The CPL Final is coming back to Spruce Meadows for the first time since 2019.
Cavalry FC blanked the regular season champion Forge FC 1-0 Sunday afternoon in Hamilton in the Canadian Premier League Playoff semifinal to advance to the championship and earn the right to host the North Star Cup on Nov. 9.
“It feels amazing, we now have the final at home in front of our amazing fans,” said Cavalry left back Bradley Kamdem.
“It took a lot of resilience and solidarity from the team. From minute one we were together, we got the goal and I think we stayed true to our principles and we got the win on the road."
Tobias Warshewski’s 27th minute strike was the difference in the Oct. 27 semifinal.
The CPL Golden Boot winner took a long ball from goalkeeper Marco Carducci, held off the Forge defenders and tip-toed around the Hamilton goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat before slotting into the empty net.
“I think Tobi was our front three today,” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “He’s that good, he drifts into different areas, he affects and pressures, he can start the press, he can drop into midfield, he can get fouls and dribble you up the pitch.
“I think his legs were starting to go, but with him you always know you’ve got an opportunity to score one. What a special goal and what a pass from Marco.”
TOBIIIII pic.twitter.com/Uq52w98Bmj
— x - Cavalry FC (@CPLCavalryFC) October 27, 2024
Forge, four-time playoff champions, put on the pressure in the second half, but could not solve the team with the best defensive record during the regular season.
“It was a well-executed tactical performance,” added Wheeldon Jr. “I’ve been focusing a lot more on this team this year, we know there’s things that have happened in the past, but this is a different team that even I’ve worked with.
“First half of the season was very tough, we’ve grown stronger and stronger and I think that resilience early has made us tougher. When you’ve got to suffer in the second half like that, you do so as a group. And collectively, I thought, we were superb.”
The victory snapped an eight-game winless run at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field, a run that dates back to the 2021 season.
It’s also the Cavs’ first win in four playoff games versus Forge.
The Hamilton side moves to the second chance semifinal on Nov. 2 when it welcomes Atlético Ottawa with the winner moving through to the final in Foothills County. Ottawa edged York United 2-2 (5-4 in penalties) in a seesaw thriller on Sunday in the capital.
Cavalry FC, regular season champions during the 2019 and 2023 seasons, is bidding for its first playoff championship. Cavalry last hosted the league final in 2019.
The CPL Final is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Nov. 9 at ATCO Field.
As part of the final festivities, the CPL Awards will be held in the area on Nov. 7, in addition the matchday FanFest on Nov. 9 will include live pre-game musical performances headlined by Canadian pop sensation Lu Kala.
For more information, go to cavsfc.com.
