Cavalry FC coach and general manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. concedes the Canadian Premier League champions will have to punch above their weight against Mexico's Pumas UNAM in CONCACAF Champions Cup play Thursday.
But he has faith his players can step up at Starlight Stadium.
"We've got to be mentally prepared. We've got to be tactically prepared," Wheeldon said. "And I think the boys are in a really good mindset to take on the Pumas."
While the opening leg of the first-round series was shifted to Vancouver Island to escape wintry conditions in Alberta for the second year in a row, Mother Nature has not co-operated.
There were some eight to 10 centimetres of snow on the ground Wednesday, with a temperature of minus-one Celsius. The forecast for Thursday evening is clear and minus-three C.
"We asked the good people of Langford to help make us feel at home," joked Wheeldon. "And that they've done. They've packed the snowbanks and it does feel like home."
The return leg is Feb. 13 at Mexico City's Estadio Olímpico Universitario with the series winner moving on to face Costa Rica's Liga Deportiva Alajuelense in the round of 16.
The Calgary-based side lost to Major League Soccer's Orlando City at last year's tournament,
Pumas have won the Champions Cup three times (1980, '82 and '89) and finished runner-up twice (2005 and '22). The Mexican side made it to the quarterfinals last year before losing a penalty shootout to the eventual runner-up Columbus Crew.
Pumas currently sit seventh in the Liga MX Clausura at 2-1-2 after finishing fourth in the Apertura at 9-4-4.
"Listen, they're a terrific side. Very well organized," said Wheeldon. "We know that they're going to be a tough opponent. So we have to be at the best we are in the situation we're in. The lads know it."
Wheeldon has managed to keep his championship roster largely intact. But star Dutch defender Daan Klomp, out of contract after last season, is currently with Australia's Adelaide United and forward Malcolm Shaw's 2025 contract option was declined.
"The more you're in this game, the more you realize that continuity's important and chemistry's hard to teach," said Wheeldon. "It took us a while. We were slow starters last year after having an exceptional regular season in '23. But we had a few injuries, so we need depth in every single position. We need more game-changers available to us.
"But the chemistry and continuity, we're further ahead now than we were in the pre-season last year. In some of the things we're doing, we're recognizing patterns, strategies a lot quicker and sharper. Out biggest hurdle to climb is just getting these guys to match fitness with a very short pre-season."
Cavalry reported back to training on Jan. 6 before travelling to California for 10 days.
Wheeldon said the Orlando series last year was a learning experience. Cavalry was beaten 3-0 in the first leg in Langford before falling 3-1 in Florida.
"We went at them toe-to-toe, to see where we would face up … And we were beaten by a better side," he said. "We had some wonderful moments in it, but not enough to win a leg or win a tie."
Cavalry's goal since has been to "even the scales a little bit," Wheeldon said.
Cavalry added offence with St. Lucia international forward Caniggia Elva arriving earlier this month from Rot-Weiss Erfurt in Germany. Born in St. Lucia, Elva grew up in Calgary before moving to Germany at 18 to join VfB Stuttgart. Now 28, the former Canadian youth international has five goals in 12 appearances for St. Lucia.
Winger Jay Herdman has joined the team full time after arriving last September on loan.
Incumbent striker Tobias Warschewski led the league in goals (14) and shots (69) last season when Cavalry ranked third in the league with 48 goals in 28 games. Ali Musse contributed four goals.
"We're going to need the starters and we're going to need the finishers," Wheeldon said. "Fortunately we're going to have some experienced Cavalry players on the bench."
The only Cavalry players unavailable are midfielder Mael Henry, who has been sidelined by injury since last August, and young forward Chanan Chanda, who didn't travel after taking a knock in training.
Cavalry had the league's stingiest defence, conceding just 28 goals, with goalkeeper Marco Carducci posting a league-best nine shutouts.
Cavalry finished atop the CPL regular-season standings in both 2019 and 2023 and made the championship game three times, finally winning in November when it downed Forge 2-1.
That title earned Cavalry a place back in the Champions Cup. Pumas earned its berth as the third-best club in the 2023-2024 Liga MX aggregate table.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
