How can Cavalry FC pull Concacaf Champions Cup upset over Pumas UNAM?​on February 5, 2025 at 10:16 pm

Cavalry FC knows it must be its championship best — and then some — to pull off a shocker in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.

Good thing then that the Calgary crew is bringing back most of its Canadian Premier League kingpin roster from last fall.

Because it’s not just a Mexican side that’s the opposition for Thursday’s first leg of the first-round matchup.

It’s one of Mexico’s best — one of that country’s big four clubs — in daunting Pumas UNAM.

“Let’s be frank … they’re a phenomenal side,” said Cavalry GM/head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr., ahead of the cup contest — the first of two total-goal home-and-home legs — at Vancouver Island’s Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C. (8 p.m., OneSoccer.ca).

“We are going to have to punch above our weight to be at our best in the situation,” continued Wheeldon. “Gustavo Lema has done a great job with Pumas in particular since he took over last year. You can see a clear identity that they’re one of the strongest — if not the strongest — defensive teams in Liga MX, so we know they’re going to be tough to break down. They’re very good in transition with the ball, they’ve got exciting players, they’ve got big target men, they’ve got diminutive dribblers …”

Indeed, they’ve got a lot.

But so, too, does Cavalry — at least more than it did last February in their first Concacaf Champions Cup foray — after being crowned CPL playoff champions in November.

Goalkeepers (3) — Marco Carducci, Joseph Holliday, Neven Fewster
Defenders (6) — Michael Harms, Callum Montgomery, Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, Tom Field, Fraser Aird, Eryk Kobza
Midfielders (10) — Sergio Camargo, Jesse Daley, Charlie Trafford, Shamit Shome, Diego Gutiérrez, Jay Herdman, Maël Henry, Niko Myroniuk, Josh Belbin, James McGlinchey
Forwards (5) — Ali Musse, Chanan Chanda, Tobias Warschewski, Nicolas Wähling, Caniggia Elva

Nearly every player on this year’s roster got their mitts on the North Star Cup during the championship celebration a few months back at Spruce Meadows’ ATCO Field.

McGlinchey, Belbin and Fewster — still just teenagers — joined the club’s 2024 lineup in September following their time with Cavalry FC U21 in League1 Alberta but didn’t see any field time.

And Elva, who grew up in Calgary and played for local club South West United before moving to Germany for a decade-plus run of soccer in Europe, only signed with Cavalry a few days back.