Cavalry Ready To Open Title Defense Against Forge: ‘We Want To Do It Again’

For the first time ever, Calgary’s Canadian Premier League side will enter the season as the defending playoff champions.

The club had collected two playoff final losses against Forge before the third time proved the charm in 2024, with Cavalry besting their rivals 2-1 in front of a sold-out home crowd at ATCO Field.

Now they’re set to open their league campaign on the road against – you guessed it, Forge – where their last trip eastwards saw them secure a first semi-final victory in Hamilton before clutching another win against them back at home for the grand finale.

“Winning is something you want to continue. It’s addicting,” said club captain Marco Carducci to CTV News Calgary. “We’ve had years where we’ve been very successful but we haven’t gotten that championship down, and achieving that last year was a big moment for this club and for everyone involved. We want to do it again.”

The goalkeeper, who is entering his seventh season with the club and is on the last season of a three-year extension, knows it’s a long year ahead, but views a successful road showing against Forge as a big first step.

“The boys are hungry,” adds midfielder Sergio Camargo, who scored in last year’s playoff final. “There’s a competitive edge that’s coming out in practice that we want to apply to another team, not just us.”

Cavalry and Forge are the only CPL teams who have already played competitive action this year, with both having qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup. Cavalry made history with a first leg win against Liga MX giant Pumas, though neither CPL side made it past the continental tournament’s opening round.

Returning to a domestic focus, now that Marco Carducci has made club history with one domestic success, he wants to become forever first in another: much like Forge captain Kyle Bekker, he’s got his sights set on the double.

“It’s part of the system. Playoffs is obviously the big thing, but we want to be that first team to do it. It starts with the regular season, and then its playoffs, but we’re going to take it one game at a time.”

There are two confirmed absences for this weekend’s season opener: defender Eryk Kobza and Diego Gutierrez are both out, with the club’s offseason also seeing them lose out on star defender Daan Klomp and veteran midfielder Charlie Trafford, amongst a few others.

“When one leader leaves, it gives another opportunity for someone else to step up,” says Tommy Wheeldon Jr, who on Saturday will face the only other remaining head coach from the inaugural season in Bobby Smyrniotis.

“I’ve seen that from day one when Nik Ledgerwood was our first-ever captain, through to Mason Trafford, through to now Marco Carducci leading the armband. Leadership can be passed on, and we talk about that all the time – about leaving the jersey in a better place. I’m looking forward to seeing who steps up this year.”

The majority of the roster will be returning, with the club having also secured the permanent addition of Jay Herdman (who looked bright on loan from Whitecaps FC 2 last season) along with the additions of Caniggia Elva and new Whitecaps FC 2 loanee Mihail Gherasimencov. The club will have a new midfield signing to be announced in the coming days, ahead of their trip to Hamilton, Ontario.

For the first ever, football fans will be able to tune in to a league match through TSN at 5:30PM EST, with the rivalry clash also available on OneSoccer, fuboTV, and Telus Optik.

Header Image Photo Credit: John Jacques