Depth comes in handy when dealing with a short turnaround.
Cavalry FC is off and running at the Canadian Premier League’s Island Games Tournament on Prince Edward Island, picking up a convincing 2-0 result over Valour on Aug. 16 on the heels of a grudge match 2-2 draw with rivals Forge FC.
Five changes were made to the Cavalry’s starting eleven in the second match.
“It shows we’ve got great depth,” said striker Marcus Haber. “From the lads on the bench to the starting eleven, I think everybody showed that we can contribute and we’ve got a rotation where we don’t really skip a beat.
“I think it shows the boys are fit and ready and the lads coming off the bench can do the job as well. It bodes well in a tournament when we’re going to need the full squad.
“It feels good – just to get the chance to play from the beginning, but most importantly I think we’re happy with the body of work from 0 to 90.”
The towering striker, who played last season with Pacific FC, made his presence felt in his first start for Cavalry with a header goal at the back post in the 29th minute. Four minutes later, Cavs attacking midfielder Sergio Camargo doubled the lead with a cheeky chip shot from the spot on a penalty kick.
“We knew what (Haber) did against us and he couldn’t catch a rhythm at Pacific and I think he had a (nagging) back injury that was taken care of in the off-season,” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “You see him, he’s leaner now, he’s a lot different than he was when he came back to Pacific. I think he’s hungry, it wasn’t the first season he would have liked.
“We brought him, we knew exactly what he could bring and he’s delivered upon that.
“He’s a handful, you can play through teams or you can play over them, play it around them and he’s got that ability. He’s another down to earth guy that just fits our culture as well.”
Marco Carducci picked up the clean sheet with Valour being limited to four shots, none of which were on target.
Off-season addition Mohamed Farsi was a standout on the opening week, showcasing electric ability from the wing position and earning man of the match honours in the victory over Valour.
“First off — he’s a terrific young man and that’s something we always look at when we’re trying to bring players in and help them develop,” Wheeldon Jr. said. “He showed great humbleness and work-rate to first off be given a professional contract.
“From there, we’ve seen things in training where we think that’s a brilliant addition for us because he’s a modern day full back – he’s comfortable in possession, he’s comfortable defending one-v-one, he wants to bring the ball out.
“The way we’re playing in this tournament, we’ve altered slightly to get him in higher areas and it’s resulted in a couple penalties for us and a cross for the big man (Haber) at the back post.”
Midfielder Bruno Zebie, defenders Dean Northover and Robert Boskovic also came into the lineup to great effect.
“It’s next man up syndrome and if you’re going to win the war you’ve got to win the battles,” Wheeldon Jr. said. “The game against Forge, no matter if it was the first game out or third game out, is always going to take a lot out of both sides, I imagine, because of what’s always on the line.
“Then we had the shortest turnaround and we talked about next man up and I thought Bruno took the opportunity, he was one of many, Bosko another one, Dean Northover coming back in, Farsi… big Haber they all came in and we didn’t skip a beat.”
The Island Games icebreaker saw the Cavalry score a stoppage-time equalizer on a penalty kick from Nathan Mavila to earn the single point against Forge on Aug. 13.
Dominick Zator broke the goalless deadlock early in the first-half with Forge countering through Anthony Novak and Kyle Bekker.
As of Aug. 18, the two teams are tied for top spot with four points.
The Cavs return to the pitch on Aug. 20 in the Al-Classico, battle of Alberta versus FC Edmonton followed by an Aug. 23 date versus the HFX Wanderers.
For more information go to cavalryfc.canpl.ca
