Expectations high again as Cavalry FC opens up the regular season on Sunday

Cavalry FC will face off against Pacific FC on Sunday for their season opener. The team has added six players since last season and has a new captain.

Cavalry FC has been hard at work, getting ready for their season opener against Pacific FC in Langford, B.C. on Sunday.

It’s been almost five months since Cavalry FC last played. That’s when Ottawa beat them in a blizzard to win the CPL Championship.

Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. says his squad is raring to go.

“When you play the last game of the season you’ve got a long time to get over it and get on with it,” said Wheeldon Jr.

“We didn’t have CONCACAF this year for the first time in a few (years), so we had a little bit more time to prepare which made us make the strategic decisions we needed to make -- and I think fans are going to see a helluva team this year.”

New faces

Cavalry will be a different looking team this season. They’ve added six new players including former Red Bull New York defender Curtis Ofori, two former Toronto FC players in midfielder Nathaniel Edwards and defender Adam Pearlman, former Scottish Premiership midfielder Harry Paton and Amer Didic and Nate Ingham from the2025 CPL champions Ottawa.

Ingham admits it’s a little weird playing for the team Ottawa beat last year.

“Yeah different in a lot of ways,” said the 32-year-old goalkeeper

“It was a big adjustment period but all in good ways,” he said. “I think my first month has gone as good as I could’ve asked for just in the football world, in the community and with friends.”

“You know it feels like home which I’m excited about but (it’s also a) big adjustment and it’s been weird.”

New leaders

Ingham is replacing Marco Carducci who was the captain of Cavalry. Obviously those are big shoes to fill in the net but also in the leadership role where others like defender Daan Klomp will have to pick up.

Klomp says he and others are ready for it.

“I think the guys that have been here for a long time now, speaking for Sergio (Camargo), Toby (Warschewski) who’s been here for a while and Musse (Ali) and myself we’re definitely going to be the ones that are taking that up on our shoulders which will bring a little bit more responsibility to the team.”

Goals the same

Despite having many new faces, Cavalry says this isn’t a rebuild. It’s a re-tool and Wheeldon Jr. says the expectations are the same as always.

“Oh we’re competing, that’s it,” he said.

“We’ll be there at the end. You’ll always see that, it doesn’t matter what roster we put out. This could arguably be one of the best off seasons we’ve had I a long time.”