Cavalry FC seek revenge from Snow Bowl heartbreak in 2026 home opener

Cavalry FC to face off against Atlético Ottawa on Sunday. The teams faced off at the snow bowl last year, with Ottawa coming out on top.

Cavalry FC are not only playing their home opener Sunday. They’re also looking for some revenge.

Cavalry go up against Ottawa on Sunday. The last time the two teams met was in the Snow Bowl last December, when Atletico won the CPL championship.

Lots of new faces have joined Cavalry this season, including a couple of players from Ottawa, goalkeeper Nate Ingham and defender Amer Didic.

You can bet both of them had this game circled on their calendar.

“Obviously yeah it’s a special place,” said Didic. “I know the staff and players in Ottawa and you build relationships and friends and stuff, so it will be interesting to flip that and compete (against them).”

Midfielder Harry Paton said he was excited to be playing on grass.

“(I’m) really excited for it,” Paton said. “To get on the grass, you know it’s going to be tricky conditions coming off a harsh winter. It’s going to be the same for both teams, but (I) always look forward to playing on the grass, that’s where football is played at its best.”

Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. was happy to get the season off to a winning start last weekend with a 2-1 win over Pacific FC, which was the club’s first-ever win in April.

“Yeah that’s it,” Wheeldon said. “That monkey is off our back now and it’s about having this home opener and getting to celebrate and reconnecting with our fans because it seems like it’s been so long.”

Game time is 2 p.m. at ATCO Field. The weather forecast calls for periods of snow throughout the day with a high of six degrees.

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With files from CTV News’ Glenn Campbell