Cavalry FC will play host to the Vancouver Whitecaps on a “special” night

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Big. Bigger. The biggest…

That's how the Cavalry Soccer Club views the Vancouver Whitecaps' three trips to Calgary over the years.

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Big? In the Cavaliers' inaugural season, the home club stunned the Major League Soccer team to a zero-nil draw in front of excited Calgarians as part of the Whitecaps' deep 2019 Canadian Championship run.

Bigger? In the 2022 Cup, the Cavs tied again — this time 1-1 — with the West Coast blue bloods, proving that the home team was no fluke, even though it was a penalty shootout for the first time.

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And the biggest one? Here's why it happens when the Cavaliers take on a Whitecaps team at the top of their game as one of the best teams in MLS in the Canadian Championship on Tuesday at ATCO Field (7 p.m., OneSoccer, OneSoccer.ca).

“I think it's special,” Cavaliers commercial and marketing director Mason Trafford said ahead of the much-anticipated home game of the two-game second leg of the Cup series.

“I think it's top three to be honest,” continued Trafford. “In terms of where we've been this year, we've been in the Concacaf Champions Cup, we've been shield winners in the regular season and now we're in the quarterfinals of the national cup competition.

“For me, if you're a minor leaguer or a family — anybody with football roots, you should be here. I told my clubs, “You have to stop training.”

“It's like a zone of abandonment of your experience. When you pay $40 and see how you can see it here – like 10 feet from the guys. Guys like superstar Sam Adekugbe from Calgary are back with the Whitecaps. He is wonderful. That's enough to go down.

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“And now the other thing is the Whitecaps big time.”

The proof is not only in their 5W-2D-2L record to start the MLS season, but also in their 50th anniversary.

A club-record crowd of 32,465 fans jammed into BC Place for an MLS season opener against Austin FC on Saturday night.

“Yeah… it's like madness here,” said Trafford, who made 37 appearances for the Whitecaps in 2008-09. “We are playing a team that is a legitimate MLS contender. We are playing a completely depleted team. Even last year, their fans turned against them – people threw season tickets. They did a complete 180.

“So I think the team we play is good — like really good.”

That doesn't mean the Cavalry can't stand up.

They know they can – and they're embracing the Whitecaps' challenge, just as they've done in their past Canadian Championship meetings to win the coveted Voyageurs Cup.

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Remember, as part of this 2019 run to the semifinals, the Cavs actually stunned the host Whitecaps 2-1, knocking the big-name Vancouverites out of the race.

Like last year, it's a home-and-home aggregate goal quarter-final, with the 1st leg here on Tuesday and the second leg scheduled for May 21 (8:30 p.m., OneSoccer, OneSoccer.ca) at BC Place.

“We had a great performance in the Voyageurs Cup in 2019 where we entered BC Place, won and advanced,” said Cavalry President Ian Ellison. “Then in other matches with the Whites over the years, they've been one-goal affairs or pucks. So it's not something to be scared of by any means. I think it's an honor.

“Their roots are much deeper than ours, many decades ago, but we are growing fast on the slopes. You have to go into these games with respect, not fear, and then you have to trust your process and recognize that, like us, you have great leadership at your club.”

To that end, Cavalry GM/head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. leads the Cup run, going undefeated in the last three games overall, including a 1-0 first-round win over Vancouver FC in the Canadian Championship.

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While the wet, cold weather could play a role against the team playing their games at home, the gaffer knows where they stand against the Whitecaps.

“They're stronger, deeper, more established and played the season earlier than us,” Wheeldon said. “So they should have all the benefits.

“We're obviously underdogs, but that doesn't mean we can't do it again – we've done it before. I'm glad we participated in this game. I look forward to welcoming the Whitecaps here. We make it as difficult as possible for them. But we know they are in shape. We respect that, but we're not afraid of it.”

“Yeah … everybody's excited about it,” added Cavalry veteran Charlie Trafford. “It's fun to play against them with both legs. We played against the MLS team (Orlando City SC) in CONCACAF (Champions Cup). We are disappointed in ourselves. I thought we performed well, but we will leave with bad results.

“So everybody feels ready to get back to that level.”

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