2020 CPL regular season (The Island Games) — Match #8
FC Edmonton vs. Cavalry FC
August 20, 2020 at 8:00 p.m ET/9:00 p.m. AT
UPEI Artificial Turf Field in Charlottetown, PEI
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca
The Al Classico is hitting the road.
Instead of Clarke Stadium or ATCO Field, UPEI Artificial Turf Field in Charlottetown will host Thursday night’s contest between FC Edmonton and Cavalry FC, marking the first time in league history that these provincial rivals will face each other outside of Alberta.
Truth be told, it hasn’t been much a rivalry thus far, with Cavalry going unbeaten in five games (with four wins and four clean sheets) against Edmonton in 2019, outscoring FCE 8-1 along the way.
Cavalry enters this latest instalment of Al Classico with four points from its first two matches at The Island Games, including a 2-0 win over Valour FC in their last outing. A victory on Thursday would allow Cavalry to remain unbeaten against Edmonton and remain atop overall the league standings, while also hurting their rival’s chances of making it out of the first round.
Edmonton, meanwhile, is looking for its first point and first goal of the season after losing 2-0 to Forge FC in its opening contest in PEI. Edmonton showed well against Forge, but they’ll have to find another gear (especially with starting defender Amer Didic ruled out with a foot injury) if they hope to upend Cavalry and put themselves in the race for a second-round berth at The Island Games.
RELATED READING: FC Edmonton keeping 1st captain Chris Kooy in mind through his cancer battle
3 THINGS TO WATCH
- Haber leading the line: With Jair Cordova questionable for Thursday and Jose Hernandez more likely for the weekend, you can expect Canadian international Marcus Haber to lead the Cavs’ attack vs. Edmonton. After a difficult 2019 at Pacific FC, Haber marked his debut for Cavalry with the opening goal in their 2-0 win over Valour. “I think he’s hungry. It wasn’t the first season he would’ve liked, and we brought him in, we know exactly what he could bring, and he’s delivered upon that,” Cavs coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said.
- Super Swede Zetterberg: Swedish midfielder Erik Zetterberg was impressive in his CPL debut for FCE, completing a team-leading 25 passes in the opposition half against Forge FC. He also connected well with teammate Keven Alemán in the final third of the pitch. Look for FCE to rely on him even more vs. the Cavs. “He has such a high IQ, gets the ball into dangerous places. He uses his energy well and that’ll be a useful thing for us in a season like this,” Edmonton coach Jeff Paulus said of Zetterberg.
- Fabulous Farsi: Several league newcomers have impressed thus far in PEI, including Mohamed Farsi of Cavalry. Against Valour, the 20-year-old fullback from Montreal played the full 90 minutes and distinguished himself by hitting five crosses, win a pair of interceptions, and he had a hand in both Cavalry goals. Can he have a repeat performance? Or will Edmonton, who’ll have the benefit of game film to study, be able to shut him down?
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“These players and coaches, we’ve all been sidelined for ten months, so I think every single game is gonna have passion. I think this is a cracking league. It’s a great advertisement for one that’s taken so long off.” – Cavalry coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
“(Keven Alemán) gets himself into pockets, he works so hard in those transition moments. When you have a player like that with his work rate, it’s clear to see he’s a complete footballer. It’s a player who will get stronger and stronger as the tournament goes on.” – FC Edmonton coach Jeff Paulus
ALL-TIME SERIES
Cavalry wins: 4 || FCE wins: 0 || Draws 1
PREVIOUS MEETING
October 19, 2019: Cavalry FC 3, FC Edmonton 1
