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Friday, November 22, 2024

Calgary’s Cavalry FC dethrones Hamilton’s Forge FC for 1st-ever Canadian Premier League title

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Soccer

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Calgary’s Cavalry FC can finally call itself Canadian Premier League champions. Playing in front of its hometown crowd, Cavalry FC dethroned the four-time champions Forge FC from Hamilton 2-1 Saturday in Calgary.

Warschewski, Camargo lead franchise to North Star Cup

Vicki Hall · The Canadian Press

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Cavalry FC male head coach lifts the North Star Cup after Cavalry FC defeated Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League Final in Calgary, Saturday, November 9, 2024.

Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. lifts the North Star Cup Saturday in Calgary. (Stuart Gradon/The Canadian Press)

Calgary’s Cavalry FC have won their first-ever Canadian Premier League title.

Tobias Warschewski and Sergio Camargo both scored as Cavalry FC earned a 2-1 decision over powerhouse Hamilton’s Forge FC on Saturday in the CPL Final.

The Calgary club hoisted the North Star Cup — awarded to the winner of the CPL championship — for the first time in the league’s six-year history before a sellout crowd of 7,052 at Spruce Meadows.

Cavalry players and coaches hugged one another and wiped tears from their eyes after “slaying the dragon” and beating the four-time champion Forge.

Following the match, Warschewski was named as the CPL final MVP.

“I’ve had champagne thrown in my face for the last half-an-hour, so my answers might be a little wonky,” Calvary head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said during a post-game news conference. “But we’ve got to savour these moments. Winning is hard.”

WATCH | Cavalry FC wins North Cup: 

Canadian Premier League championship title is claimed by Cavalry FC

Cavalry FC wins the franchise’s first CPL title by defeating Forge FC 2-1 in the CPL final in Calgary.

Cavalry finally breaks through 

In 2019, Forge beat Cavalry in the first CPL Cup final with a 2-0 aggregate win in the two-game series.

Then came a 2-1 victory for Forge in extra time at Tim Hortons Field in 2023. In the 21st minute, Forge midfielder Tristan Borges scored an Olimpico goal — a corner kick that finds the net without another player touching the ball — for the win.

“I don’t think I have the words,” Wheeldon said of finally beating Forge for the title. “It’s surreal to do it in front of our fans.”

Buoyed by the raucous crowd, Warschewski opened the scoring in the 32nd minute on a penalty kick. The 2024 CPL Golden Boot winner hammered the ball top shelf behind Forge goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat.

In the 39th minute, Warschewski secured the ball on top of the box and threaded a pass to Camargo on the left side in space.

Camargo finished the play on the far side to make it 2-0 for the Cavalry.

“The first-half performance was high level,” Wheeldon said. “It was outstanding. It was entertaining. It was cutthroat. It was fun to watch.”

Cavalry FC's male scores a penalty kick against Forge FC male keeper during first half soccer action in the Canadian Premier League Final in Calgary on Saturday, November 9, 2024.

Cavalry FC’s Tobias Warschewski, left, scores a penalty kick against Forge FC keeper Jassem Koleilat during first half of the Canadian Premier League final in Calgary on Saturday. (Stuart Gradon/The Canadian Press)

‘One team’

Fun to watch for some, but not others.

“One team worked a little bit harder in the first 30 minutes,” a dejected Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis said after the final whistle. “There’s no doubt. If you watch the game, that’s obvious.”

Forge cut the lead to 2-1 early in the second half as Alexander Achinioti-Jonsson nudged the ball behind Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci. The Hamilton side pressed and pressed as time wound down but failed to net the equalizer.

“We flipped the script,” Smyrniotis said of the second half. “We scored early. We’ve been able to apply pressure, but today, that second magical goal wasn’t there.”

The Calvary supporters — led by the Foot Soldiers, the official fan support group of Cavalry FC — chanted, screamed and sang through the final seven minutes of injury time.

“I’m from the city,” said the Calgary-born Carducci. “So to be able to play here at home, in an atmosphere like that, was really special.

“It just feels phenomenal that the fans helped us through.”

WATCH | CPL boss Mark Noonan on expansion: 

CPL boss Mark Noonan talks league expansion

Commissioner joins CBC host Andi Petrillo to also discuss making the CPL more visible to Canadians.

The CPL currently has teams in eight cities: Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and Halifax.

Both Calvary FC and Forge FC have qualified for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the region’s elite club championship.

“We’re far from done,” Wheeldon said. “We take a day to celebrate, a day to bleed, and then we move forward.

“I’ll tell you what, we’re going to have one hell of a party tonight.”

Saturday’s game was first time the championship final is played at home for Cavalry FC since the format was changed from a two-leg finals to a one-game winner takes all.

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