Canadian Premier League – Cavalry FC beat Forge FC to win historic first title

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2-1 in the final 

©TM/IMAGO

Cavalry FC have won a historic first Canadian Premier League title. On Saturday, the Calgary-based club beat visitors Forge FC from Hamilton 2-1 in front of 7,052 spectators at a sold-out ATCO Field thanks to goals by Tobias Warschweski (32’ P.) and Sergio Camargo (38’). Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson (52’) scored for Forge. Cavalry becomes just the third club behind Forge (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and Pacific FC (2021) in the league’s six years of existence to win the Canadian Premier League (overview).

The Calgarians’ title win has been coming for a long time. Since the inaugural season, the Cavalry have always been among the top three teams in the league during the regular season and finished first in 2019, 2020, and 2023. They also made the final in 2019, but they were defeated by Forge FC (2-0 on aggregate). In other words, for years, it has felt like Cavalry, under the leadership of manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr., have been knocking on the door. 

This year, the Calgarians have finally made the final step. And they set the stage for their first title win with a win in the first round of the playoffs. With five teams qualifying for the playoffs, the playoff tree opens with first place hosting second place to determine the host of the final. The Cavalry won that match against Forge FC 0-1 in Hamilton, giving themselves a bye in the second round and securing an opportunity to host the final. It also meant that Forge FC had to play one extra game in the playoffs beating Atlético Ottawa (1-0) to set up the final against Cavalry. 

There is no doubt that Cavalry made the most of hosting the final. Calgarians packed ATCO Field to the rafters to create an incredible atmosphere. Also, having a bye and the advantage of not traveling served the Cavalry well. Forge looked sluggish at the start of the first half, and Cavalry made the most of it by securing an early lead. Forge came back early in the second half to pull one back, but as the game wore on, Cavalry’s energy levels made a significant difference. 

What, then, can we take away from this title win? It is very much one of redemption, not just for head coach Wheeldon, who has been coaching towards this success for six seasons, but also for key player Warschewski. The former German youth international seemed done with football after his career fizzled out in Germany and two mediocre stints with York United and now defunct FC Edmonton. After a year away from football, Cavalry gave him a chance, and Warschewski paid back the trust, scoring 14 goals in 28 games across all competitions. 

It isn’t the first time Cavalry have turned around an asset. Under Wheeldon, the Cavalry have produced several outstanding players. The most notable is Canadian men’s national team defender Joel Waterman. But the list also includes Goteh Ntignee, Victor Loturi, and Aribim Pepple, ranking among the ten most expensive Canadian Premier League exports (overview). The success on Saturday will mean that more will likely soon follow, with the likes of Daan Klomp and Jay Herdman having turned heads. But that is the future; for now, Cavalry gets to celebrate the club’s first national championship.