CALGARY — The math could not be simpler for Cavalry FC. Beat Vancouver FC on Sunday afternoon at ATCO Field and the Canadian Premier League Shield is theirs for the second time in club history.
Forge FC sit level with Cavalry on 57 points heading into the final day, with Cavalry ahead on goal difference. A draw would still be enough if Forge fail to win away to Pacific FC, but nobody in the Cavalry camp is interested in the long way around.
“The shield is as important as the playoff trophy,” head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said at Friday’s pre-match press conference. “To be able to control your own destiny is what's important at this stage of the year. So we know what the opportunity is, and now it's up to us to go and execute that game plan.”
There will be no rotation with a trophy on the line. Wheeldon confirmed his strongest side will play for as long as it can, with two more marks in reach on the day. A win would take Cavalry to 60 points, a mark Wheeldon noted has not been hit since his side posted 62 in 2019, and they are chasing an 11th clean sheet of the season.
Defender Daan Klomp, who lifted the Shield with Cavalry in 2023, said the group is leaning into the size of the occasion.
“The stakes are high, which is exactly how we like it,” Klomp said. “We do know we have the quality to keep a clean sheet against every team in this league.”
Klomp also noted there was snow on the pitch on Friday, and Wheeldon expects the game to be decided in the middle of the park, where he has told his midfielders to win the battle in front of them.
Vancouver arrive with plenty of their own to play for. They hold the fourth and final playoff spot, two points clear of Supra du Québec, and a win would guarantee their place in the postseason. Wheeldon noted they are unbeaten in five, though four of those have been draws, and they have lost seven of their 14 away matches this season.
Tobias Warschewski, who leads Cavalry with 11 goals and a CPL single-season record 10 assists, told Provectus Media the feeling in the group has not changed with the trophy a day away.
“We know, since last week, what we have to do, and I think all the boys are on the same page, and hopefully we get the job done tomorrow,” Warschewski said.
Cavalry have not lost at home all season, a record Warschewski said the group talks about and wants to protect in front of their own fans. And if the day comes down to a penalty, he and Ali Musse will decide between them in the moment, the way they always do.
“If Musse comes up to me and says he's feeling confident, I'm handing him the ball in those situations,” Warschewski said. “I trust him, he trusts me.”
Warschewski converted from the spot against Pacific last weekend and said he does not overthink penalties, picking his side and putting power behind it, though he noted Vancouver goalkeeper Callum Irving has saved all four penalties he has faced this season.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. MT on Sunday at ATCO Field.
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