Cavalry FC scoop up individual honours, prepare for CPL final against Forge FC

Cavalry FC try to win their first CPL North Star Cup Saturday evening against Forge FC at Tim Horton Field in Hamilton. (Photo: X@CPLsoccer)

Cavalry FC took home the individual hardware Thursday night. Saturday evening, they'll look to break through against the Canadian Premier League's winningest franchise to add a team honour to all those individual prizes.

After a stunning Thursday night, where Cavalry FC team members took home the prizes for top defender (Daan Klomp), goal scorer (Myer Bevan), Players' Player of the Year (Ali Musse) and coach of the year (Tommy Wheeldon Jr.), Cavalry FC take on three-time CPL champion Forge FC Saturday for the league championship.

Cavalry FC has already celebrated team success this season, finishing first in the regular season and securing a lot in next year's CONCACAF Champions Cup, where they will face at least one of the top clubs from either MLS, Liga MX in Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean.

Cavalry coach Wheeldon was asked how that accomplishment compares to potentially taking home the North Star Cup as league champs Saturday night, where the game will be played in front of a full house at Tim Horton Field.

"The goal at at the start of the season was to take this club to where it hadn't been, and get to CONCACAF." Wheeldon Jr. said, "We achieved that we got the regular season like the rest of the world celebrates that's the, you know, the one with a lot more weight on it.

"To win another trophy," he added, "is a bonus, because we're already in the CONCACAF," he added. "We already have our first piece of silverware – and the second piece (the North Star Cup) would be a lovely bonus."

While Forge FC finished behind Cavalry FC in the regular season standings, they defeated Cavalry two weeks ago in the playoff opener, giving them the home-field advantage for the final.

Saturday's championship tilt will be the Cavalry's first since playing in the initial CPL final in 2019, when Forge FC won 2-0 on aggregate.

The forecast for Saturday is 13 degrees in Hamilton.

Game time is 4 p.m. Calgary time.