Calgary will welcome the regular season champions back to ATCO Field for the first time on Friday, as Cavalry FC return to their home pitch to play Valour FC in their first match since clinching the title last weekend.

Valour are playing for pride at the moment, having been officially eliminated from the playoff hunt last week. They’ll still be hungry to put in a good performance and try to spoil Cavalry’s celebration at home.

They spoiled a party last weekend at TD Place, where Walter Ponce’s 94th-minute goal bagged a 1-0 road win for Valour over Atlético Ottawa. The Winnipeg club may be out of the race for the top five, but they’re in a battle with Vancouver FC to avoid the basement. The two sides are tied on 26 points at the moment (although Valour sit in last due to having fewer wins); nobody wants to finish bottom of the table, so Valour will be motivated to finish seventh.

Clashes between these sides have been pretty entertaining this year, and the season series is still up for grabs. Last time they played, Cavalry took a 2-0 lead at IG Field before Valour stormed back in the second half to win 3-2 in one of the most stunning comebacks of the season so far

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Cavalry keen on winning season series: In the course of their regular season title campaign, Cavalry have a winning record against every other team in the CPL — except for one. In three games against Valour, they have a win, a loss and a draw, meaning the two sides have been fairly evenly matched. Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said Thursday that winning the season series against Valour, and complete the set of all seven CPL opponents, is a challenge Cavalry have set for themselves, having never done it before in their history. “Our group always needs a challenge and something to play for,” Wheeldon said on Thursday. “Our series with Valour is tied. We haven’t lost a series to anybody this year, so we intend to put our best foot forward.”

• Awards watch takes spotlight for both sides: One other thing players on both teams might have on their mind in this game: awards. Cavalry have a few players who might have their eyes on an individual accolade from this season; Myer Bevan is second in the Golden Boot race with 10 goals (one behind leader Ollie Bassett). Meanwhile, Ali Musse’s and Daan Klomp’s names have both popped up in Player of the Year conversation recently — and Klomp feels like a nailed-on choice to be among the nominations for Defender of the Year. Marco Carducci, too, could have a shot at retaining the Goalkeeper of the Year honour, although Valour’s Rayane Yesli could also be a contender. Also for Valour, young fullback Matteo De Brienne might just be the favourite for U-21 Canadian Player of the Year. The final two weeks of the season could sway voters, so all players will be hoping to add a couple more highlights to their reels.

• Valour keen on finishing season in good form: Although they’re officially eliminated, Valour feel that they’ve been playing some better football of late, and finally got a reward for it last week with a good performance and late win against Atlético Ottawa. That said, it’s been bittersweet for coach Phillip Dos Santos, who has been left wondering what could’ve been in Valour’s season if they’d put forward some more performances like that earlier in the year. “It’s frustrating because now that we know we can do it, you just ask yourself, why didn’t we do it more often?” he said after the game on Sunday. Regardless, with a week’s rest heading into the game in Calgary, Dos Santos will be asking his players to channel the effort they delivered in Ottawa once again.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Cavalry FC wins: 10 || Valour FC wins: 3 || Draws: 4

Last meeting:

August 12, 2023 – Valour FC 3-2 Cavalry FC

KEY QUOTES

“It’s up to us now to be able to celebrate these games, but our best foot forward week-in and week-out, and for our fans to continue to bring the energy. The more energy they bring, the more energy they give us, and as we go into the business end of the season we need that extra dose because it could be a fantastic season where we could win it all.” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

“We have to stay simple. The essence of football will always be football, and at the end of the day it’s about executing. It’s about the players being able to make the right decisions and the simple decisions in the right moments.” — Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos after the Atlético Ottawa match