‘We feel like Rocky IV’: Cavalry make international debut tonight in Langford
Posted Feb 21, 2024 12:29 pm.
Calgary’s Cavalry FC is getting set to make its international debut tonight in Langford, B.C. against the MLS’s Orlando City SC.
The Cavs qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup by finishing the 2023 Canadian Premier League regular season in first place.
Due to Alberta’s winter conditions freezing field the Cavalry call home, the team announced in December it would not be hosting their home game against Orlando City.
READ MORE: Cavalry FC to shift February Champions Cup game to Vancouver Island to escape cold
Speaking with media ahead of their game on Wednesday, coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said the team looked at various options before choosing their west coast rival’s home venue to play their game.
“The compliance that we had to go through with Concacaf, it just made a natural choice to play in a place that we’re familiar with,” explained Wheeldon Jr. “I think Starlight is a terrific stadium. We’re appreciative of the work we’ve done with Pacific and the City of Langford for this.
“So I think it’s a home away from home in a sense because there is a familiarity, we have had some great games, against Pacific here. So if anything, because we’ve kept the group together, we know we’ve even chosen the away locker rooms that gives us that sense of we know what to do here, we know the size of the pitch and it’s important we play Orlando City in Canada. It’s a different climate for them than what they’re used to. And we have to have any advantage we can.”
The gaffer went on to add the team’s training ahead of their game was a little interesting.
“We feel a little bit like Rocky IV to be honest,” joked Wheeldon Jr. “Because we’re training in the mountains and in the cold and trying to get together sparing partners to play us. They’re in Cancun and playing Flamengo down in Orlando. So it’s a lot different in our preparation, but regardless when that whistle blows we’ll be ready to compete.”
RELATED: Historic draw for Cavalry FC as they will face Orlando City in Concacaf Champions Cup
While the Cavs weren’t the only Canadian team in the competition, they are the only one that remains.
The Concacaf Champions Cup kicked off on Feb. 7 in Canada, with matches being played in Hamilton between Forge and Chivas Guadalajara, and in Langford with the Vancouver Whitecaps playing Tigres UNAL.
Both the Forge lost their opener 3-1, while the Whitecaps gave up a late goal to finish their first match in a 1-1 draw.
Forge and the Whitecaps would travel to Mexico for their second games, where they were both eliminated from the tournament after suffering losses (2-1 Forge loss, 3-0 Whitecaps loss).
Kickoff for Cavalry and Orlando is 8 p.m. and the game can be watched on OneSoccer or Fubo TV. Game 2 of the aggregate will be played at 4 p.m. on Feb. 27 in Orlando.