Cavalry FC - 2024 Season Thread

[Big_M]

.

[K Edgar]

Akio with South Sudan for World Cup Qualifiers

[narduch]

Klomp looking for MLS move?

 

 

[K Edgar]

13 returning: Marco Carducci, Sergio Camargo, Shamit Shome, Ali Musse, Eryk Kobza, Bradley Kamdem, Michael Harms, Jesse Daley, William Akio, Myer Bevan, Ethan Beckford, Mael Henry, Daan Klomp

https://cavalryfc.canpl.ca/article/2024-roster-updates

https://northerntribune.ca/cavalry-end-of-season-roster-2023/

[narduch]

They will play Orlando in CCC

[narduch]

And their CCC home match will be in Langford lol

[Big_M]

...and absolutely no one saw this coming? they were never gonna play at atco or alberta in feb...was pretty clear it was gonna be at starlight

Club Statement Regarding 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One Venue

[Aird25]

Very silly to start this tournament so early in the year. This sucks for Calgary fans.

I could either wear my Canada jersey, which should pass as a Calgary one on camera, or I could wear one of my Pacific jersey's which could pass as Orlando. The bidding starts at a loonie

Edited December 15, 2023 by Aird25

[Shway]

Shermanator gave me a false hope, but what did I truly expect. I was hoping that would freeze the fuck outta whoever stepped foot into Canada.

Was Commonwealth not an option? Or was the cost too much? 

Surely the Foot Soldiers would prefer to take a trek to Edmonton rather than Langford no? 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

It was delusional to expect this game to happen at Atco Field. Undersoil heating technology exists but its very expensive to install and I seriously doubt it has ever been done for the entire field at a showjumping facility.

Clarke Stadium and its 3G surface would maybe be almost doable and more realistic financially in an Alberta context than Commonwealth but would the City of Edmonton want to go to all that trouble to help a Calgary club?

CanPL clubs are an afterthought in this competition so CONCACAF would likely have been just as happy if both games had been played in Orlando or the Cavalry had simply withdrawn to provide Orlando with a bye.

Hopefully, the Cavalry will be able to use this as rocket fuel and emulate what Puerto Rico and the Impact did in the forerunner to this competition as USL clubs back in the day but it's a long shot at best when a full roster likely won't even have been assembled yet for the 2024 CanPL season.

Edited December 16, 2023 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[shermanator]

14 hours ago, Shway said:

Shermanator gave me a false hope, but what did I truly expect. I was hoping that would freeze the fuck outta whoever stepped foot into Canada.

Was Commonwealth not an option? Or was the cost too much? 

Surely the Foot Soldiers would prefer to take a trek to Edmonton rather than Langford no? 

We were all blindsided by this. Ian Allison was adamant in the fall that the game would be at Spruce Meadows. They've been in the local media all week hyping up the game in February at Spruce Meadows. 

So what is the long term solution to playing games in this tournament? It sounds like the club doesn't have a plan, and is at best waiting for McMahon to reinstall their turf and hope it will work for soccer. But that's not a reliable solution. Neither is playing these games in Edmonton. 

I think the proper solution is to either install undersoil heating or install turf at Spruce Meadows. I think we all know Spruce Meadows would rather burn down the stadium then install turf. And I think they don't want to put the cost into undersoil heating.

Typically the club has learned from their mistakes in the past, but this is a pretty big mistake with a costly solution. It's time to see how serious Cavalry are about their soccer club.

[Aird25]

7 minutes ago, shermanator said:

We were all blindsided by this. Ian Allison was adamant in the fall that the game would be at Spruce Meadows. They've been in the local media all week hyping up the game in February at Spruce Meadows. 

So what is the long term solution to playing games in this tournament? It sounds like the club doesn't have a plan, and is at best waiting for McMahon to reinstall their turf and hope it will work for soccer. But that's not a reliable solution. Neither is playing these games in Edmonton. 

