Canadian Premier League — Match #38

Pacific FC vs. Cavalry FC

July 6, 2019 — Westhills Stadium (3 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. ET)

Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Spring season champions Cavalry FC head to Westhills Stadium this weekend to take on a hungry Pacific FC side. Sound familiar?

These two clubs met just last Monday in a hot-headed Canada Day classic, with Pacific toppling the high-flying Cavs for a 3-1 win. With six yellow cards and three reds handed out in all (and a combined 27 fouls called), emotions were certainly riding high, despite the fact that Cavalry had already clinched the title.

Tommy Wheeldon Jr. had his Cavalry side playing some spectacular football in the Spring, as they cruised to an 8-2-0 record and won the title by five points. Their only stumbles came in late in the campaign, with a June 22 loss to Forge FC and the aforementioned defeat at Pacific last weekend.

Meanwhile, Pacific is hoping to shake off a trying first 10 games. They avoided finishing last in the Spring with their win over Cavalry, ending up fifth with 11 points, but coach Michael Silberbauer was none too pleased with their five losses. Still, two solid wins in their last three games provide them something good to build on.

After this rematch, the two clubs will go their separate ways. Cavalry resumes its Canadian Championship campaign on Wednesday, July 10, as they welcome the Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS to Spruce Meadows for Leg 1 of Qualifying Round 3 (9:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. MT, on OneSoccer). Meanwhile, Pacific’s next match will at home to Forge FC on July 13 (6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT, on OneSoccer).

KEYS TO THE MATCH

Shake it off: Recovering from a loss is not something the Cavs have much experience with. Of course, the only other time they had to do so was just over a week ago, when they beat York9 FC 2-0 to clinch the Spring title. It’s imperative that they strike the right chord with their mentality on Saturday as they gear up for the Fall campaign and the Canadian Championship. Pacific certainly wounded them, so they may rebound with a serious vengeance.

Recovering from a loss is not something the Cavs have much experience with. Of course, the only other time they had to do so was just over a week ago, when they beat York9 FC 2-0 to clinch the Spring title. It’s imperative that they strike the right chord with their mentality on Saturday as they gear up for the Fall campaign and the Canadian Championship. Pacific certainly wounded them, so they may rebound with a serious vengeance. Keep emotions in check: Last weekend’s clash between these sides was a heated one to say the least. As a result, both sides will be missing key players — Dean Northover and Mauro Eustaquio for Cavalry, and Alexander Gonzalez for Pacific. With a number of injuries plaguing both squads as well, neither can afford to let their tempers get the best of them, leaving them even more shorthanded. The best approach for both teams (Cavalry especially) should be to let the past remain in the Spring season and resume business as usual.

Last weekend’s clash between these sides was a heated one to say the least. As a result, both sides will be missing key players — Dean Northover and Mauro Eustaquio for Cavalry, and Alexander Gonzalez for Pacific. With a number of injuries plaguing both squads as well, neither can afford to let their tempers get the best of them, leaving them even more shorthanded. The best approach for both teams (Cavalry especially) should be to let the past remain in the Spring season and resume business as usual. Something special: It’s likely that Cavalry will have more of the ball in this one, as they typically do (and as they did last time, even in a 3-1 loss). However, Pacific was able to burn them with a few moments of serious quality. None of their three goals was ugly, as Ahmed Alghamdi, Victor Blasco, and Issey Nakajima-Farran all found the net either with impressive shooting or skill on the counter. The Cavs aren’t a team that breaks down easily, so Pacific may need a couple more of those top-notch moments to find their goals — don’t be surprised if they take a few more shots than usual from outside the box.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Pacific FC: Mark Village; Blake Smith, Ryan McCurdy, Émile Legault, Kadin Chung; Victor Blasco, Noah Verhoeven, Alessandro Hojabrpour, Matthew Baldisimo, Ben Fisk; Terran Campbell

Cavalry FC: Marco Carducci; Mason Trafford, Dominick Zator, Jonathan Wheeldon, Nathan Mavila; Jose Escalante, Elijah Adekugbe, Julian Büscher, Nico Pasquotti; Sergio Camargo, Dominique Malonga

HEAD TO HEAD

May 15 – Pacific FC 0-2 Cavalry FC (CanChamp)

May 22 – Cavalry FC 2-1 Pacific FC (CanChamp)

July 1 – Pacific FC 3-1 Cavalry FC

STATS LEADERS

Dominique Malonga – 4 goals (Cavalry FC)

Victor Blasco – 3 goals (Pacific FC)

INJURIES

Hendrik Starostzik (Pacific FC) – Out

Marcel De Jong (Pacific FC) – Out

Lukas MacNaughton (Pacific FC) – Questionable

Marcus Haber (Pacific FC) – Questionable

Chris Serban (Cavalry FC) – Out (Knee)

Nik Ledgerwood (Cavalry FC) – Questionable



INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

Alexander Gonzalez (Pacific FC) – 1st of 2 games

Dean Northover (Cavalry FC) – 1st of 3 games

Mauro Eustaquio (Cavalry FC) – 1st of 1 game

ACCUMULATION

(Players are suspended for one match 14 days after accumulating a 4th Yellow Card)



Matthew Baldisimo (Pacific FC) – 3

Elijah Adekugbe (Cavalry FC) – 3

Jonathan Wheeldon (Cavalry FC) – 3

Joel Waterman (Cavalry FC) – 3

REFEREES

Referee: Fabrizio Stasolla

ARs: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt & Evan Fryer

4th Official: Mo Mohseni

FANTASY PREDICTOR

Download the Centre Circle app to play predictor ahead of each match.

Q: Will the team that finished higher in the Spring Competition standings win?

A: As we saw last week, teams toward the bottom of the table are capable of beating 1st place team Cavalry. This is a question where the underdog pick is not an unwise choice.

Q: Will the home team lead in possession?

A: Unless the home team is playing Cavalry, then yes. On the first day of Fall Competition, expect home clubs to come out with that extra motivation to put in a strong performance for their home crowd.

Q: Will an international player score?

A: Even though a majority of players on CanPL rosters are Canadian, international players have been crucial as offensive focal points for clubs. Expect Dominique Malonga, Oumar Diouck, and Akeem Garcia to continue being the go-to man up top for their clubs.