Cavalry FC became 2023 Canadian Premier League regular season champions thanks in part to a 1-0 victory over York United in Toronto Saturday.
The result means Calgary’s club will be awarded the newly minted Canadian Premier League Shield and will be the top seed in the upcoming CPL playoffs.
- Photo gallery: Cavalry FC beat York United 1-0, win CPL regular season
Winning the league also earns Cavalry FC a berth in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, which will feature clubs from Mexico’s LigaMX and Major League Soccer.
Cavalry FC wait to be confirmed champions
But Cavalry FC had to wait for results elsewhere later in the day to confirm they won the league. Pacific FC’s inability to beat Forge FC in an evening game meant the Cavs cannot be caught with two games remaining.
Cavalry FC’s coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. admitted Saturday’s victory over York was tight.
“It was a gritty performance versus a pretty performance,” said Wheeldon Jr. after the match. “I think this is what this team’s about, there’s a humbleness and a hunger about them. We haven’t won anything just yet, so we’re still hungry for that. We were good first half, average second half, but we thought if we’re not going to connect our passes, we’ll just see the game out.”
Cavalry FC will lift the Canadian Premier League Shield at home in ATCO Field during one of the club’s final two games.
And then Wheeldon Jr. will begin preparing his club to host a CPL playoff semifinal October 14, targeting a CPL championship final two weeks later.
