The top side in the Canadian Premier League continues its Ontario road trip this weekend, as Cavalry FC land in North York for a battle with Inter Toronto.
Rarely this season have Cavalry entered a match on the back of a defeat, but they left the nation’s capital empty-handed on Wednesday night. That back-and-forth contest with Atlético Ottawa ended with a very late winner by Atleti’s Gabriel Antinoro, in the 11th minute of stoppage time.
The 3-2 loss was the first CPL game Cavalry have conceded more than one goal in this year.
Still, the Cavs remain relatively comfortable atop the table, six points clear of second-place Forge FC at the beginning of the weekend. They have already clinched a playoff spot and a place in the top two, but the Calgary side still have their eyes on the CPL Shield.
Inter Toronto have their own battle to fight, though. Their quest for the postseason has hit several stumbling blocks recently, and the path into the top four is becoming narrow.
As it stands, Toronto are seventh in the table, nine points out of the playoffs with five games left on the schedule.
They still have two games in hand on fourth-place Vancouver FC, but Mauro Eustáquio’s side knows they have absolutely no margin for error. From here on out, every game has to be treated like a must-win knockout match.
Last weekend, Toronto were on the losing end of a roller coaster contest with Pacific FC. A seven-goal first half resulted in a 4-3 win for the Tridents, even though Toronto did well to take the lead at one point while playing with 10 men.
The after-effect from that game is that Eustáquio will have some tough decisions to make with his lineup. Captain Oswaldo León is suspended after his early red card against Pacific, so Eustáquio may need someone like Carlos Guzmán to step into the backline — or he could change up his usual back-three formation.
Cavs boss Tommy Wheeldon Jr. likewise has to make some choices with his team selection. He has two suspended players in Adam Pearlman and Goteh Ntignee, who otherwise would’ve slotted right into the starting 11. He also remains without Caniggia Elva (international duty) and Sergio Camargo (injury), who are typically key pieces in the attack.
Cavalry have plenty of depth to fill in those attacking positions, especially now that Tobias Warschewski is back in the lineup, but Pearlman’s right-back spot will be a trickier one to fill.
The last two meetings between these sides were rather lopsided; Cavalry beat Inter Toronto 5-1 at York Lions Stadium in June, and won 5-0 at home in August.
Eustáquio will be calling on his team to stay tighter in defence to avoid giving too much space to Cavalry’s lethal attack. Wheeldon, meanwhile, is hoping his side can restore regular service after a