenge, they put on blinders and focused on the finish line.
Now, it's only a two-horse race, and they are plenty familiar with the one galloping beside them. Since last year's final, Atlético Ottawa have undergone plenty of change, but much of that only makes the rematch even more intriguing.
Namely, Diego Gutiérrez, who started the 2025 final for Cavalry, now plays for Atlético Ottawa. Amer Didić and Nathan Ingham, who won the North Star Cup with Atleti last year, are now foundational pieces in this Cavalry team.
"[Atleti] helped me become what I am today, I helped them become what they are," said Ingham, who spent four seasons in the nation's capital. "We have a ton of respect mutually. I have a lot of good friends there, and we've got to go battle. So it's going to be fun. It's going to be exciting."
"It's great for the game, it's great for Canadian soccer. I think this final is going to be brilliant."
As for whether it will resemble anything like last year's final played in a snowstorm in the nation's capital, Ingham says that is far from his mind right now. Given the mental toll playoff soccer takes, he says players mustn't worry about anything they cannot control.
"Maybe a couple of days before the game, I'll look at the forecast," said Ingham. "But otherwise, I'm just glad we made it."
One major difference is certain. If snow does fall on Nov. 21, it will do so on the grass at Spruce Meadows. For this Cavalry club, that's all the confidence they will need to believe that this time the outcome will be different.
"We've waited a long time, but we're patient," said Wheeldon Jr. "With discipline, with ambition, and we're one game away from being the first team to do the double."