I think the proper solution is to either install undersoil heating or install turf at Spruce Meadows. I think we all know Spruce Meadows would rather burn down the stadium then install turf. And I think they don't want to put the cost into undersoil heating.

Typically the club has learned from their mistakes in the past, but this is a pretty big mistake with a costly solution. It's time to see how serious Cavalry are about their soccer club.

I wouldn't really consider it a mistake though. It's unfortunately the result of US and Mexican clubs having so much power in the federation and prioritizing a different tournament. I'm surprised Calgary fans are blaming the club 

[narduch]

14 minutes ago, shermanator said:

We were all blindsided by this. Ian Allison was adamant in the fall that the game would be at Spruce Meadows. They've been in the local media all week hyping up the game in February at Spruce Meadows. 

So what is the long term solution to playing games in this tournament? It sounds like the club doesn't have a plan, and is at best waiting for McMahon to reinstall their turf and hope it will work for soccer. But that's not a reliable solution. Neither is playing these games in Edmonton. 

I think the proper solution is to either install undersoil heating or install turf at Spruce Meadows. I think we all know Spruce Meadows would rather burn down the stadium then install turf. And I think they don't want to put the cost into undersoil heating.

Typically the club has learned from their mistakes in the past, but this is a pretty big mistake with a costly solution. It's time to see how serious Cavalry are about their soccer club.

Are we even sure they would be allowed to host the next round in March?

[shermanator]

1 hour ago, Aird25 said:

I wouldn't really consider it a mistake though. It's unfortunately the result of US and Mexican clubs having so much power in the federation and prioritizing a different tournament. I'm surprised Calgary fans are blaming the club 

Their mistake is puffing their chest out about playing CONCACAF games at Spruce Meadows and then springing a poorly worded statement about how they found this great solution with no real context about why, then shutting off opportunities for criticism on all social media posts related to the issue. That is why people are pissed. 

Everyone understands the situation. But Cavalry had been saying for months that the game would be at Spruce Meadows. If they had some humility and were up front about the situation from the beginning, I think people would be a lot more sympathetic.

This is a massive learning moment for the club.  

[Aird25]

4 hours ago, shermanator said:

Their mistake is puffing their chest out about playing CONCACAF games at Spruce Meadows and then springing a poorly worded statement about how they found this great solution with no real context about why, then shutting off opportunities for criticism on all social media posts related to the issue. That is why people are pissed. 

Everyone understands the situation. But Cavalry had been saying for months that the game would be at Spruce Meadows. If they had some humility and were up front about the situation from the beginning, I think people would be a lot more sympathetic.

This is a massive learning moment for the club.  

Fair enough. Perhaps they could have handled it better. I haven't followed, but if that's the mistake you were referring to, than what's costly solution you mentioned in the post I responded to?

I feel bad for all the Cavalry fans that won't get to watch this match, and maybe any continental match in the near future. I would be gutted myself, but I'm of the opinion that the solution is to not start the tournament when half the teams involved are out of season, and half the continent is unplayable. That's a decision I'd be happy to rally against with Cavalry fans. The problem is bigger than Calgary, and the fault lies beyond the club, which is why I think a lot of the anger I've seen from Cavalry fans is misplaced. 

[shermanator]

CONCACAF has been starting this tournament early for years now. While the logical solution would be to not start the tournament in February when Canada and the northern US is under snow, you can't rely on the federation to do that.

Given that Cavalry have cited playing in this tournament as a goal from day 1, they should have been thinking of a plan as to how to play games in Calgary in February and early March. They didn't. They arrogantly thought they would be able to manage the situation with their usual pitch maintenance of doing fuck all over the winter, and they scrambled last minute when they realized that wasn't going to work. 

The solution is finding a place in Calgary with FIFA acceptable turf that you can use in games in the cold months. That doesn't exist right now and they sure as hell aren't going to put it in at Spruce Meadows. 

