Cavalry FC faces must-win Monday after 4–1 loss to Whitecaps in Vancouver
Cavalry trails the Vancouver Whitecaps by three goals heading into the second leg of the Canadian Championship quarterfinal at ATCO Field on Monday.
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Cavalry FC has dug itself a massive hole in its bid for an elusive Canadian Championship title after suffering a 4–1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday night at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC.
The loss came in the first of two quarterfinal matches. The second leg takes place July 10 at 7:30 p.m. at ATCO Field (Spruce Meadows), broadcast on OneSoccer.
Cavalry conceded an own-goal just 69 seconds in when defender Adam Pearlman tried to clear a ball at the top of the box but knocked it into his own net. "It was the worst possible start we could have had," manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said. "But the lads showed courage to get back into it."
Indeed, Pearlman recovered with a crucial throw-in late in the first half that found teammate Daan Klomp, who scored in the 45th minute to level the match at 1–1. But the Whitecaps dominated the second half, adding three goals: Thomas Müller scored in the 61st minute, Brian White headed in a rebound in the 64th minute, and Rayan Elloumi converted a Cavalry turnover in the 75th minute.
Wheelon acknowledged the gap in quality. "They're a bloody good team," he said. "Unfortunately, we go into this where we've been able to match them over the games we played in the past, but they're a different side. And when you can bring a World Cup winner like Müller, and they're clearly hungry after nearly 50 days without a competition match, we got their best."
Captain Sergio Camargo echoed that assessment. "It seemed like they were itching to play," he said. "Even the big-star players like Ryan Gauld and Müller came on, and their class shows every time they're on the field."
Monday's match at Spruce Meadows will need to be a drastically different performance.
