The 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship quarter-finals are taking shape, and for Cavalry FC, a familiar face awaits.
After steamrolling League1 Alberta side Edmonton Scottish United SC 6-0 in their opening round, Cavalry FC will now face Vancouver FC — who edged Pacific FC in a dramatic penalty shootout — in a two-legged quarter-final.
The stage is set for a heated rematch of last year’s preliminary round, where the Cavs narrowly got the better of the west coast club with a 1-0 win.
This time, however, the stakes are even higher.
Cavalry will travel to Willoughby Community Park in Langley, BC for the first leg, before welcoming Vancouver to ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows in July. Dates and times are still to be confirmed, but this tie is already brewing with narrative.
Vancouver’s resilience sets the scene
Vancouver FC booked their spot with a gritty performance against Pacific FC on May 6, triumphing 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation.
Goalkeeper Callum Irving stood tall with key saves in the shootout, while David Norman Jr. stepped up to slot home the winning penalty.
Vancouver FC beat Pacific FC on penalties the first round of the Canadian Championship in Victoria, BC Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Photo: Kelly Wallace/Total Soccer News
It was a hard-fought result that gives Vancouver a chance to reset the record against the Cavs — a side they’ve never defeated in competitive play.
While history favours the team from Calgary, momentum may favour Vancouver, who showed poise under pressure and a hunger to punch above their weight.
Cavalry’s cup ambitions still burning
For Cavalry, the Canadian Championship is familiar ground.
Their tournament debut in 2019 remains the stuff of CPL folklore. Highlighted by a 2-1 win over MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC, The Cavs reached the semi-finals – the club’s deepest run in the competition to date – before losing to another MLS side, CF Montreal.
They’ve returned to the tournament every year since, except during the pandemic-hit 2020 edition. Last year, the Calgary-based team added another high point when they scored a 1-0 win over the Whitecaps at BC Place in the quarter-final second leg match.
That pedigree makes Cavalry one of the CPL’s most consistent performers on the national stage — a team built not just for the league grind but for knockout drama. Their six-goal rout of Edmonton Scottish was more than just a statement; it was a warning.
Around the grounds for other Canadian Championship results
Elsewhere in the preliminary round, CPL clubs largely held serve.
York United dispatched Ligue1 Quebec champions FC Laval 5-0 at York Lions Stadium, while Forge FC outclassed Halifax Wanderers 3-1 in Hamilton.
Mo Babouli bagged a brace for Forge, who also benefited from an own goal to round out the scoring. Halifax’s lone goal came from Thomas Meilleur-Giguere.
Valour FC exacted revenge on TSS Rovers — the League1 BC upstarts who shocked them in 2023 — with a narrow 1-0 win thanks to a 65th-minute strike from Diogo Ressurreicao.
Looking ahead, Forge FC’s matchup is a familiar quarter-final clash against CF Montreal, a tie that brings its own recent history. This will be the fifth consecutive year that Forge will face the MLS club – who they knocked out over two legs at the same stage last year.
The Canadian Championship remains one of the most coveted trophies in Canadian soccer — with the winner not only lifting the Voyageurs Cup but earning $50,000.
More significantly, the victor also earns a prestigious spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, which is North and Central America’s premier club tournament.