This tournament should have been a moment of genuine excitement for supporters. Instead we get to watch our rivals organize against our club in their "home leg" in a massive game. It's shameful stuff. 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

I suspect non-soccer people like Bob Young, Scott Mitchell and the Southams probably thought CONCACAF would have to find a way to accomodate Canada and be reasonable on this by changing the scheduling of the competition. If anyone who is supposed to be their soccer expert actively advised CanPL clubs that they should agree to the two automatic Champions Cup places format rather than insisting on the Leagues Cup entry that they had every right to expect they should be fired because this was always highly likely to be the outcome.

[SoccMan]

Everyone wants more spots for our teams in this regional tournament which I get, however we need to realize that soccer is not just about playing in your league . soccer is truly a world game where as crazy as it may seem you can go from playing York United one day to playing a Real Madrid in a Club World Cup . The possibility seems so far fetched but there is a pathway to getting there through the CONCACAF Champions League . The chances are slim but at least you can get to play for that chance which is exciting in itself. Therefore, these CPL owners need to find solutions for their teams , so that when a situation like Cavalry arises you don’t deny your fans a chance to watch your team play in this tournament. Sure these fans can get on a train or bus, plane, car and get to the game in BC but the vast majority won’t and any casuals who might have gone to the game if it was in Calgary won’t . When one signs up to own a soccer team in a league like the CPL or almost any pro league in the world sure it’s a domestic league but there is so much more than just playing in your league , indirectly you are joining a network of international leagues where one day your team can realistically be playing almost anyone . Yes it’s cold in February in most of Canada but from the looks of it CONCACAF is not altering the schedule for us , so if we want to participate and give our fans the right to watch their team play a home game in this tournament a solution needs to be found in the future .

[K Edgar]

Cavalry trading José Escalante?

https://northerntribune.ca/cavalry-fc-jose-escalante-trade-2024/

[toontownman]

1 hour ago, K Edgar said:

Cavalry trading José Escalante?

https://northerntribune.ca/cavalry-fc-jose-escalante-trade-2024/

I'd like to think the league has out grown Escalante. He only went backwards after year one imo. Seems a hit and miss punt.. so valour or Vancouver makes sense.

[K Edgar]

6 minutes ago, toontownman said:

I'd like to think the league has out grown Escalante. He only went backwards after year one imo. Seems a hit and miss punt.. so valour or Vancouver makes sense.

Vancouver's "future considerations" on the draft choice swap could be involved here?

Alternately, Valour could use a left footed attacker.

[jonovision]

21 minutes ago, toontownman said:

I'd like to think the league has out grown Escalante. He only went backwards after year one imo. Seems a hit and miss punt.. so valour or Vancouver makes sense.

Cavalry may have outgrown Escalante. Not the whole league. He'd start for several teams, and on Valour he'd immediately be their second or third most talented player.

[Soccerpro2]

1 hour ago, jonovision said:

Cavalry may have outgrown Escalante. Not the whole league. He'd start for several teams, and on Valour he'd immediately be their second or third most talented player.

Boy could Valour ever use him.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

14 hours ago, SoccMan said:

...Yes it’s cold in February in most of Canada but from the looks of it CONCACAF is not altering the schedule for us , so if we want to participate and give our fans the right to watch their team play a home game in this tournament a solution needs to be found in the future .

Playing somewhere like Langford or Langley may well have to be the solution for around half the league. York Lions stadium has a winter bubble, Halifax are not allowed to use their natural grass pitch until May and although the Valour and Atletico Ottawa have turf whether they would actually try to proceed remains to be seen given their climates are significantly colder than Hamilton's. There's a reason why the CanPL season only runs May to October after all. Will be interesting to see what sort of crowd the Cavalry game draws in Langford.

[K Edgar]

Aird and Montgomery re-signed

https://canpl.ca/article/cavalry-fc-pen-new-deals-for-aird-montgomery