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Saturday, October 30, 2021

Match Analysis: Cavalry FC 2-4 Valour – Canadian Premier League - Canadian Premier League

Final Score: Cavalry FC 2-4 Valour FC
Goalscorers: Camargo (24′), Mason (38′); Dyer (9′), Akio (43′, 69′), Aleman (90+4′)
Game of the 2021 season: 103
CPL match: 239

Match in a minute or less

Valour FC didn’t crawl, they lunged back into the CPL playoff spots Saturday in a dramatic 4-2 win over Cavalry FC at Spruce Meadows. The Winnipeggers held firm during a turbulent first half that saw a 2-2 scoreline and a penalty save from Jonathan Sirois only for William Akio to pick up a clutch brace and a beauty from Keven Aleman on the final kick of the match. Saturday’s result, Valour’s first over the Cavs, sees Phil Dos Santos’ side catapulted into the fourth and final playoff spots and blowing the three-team chase for the fourth spot between them, HFX Wanderers FC, and York United wide open.

Three Observations

Valour scraps to keep playoff pace

What can be said about Valour FC at this point?

The side has pulled off a dramatic two-win turnaround including Saturday – their first win ever over Cavalry and the first result at Spruce Meadows to ever see four goals for the opponent – to go from nearly eliminated to the fourth and final playoff spot.

Valour sits with a solid chance to make the playoffs after the result and HFX Wanderers’ heavy loss against Forge FC earlier on Saturday. Winnipeg has leapfrogged the previous fourth-place frontrunners, though York United could take their place with a result late Saturday against Pacific.

“As long as you’re not mathematically out, you can’t stop,” Dos Santos said of his team’s never-die attitude. “We can’t celebrate yet – but we put ourselves in a good spot today.”

Earlier this week, coach Dos Santos claimed the team would qualify for the final four if they won both final matches, with a four-point total between Saturday and the regular-season finale vs. FC Edmonton. The first job is done – who knows what’s next for this team oozing with confidence.

Red hot Akio scores brace in shining hometown performance

Star attacker William Akio was crucial in Saturday’s result, proving clinical in a brace on his return to his hometown of Calgary. He’s scored five goals in the last five matches and is one of several players reborn under Dos Santos.

“When you get a new coach the energy changes, it’s like we’ve been born again,” Akio said. “We had to go into these last few games with 100 per cent belief no matter and that’s paid off.”

Akio counted around 40 family members in the stands also lined up against his brother, midfielder Victor Loturi of Cavalry.

“When we look at him on a daily basis he does all the right things,” Dos Santos added. “To have him here today to do this in front of his family, that meant so much to our team.”

Pure chaos in opening frame between sides in playoff chase

The opening 15 minutes of this match was, simply put, absolute chaos. End-to-end play saw Dyer and Akio smash the same part of the crossbar, Rocco Romeo give up a penalty but Joe Mason miss, and goals from Moses Dyer and Sergio Camargo on back-to-back possessions. Mason’s later goal was immediately cancelled out by Akio to end a wild half and make for one dramatic half of football.

You got the sense, considering the pace of play and the chilly, less-than-ideal conditions, that the match would be won and lost in these kind of stretches between two teams looking for points in a late-season playoff push.

“I told the guys these games are often about winning your battles, the duels, reducing mistakes,” Dos Santos said. “We were a mature team today, we reduced the mistakes.”

At the other end is a Cavalry side that created a fair number of chances and saw their opponents convert on each of their four shots on target.

“The crazy thing is we went into halftime thinking, how is this 2-2,” Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said of the performance of his “fab four” attacking group of Ben Fisk, Sergio Camargo, Mo Farsi, and Joe Mason. “We had so many good moments with our fab four – we just probably need to be a bit more clinical.”

Cavalry, who already has qualified for CPL playoffs, saw the long-awaited return of attackers Ali Musse and Oliver Minatel who both came off the bench. Musse played just five matches in the Winnipeg bubble before injury while Minatel hasn’t played for Cavalry since a season-ending injury at the Island Games over a year ago.

Red hot Akio scores brace in shining hometown performance

Star attacker William Akio was crucial in Saturday’s result, proving clinical in a brace on his return to his hometown of Calgary. he counted around 40 family members in the stands also lined up against his brother Victor Loturi.

He’s scored five goals in the last five matches and is one of several players reborn under Dos Santos.

“When you get a new coach the energy chances, it’s like we’ve been born again,” Akio said. “We had to go into these last few games with 100 per cent belief no matter and that’s paid off.”

“When we look at him on a daily basis he does all the right things,” Dos Santos added. “To have him here today to do this in front of his family, that meant so much to our team.”

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

William Akio, Valour FC

Akio has himself been reborn under Phil Dos Santos, fully taking Saturday’s match by the scruff of the neck. The Calgarian was unfortunate not to score a third, too, including a shot off the crossbar and late on when he ran to the near post and looked to have ‘keeper Marco Carducci beat.

What’s next?

Up next for Valour FC is an all-important season-finale at Clarke Field in Edmonton next Saturday against FC Edmonton (3:30pm ET/1:30pm MT). Cavalry, meanwhile, is set to finish their two-game regular-season finale against the two other confirmed playoff sides in Pacific FC next Sunday (3:30pm ET/1:30pm MT) before a final tilt with Forge at midweek. Watch all matches live on OneSoccer. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.

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Match Analysis: Cavalry FC 2-4 Valour – Canadian Premier League - Canadian Premier League
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