A rematch of the CPL Final went the way of the defending playoff champions.
Sergio Camargo broke a goalless deadlock in his 100th appearance with the Cavalry only to have Forge FC rally with two goals in a seven-minute span and take the 2-1 result in the Canadian Premier League curtain raiser Saturday afternoon at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field.
"I thought it was a good performance from us, especially on the road," said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. "You know when you come here you're not going to be given a lot so we have to create that and we had some moments, especially first-half, where we called them out and they made some good blocks.
"We created a nice little one with our set plays for (Camargo's) goal and after that they kicked up another gear and I think we could have done better to respond because when I look at the number of bodies in our box, we're going to want those goals back."
In a match that needed a breakthrough, with neither team mustering a shot on target in the first half, it was the set-piece that provided the platform for the tally.
In the 60th minute, Camargo met Ali Musse’s corner with a near-post run and got a header past Forge goalkeeper Christopher Kalongo.
Forge FC surged back within 10 minutes as Tristan Borges found room in the box for a low strike past Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci.
In the 76th minute, Forge’s Beni Badibanga saw his shot deflect into the net off Cavalry centre back Daan Klomp in what held up as the game-winner.
“For us, it was trying to start on the right foot,” Borges told OneSoccer following the match. “It was a little tough getting behind already, but we already know what this team is about. It’s always the same thing, we always go for the three points.”
The Cavalry dropped to 2-2-2 in season openers in the CPL.
Forge, four-time CPL champions, have been notoriously slow out of the gates with this victory marking its first three-point effort to start a season in franchise history.
https://twitter.com/CPLsoccer/status/1779261473883045966
In a match which saw a stalwart in Camargo celebrated, the Alberta side also saw the first league starts from a pair of key offseason additions.
Central midfielder Diego Gutierrez and striker Tobias Warschewski made an impact, the latter proving to be a handle at the top of the attack.
Attackers Lleyton Brooks, Malcolm Shaw and Lucas Dias also marked their CPL debuts with the visitors off the bench.
In the early match on Saturday, Atlético Ottawa knocked off York United 2-1.
The Cavalry get back on the pitch next weekend with an April 20 kickoff at Ottawa.
Cavalry FC’s home opener in the CPL is April 28, at 3 p.m. at Spruce Meadows’ ATCO Field.
The first taste of Cavalry for supporters will be in cup play as the team welcomes Vancouver FC on April 23 for the first round Canadian Championship fixture at 7 p.m.
For more information, go to cavsfc.com.
News and Notes…Reigning Golden Boot winner Myer Bevan has started the season on the inactive roster for personal reasons, Wheeldon Jr. confirmed in the pre-match press conference.
“We have to respect that with him and his young family,” the coach added. “I’m sure once things are ironed out there will be a further statement, but right now privacy for him is optimum and respect from us is probably the same.”
The Cavalry gave contract extensions to a pair of key figures prior to the opening match. Wheeldon Jr., a two-time CPL Manager of the Year winner, signed a contract that will keep him with the Cavs for the next three seasons.
Camargo put pen to paper on an extension that will keep the midfielder with the team until 2025, with an option that can be activated for 2026. The CPL side also announced its signings of Niko Myroniuk, Max Piepgrass and Caden Rogozinski to U SPORTS contracts for the 2024 campaign.
