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Sun, sand, surf, sight-seeing and shootin’ the breeze.
It’s all been a significant part of Cavalry FC’s lead-up to the most important match on the 2022 Canadian Premier League campaign.
Oh … and there’s been soccer, too, in what added up to be a respite — out east in Halifax — for the club heading into the home stretch of the season.
“We had a choice because we played Monday (in Halifax) and Saturday (in Hamilton) to fly home Tuesday, have two nights and then fly back Thursday,” said Cavalry gaffer Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “So we opted to stay in Halifax and have a recovery day in the ocean, which is great for the soul, as well as it is for the body. And then we were able to train a couple of times there before we got to Hamilton. It allows us to be 100 per cent focused on just our team versus our family and obligations outside the team.
“So it’s been good.”
They considered it a mini-camp.
A well-timed one, given what lies ahead — five more games to round out the regular schedule in an effort to clinch a playoff spot by finishing in the top four of the table, followed by what’s hoped to be a three-game championship run.
The climax kicks off Saturday with a pivotal game against host Forge FC in Hamilton (3 p.m., OneSoccer, OneSoccer.ca).
“It’s a massive game, both for the table and for the standings,” said Cavalry captain Mason Trafford. “And it’s also between two clubs that you would say are the rivals in the CPL. So it kind of has everything. It has that storyline, as well as just huge implications moving forward.
“Every game now, going forward, is the next most important game, but … yeah … we want to go and put our best stuff out there against Forge, because it means a lot to this club.”
Really, it means a lot to five CPL clubs.
The Cavs themselves are 11-5-7 coming off a 0-0 draw in Halifax on Labour Day. That’s put them in second place of the standings on 38 points — two back of top-spot Atlético Ottawa (11-7-5).
Meanwhile, Forge sports an 11-3-8 mark for 36 points — two back of Cavalry in third place and tied with Valour FC (10-6-7).
Pacific FC (10-5-7) is one point further back on 35.
So there’s intrigue afoot with only four of the five qualifying for the post-season.
With that, every advantage matters, which made the ‘mini-camp’ all the more important for Cavalry.
“Big picture, yes,” said Wheeldon Jr. “Because you get to have some time with the guys outside the training ground. It’s about the human beings playing the professional game. We often forget they are humans. Mason Trafford has young twins back at home, so he’s always dealing with that. Bradley Vliet is a young guy whose girlfriend is back home in the Netherlands. These are things you get to learn about your players in a different way when you’re on the road.
“Jose Escalante loves being on the road because he gets the time to watch as much football as he can. (On Thursday), he was watching CONCACAF and watching all three of the Honduran teams back-to-back-to-back, because he’s obsessed with football.”
While the coaches used the extra time to learn more about their players and break down video footage to help them down the stretch, the Cavs used the getaway to relax, refuel and reboot.
A nice team dinner was in order.
As was a deserving social.
They also visited with friends and explored the Maritimes hub, all thanks to properly executed planning courtesy of former teammate-turned-assistant GM Tofa Fakunle and the team’s travel group.
“Halifax is a really cool city, and it was nice weather,” said Trafford, reflecting on the East Coast business trip. “They do it right in there. The team hotel is right down in the harbour, and there’s great food, so it’s actually an enjoyable away trip. It was great to hit the reset button as a group, which is always really good in a team environment and in a non-soccer environment. We had a lot of fun.”
But now, it’s time to turn their attention back to footie and nemesis Forge, which might come into Saturday in an ornery mood.
The perennial powerhouse hasn’t won in five games. The skid began with a 2-1 loss to Cavalry the last time the two teams met back on Aug. 12 and includes back-to-back pivotal 1-0 losses to Valour FC in its last two outings. The only point gained by Forge during its current 0-1-4 slide came in its only home game of the last five games — that in a 0-0 draw with Atlético Ottawa.
“We get to be the authors of our own narrative, and that’s what you ever want in sports is controlling your own destiny,” said Wheeldon Jr. “It’s up to us, and we like it that way. No excuses.”
Especially after the last few days spent recharging.
“When you think of a mini-camp, you think, normally, that’s reserved for pre-season,” added Trafford. “But why not do it now right now? You get the guys together before an intense run, and I think it was good for the team. It ticked all the boxes, really.
“It feels very professional at the moment.”
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Footie matches in the United Kingdom were cancelled this weekend following Queen Elizabeth’s death on Thursday, but the CPL intends to forge on with the schedule. “She was a wonderful person and a wonderful advocate of the country and the Commonwealth,” said Wheeldon Jr., himself a native of Liverpool, England. “She did what you try and teach your kids to do, which is show up every day and look forward — and she did that remarkably well. Whatever the tributes are, they are fitting, whether that’s to mourn her and cancel games or whether that’s to celebrate her and cheer (games). It’s all befitting of her.” … Defender David Norman Jr. and midfielder Elliot Simmons are both eligible to return to the lineup after missing the last match due to one-game suspensions for too many yellow cards … Hamstrings have gotten the better of three Cavalry players — defender Karifa Yao, midfielder Sergio Camargo and forward Myer Bevan — although Yao, who’s missed the last two matches, is expected back when the Cavs head north to play host FC Edmonton next Saturday at Clarke Stadium (2 p.m., OneSoccer, OneSoccer.ca) … Still on the club’s long-term injured list are Tom Field (knee), Anthony Novak (ACL) and Fraser Aird (ACL).
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