Cavalry FC were taught a tough lesson in their first-ever continental match, losing 3-0 to Orlando City SC in the opening leg of the round 1 Concacaf Champions Cup matchup at Starlight Stadium.
The match, which served as Cavalry’s home leg, was dominated by Orlando City SC designated player Facundo Torres, who scored a goal on either side of half-time. American international Duncan McGuire, meanwhile, opened the scoring in the 21st minute.
The Alberta side now face the difficult prospect of needing to score three, not to mention win by three, just to force extra time on the road next Tuesday in Orlando to advance.
Cavalry FC came flying out of the gates, pinning Orlando deep in their own territory for most of the opening 15 minutes. The visitors, however, had the best chances of the early stages, causing problems on multiple set pieces. Orlando would have opened the scoring in the ninth minute, if it was not for a goalline clearance from 2023 CPL Player of the Year Daan Klomp.
Those close calls seemed to invigorate the MLS side, who found gaps in behind the Cavalry fullbacks and began showing the attacking fluidity that helped them to a second-place finish in MLS last season.
In the 21st minute, Orlando sliced Cavalry open with a clever bit of football down the left flank. Iván Angulo played a ball down the line to Martin Ojeda, who brilliantly crossed the ball into the path of McGuire. The American international maintained his composure to knock the ball midair past Marco Carducci, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Cavalry’s best chance of the opening half came shortly thereafter. New signing Tobias Warschewski had drifted out wide left, where he found himself in a pocket of space and played a lovely lofted through-ball into the path of Sergio Camargo. The Cavalry number ten, however, was unable to get his outstretched boot on the cross right in front of Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
With Cavalry caught forward trying to find a way back into the game, however, Orlando struck again shortly before halftime. Orlando fullback Dagur Dan Þórhallsson carried the ball into space down the right flank, before sending the ball out wide to Torres. The Uruguay international cut inside, and sent a curling strike through traffic that Carducci got a hand to but was unable to keep out, giving Orlando a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
Cavalry manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. wasted little time turning to his bench early in the second half, making a double substitution in the 58th minute, bringing in 2023 CPL Golden Boot winner Myer Bevan, and veteran Fraser Aird.
Bevan nearly made an instant impact when his ball from outside almost fooled Gallese moments later. Aird then made his presence felt when he played a nearly perfect cross on a free kick in the 64th minute, but Eryk Kobza couldn’t direct his header goalwards.
The hosts were incredibly lucky not to concede a third in the 73rd minute, when a giveaway from William Akio in the box was smashed off the underside of the crossbar and out from close range. Cavalry cleared the rebound but looked shaken by the moment.
Torres added his second of the game, and Orlando’s third of the match, in the 75th minute, getting on the end of an outstanding flowing move from the visitors. A lovely fluid string of passes down the left flank ended in a Torres header that Carducci could not contain.
Cavalry FC kept pressing late, and came painfully close to scoring their first Concacaf goal in the 81st minute. Substitute Diego Gutiérrez sent a thundering strike on the volley goalwards, with Gallese out of position, but Orlando’s Felipe Martins made a sacrificial block with his head to maintain his side’s clean sheet.
The Cavs will instead have to continue their search for their first continental goal and result in Orlando next Tuesday, February 27 at Inter&Co Stadium (4:00 p.m. MT / 6:00 p.m. ET).
BOX SCORE
Lineups
Cavalry FC: Carducci, Montgomery (Kamdem 70′), Kobza, Klomp, Shome, Daley, Trafford (Gutiérrez 70′), Musse (Aird 58′), Camargo (Henry 82′), Akio, Warschewski (Bevan 58′)
Orlando City SC: Gallese, Smith (Santos 67′), Schlegel, Jansson, Þórhallsson, Ojeda, Araújo (Martins 80′), Cartagena, Torres, Angulo (Lynn 80′), Ojeda (Lodeiro 62′), McGuire (Enrique 67′)
Goals
21′ — Duncan McGuire (Orlando City SC)
38′ — Facundo Torres (Orlando City SC)
75′ — Facundo Torres (Orlando City SC)
Discipline
55′ — Yellow: Charlie Trafford (Cavalry FC)
60′ — Yellow: Callum Montgomery (Cavalry FC)
