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Photo Credit: Concacaf
Three Things To Watch As Pumas Hosts Cavalry
By Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC has always been a club capable of punching upwards, and they certainly turned heads when they bested Liga MX’s Pumas UNAM in the first leg of Concacaf Champions Cup action last week.
While the 2-1 underdog win sent ripples cresting abroad, the club still has it all to do down in Mexico City tonight: a refreshed and likely-rotated Pumas roster is expected, and with away goals in effect, Cavalry’s 2-1 lead is still a far cry away from securing passage onto the next round.
As Forge saw on Tuesday, Mexican teams enjoy playing at home, away from the cold and in front of a boisterous home crowd to boot.
Without further ado, here’s three big things to watch in tonight’s continental knockout tilt.
No Fear In The Regiment
Despite conceding just before half-time in the first leg, head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr kept his instructions clear at half-time: they were going to keep cracking without fail. That never-say-die attitude paid dividends with a Charlie Trafford equalizer preceding a late go-ahead goal by Tobias Warschewski, who has now scored in his last three matches.
The confidence to square up against a Liga MX giant like Pumas right after you’d lost star CPL defender Daan Klomp – and to throw Nicholas Wahling into full-back to boot – shows that Cavalry has the utmost confidence in its matchday preparation.
With only Chanan Chanda questionable for tonight, expect another fearless approach as Cavalry seeks to enter ‘the lion’s den’ with a proverbial dagger in their mouths.
“We know that it’s going to be a tough game,” says Tommy, “and we have the utmost respect for what we’ve got to do while out there on the pitch tomorrow.”
Suffice to say: don’t expect a park the bus approach from Cavalry – they’ll stay true to their roots and keep the attack sharp. If they do concede, they’ll have to find fight back and draw blood quickly.
Bring The Heat, In The Heat
One serious advantage that Cavalry had on Vancouver Isle last week was the weather: unable to host at ATCO Field due to a frozen pitch, the alternative location on Canada’s west coast also saw uncharacteristically frigid weather. The snowbanks around the pitch painted a good tapestry of an environment Cavalry’s squad was much more acclimated to than its Mexican visitors. Obviously, that impacted how the ball moved over the turf pitch, too.
Tonight’s match won’t have those advantages: It’ll be quite a bit warmer in Mexico City tonight, allowing the ball to move more freely on the natural grass surface of Estadio Olimpico Universitario – where Pumas will feel right at home and will be backed by good fan numbers.
It’s something Cavalry will have to cope with: the environment will not be in their favour.
“We expect a very difficult game, coming into what we would call the lion’s den, but this is the home of the Pumas,” says Tommy Wheeldon Jr on the match.
“We know that this is their territory. We have to respect that, we have to respect the conditions and our opponent. We know we can’t as we would, say, copy and paste the game plan that won last time. We have to find a new way to compete.”
Hungry Pumas Will Pounce
While Pumas rested several of its starting roster in last week’s away leg, fans can expect tonight’s Liga MX hosts to march out a roster of starters as the club seeks to get the job done against its Canadian opposition.
That means that Guillermo Martinez – who was rested in the first leg but found his scoring boots in Liga MX action over the weekend – will likely see minutes, while veteran striker Rogelio Mori will want another crack at Cavalry and a return to stronger form on an individual level.
There’s also a matter of pride that will drive Pumas tonight: beyond not wanting to be the first team to bow out against CPL competition in the Champions Cup, Pumas is now winless in its last four Champions Cup games.
Hungry to turn things around, tonight’s hosts are expected take the lion’s share of possession, which means that Cavalry will be put under pressure aplenty – and with away goals in effect, conceding just once means they’ll be on the brink of elimination.
“They are the favourites,” admits Wheeldon. “We know they will have a lot of the ball. So we’ve got to be very, very organized without it.”
Make no mistake: this is a Pumas side that will leave nothing unused in its wheelhouse tonight. Marco Carducci will be a busy man.
Fans hoping to tune into the Concacaf Champions Cup tilt can do so on OneSoccer, Telus Optik, and fuboTV at 8:00PM EST.
When the final whistle does echo through Estadio Olimpico Universitario, the winner will advance to the next round to face Costa Rican powerhouse Alajuelense, who purchased Manjrekar James from Cavalry’s league rival Forge back in 2023.
Should Cavalry achieve the feat, they’d be the first Canadian Premier League side to advance into the Champions Cup Round of 16.
Header Image Photo Credit: Concacaf
