Cavalry FC enters its seventh season in the CPL in uncharted territory.
That is with the chance to repeat as Canadian Premier League North Star Cup champions after securing its first playoff title in exorcising postseason demons to dethrone Forge FC 2-1 in front of a record home crowd at Spruce Meadows in November.
“It’s just fuelled the fire more,” said Cavalry captain Marco Carducci in a CPL release. “That feeling of finally getting over the line being champions and winning the playoffs was incredible, and it shows what we’ve built here at this club. We’re just hungry to do it again.
“That’s already the mindset; that high, that success of last year was fantastic, but a new season’s upon us.”
The 2025 CPL regular season starts Saturday, April 5 in Hamilton with the league’s most enduring rivalry, Forge FC and Cavalry FC locking horns.
Though league action hasn’t yet kicked off, the Cavs have been back on the pitch for some time.
They ignited their supporters over the winter with a thrilling two-leg Concacaf Champions Cup contest against Liga MX’s Pumas UNAM in February.
The Cavs became the first CPL team to win a game and first to defeat a Liga MX side when they edged the Mexico City outfit 2-1 in the opening leg on Vancouver Island. Pumas took the second leg by a 2-0 score and advanced to the next round on aggregate.
Cavalry will have a similar look to its lineup in 2025.
Roster turnover was a case of quality, not quantity lost with two fixtures to the lineup and leading figures moving on for different reasons.
Centre back Daan Klomp, a two-time CPL Defender of the Year and unstoppable force in attacking set pieces, joined Belgium professional side RAAL La Louvière in the offseason.
Defensive midfielder Charlie Trafford, a proud Calgarian, announced his retirement last month. The 32-year-old will now get to focus full time on his urban farming business, Trafford Farms, which he runs with his sister Sya.
That said, Cavalry FC returns most of its regulars and should field a starting 11 similar to what it featured in the playoffs and stretch drive of the winning 2024 campaign.
Leading the line again will be striker Tobias Warschewski, the league’s Golden Boot winner with 12 goals last season, alongside the creative forces of Ali Musse, Sergio Camargo, Jay Herdman and Nicolas Wähling.
In the middle of the pitch, veterans Shamit Shome, Diego Gutiérrez and Jesse Daley give the team solidity, rigidity and versatility.
In front of the Cavs skipper in goal, Callum Montgomery and Eryk Kobza should see major minutes at centre back with Bradley Kamdem Fewo and Fraser Aird reliably patrolling the wings.
Exciting new additions this season include dynamic forward Cannigia Elva, who played nearly a decade in the German professional ranks, along with defender Mihail Gherasimencov, who joined the Cavs on loan from the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 side.
Also new this season, TSN has partnered with the league’s broadcaster OneSoccer and will air four of the opening month games on its national feeds, including a trio of Cavalry contests, starting with this weekend’s icebreaker versus Forge.
Cavalry FC’s home opener versus Vancouver FC on April 18 and its ensuing home match versus Atlético Ottawa on April 26 will also be TSN broadcasts.
For more information on the team, go to cavsfc.com.
