The backbone of the Cavalry has made league and Canadian history.
Goalkeeper Marco Carducci was named to head coach John Herdman's Canadian men's roster on Aug. 28 becoming the first player from the Canadian Premier League to get the call-up to Canada's senior squad.
"It's cool, to use this league as a platform and to have been the first player called up to the senior team," Carducci said. "It's definitely a big honour for me. I think you will see more and more (CPL players) in the future.
"It's very exciting to have the opportunity and I'm honoured to have the chance to get to represent Canada ...I've made it public I want to be the men's national team starting goalkeeper as near as possible in the future and it's a step in the right direction."
Carducci, who leads the CPL with eight clean sheets and is third with 43 saves, is one of three keepers named to Herdman's 24-man roster for the two-game set with Cuba for the 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League with a Sept. 7 game in Toronto followed by a Sept. 10 tilt in the Cayman Islands.
“Marco’s call-up is well deserved. I’m pretty excited to get him in and start working with him. You only have to look at the stats on Marco in the CPL,” Herdman said in a press release.
The Calgarian rose through the ranks of the Vancouver Whitecaps academy prior to spending a season in the USL with the Rio Grande Valley Toros in 2017. Carducci joined the Tommy Wheeldon Jr. led Foothills FC in 2018, playing out of Foothills Composite field in Okotoks, and was a key cog in the team's Premier Development League championship.
"Looking back now obviously I made a good decision," said Carducci of joining Wheeldon's Foothills and Cavalry FC. "Coming back here has been huge for me and the big thing is having an opportunity to play and that's the whole purpose of this league.
"For me, it was a no-brainer to join Tommy and come follow in the vision. I just knew it was a matter of putting in the time and the work and trusting the process."
It won't be the first time Carducci has worn the maple leaf. The 22-year-old has represented Canada at the U17, U20 and U23 levels.
The other Canadian goalkeepers called up to the national side are Vancouver Whitecap Max Crepeau and Milan Borjan from Red Star Belgrade.
CAVALRY VS. PACIFIC
A rare night of misses saw the Cavalry settle for a home draw versus the resurgent Pacific FC.
First-half goals from Terran Campbell and Oliver Minatel produced a 1-1 result Aug. 28 at Spruce Meadows' ATCO Field.
"It just wasn't good enough," said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. "I think we've lost that bite and I have to find out, that's my job. Whether it's because it's the seventh game in 21 days, it could be, maybe the boys are starting to get fatigued.
"I'm expecting them to be out there chomping at the bit, we expect our boys to be hungry, but we looked like a toothless tiger and that's not us. That's not what won us the spring championship, that's not what got us on the deep run. I have to rattle some cages and find that back because that wasn't good enough."
Pacific opened the scoring just seven minutes in on an uncharacteristic mistake at the back. CPL leading scorer Campbell took advantage of the miscue in the box and beat Carducci in tight.
Cavalry drew even on the set-piece. A corner whipped into the box met the head of Julian Buscher who tipped it over to a sliding Minatel for a brilliant finish on the far post.
On a long throw-in from Nico Pasquotti the Cavs had a glorious opportunity to take the lead in the 39th minute only to have Dominick Zator's header turned aside by the fingertips of Pacific goalkeeper Mark Village.
Close calls and near misses would define the stalemate second-half.
The hosts had a number of scoring chances, none better than substitute Jordan Brown's shot inside the box just inches wide of the far post in the 85th minute. Earlier, Minatel just missed to convert his second of the night after Brown knocked it down to the midfielder on a free-kick.
New signing Tofa Fakunle, the captain of Foothills FC during the 2019 season, made his Cavalry debut as a substitute coming on for left back Nathan Mavila in the 83rd minute.
Next up, Cavalry takes its show on the road for a Labour Day Classic in Winnipeg versus Valour FC on Sept. 2.
For more information go to cavalryfc.canpl.ca
