Ali Musse didn’t arrive at Cavalry FC with fireworks or fanfare.
Signed quietly in 2021 on a modest one-year deal, he could’ve been just another name on the roster. Instead, four seasons and 100 appearances later, he’s become the club’s beating heart, creative soul, and big-game talisman — a legend forged in boots, not headlines.
From a last-gasp signing to a cornerstone figure, the story of Ali Musse is not just a tale of redemption and rise — it’s a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and relentless self-belief.
Humble beginnings, big ambitions
Musse’s story begins far from the pristine pitches of the Canadian Premier League. Born in Somalia and raised in Winnipeg, he cut his teeth in the Whitecaps Academy before making his professional debut with Valour FC during the CPL’s inaugural season.
Fifteen appearances, two goals, and two assists later, he was released. It could’ve ended there. But Musse, with that trademark glint of defiance, wasn’t done.
After a detour to the German seventh division with FCA Darmstadt in 2020, Musse returned to Canada in 2021 with something to prove. He landed at Cavalry FC, linking back up with Tommy Wheeldon Jr., who had coached him to a PDL title with Calgary Foothills in 2018.
Loading ...Wheeldon Jr. knew the talent. Now, he would help refine it.
“I firmly believe he has the ability and mindset to make a difference,” Wheeldon Jr. once said. “He’s a winger with pace and creativity that likes to take people on one-versus-one and has an eye for an important goal.”
That belief was mutual. “Calgary has an amazing football culture… it was a fairly easy decision to make,” Musse reflected. “Not just for my football, but also for my family. I look forward to contributing to the team, and to hopefully winning another trophy here.”
The Cavalry faithful soon saw what Musse was made of. Gliding past defenders with deceptive pace and dazzling footwork, Musse became the team’s ultimate momentum shifter — capable of flipping a match on its head with a single burst of brilliance.
In 2022, Cavalry finished third in the regular season, narrowly missing the top spot. Their season ended in playoff heartbreak against Forge FC, but Musse’s growing influence could not be ignored.
“We have to compete, we have to trust the process,” he told CanPL.ca after that season. “I want to be better in every way, I want to improve on everything. On and off the field.”
True to his word, 2023 was Musse’s magnum opus.
The season of supremacy
Musse didn’t just play well in 2023. He dominated the proceedings.
He was named the Canadian Premier League’s Player of the Month for October, contributing to five of Cavalry’s seven goals that month — including all four in the playoffs. Set-piece delivery, audacious strikes, surgical assists; it was an all-you-can-eat buffet of brilliance.
His semifinal performance against Pacific FC encapsulated everything about his game. He assisted from a corner, then scored the winning goal off another set piece — a well-worked routine finished with precision and poise.
And then came the final.
A long-distance thunderbolt in extra time gave Cavalry a temporary lead against Forge. It didn’t end in a trophy, but it did underscore the magnitude of Musse’s impact.
That strike alone — a statement goal on the grandest domestic stage — would have been enough to etch his name into club lore.
Fittingly, his peers recognized his excellence, naming him the 2023 CPL Players’ Player of the Year. Votes from 182 CPL players placed him atop ballots across the league — Halifax, York, and even his former team Valour FC.
“In Ali Musse you’ve got one of the most exciting attacking players in this league,” said Wheeldon Jr. “He’s different. There aren’t many players like him… people are excited about the way he plays.”
Trust in Musse and ye shall find glory
But what made Musse a fixture in Cavalry’s identity wasn’t just his highlight reel. It was the trust he inspired — and returned.
“The main thing is trust,” Musse said once. “Tommy knows what type of player I am and what I can do. So he gives me that trust, and I have trust from my teammates as well. That allows you to do what you do best.”
That reciprocal faith was tested in 2024.
While a significant injury sidelined Musse for over three months, upon his return — as Wheeldon Jr. had predicted — he looked like a new signing.
The Somalian, who was on the pitch for just over a half hour, delivered one of the most impressive performances from a Cavalry player.
In a stunning performance against Ottawa, he scored a brace off the bench. His first, a deflected effort after a short corner. The second, an 89th-minute stunner that sealed the win.
“The moose ran loose in Ottawa,” Wheeldon Jr. quipped after the match. “Once we get our best players out on the pitch, our best we feel is stronger than anyone else’s best.”
“It feels amazing,” said Musse after the match. “I love this game, so it feels really good to be back with the squad. Just relief, honestly, I don’t even know how to sum it up. It’s been a long wait to get back, but I’m just grateful to be back with the squad. Just happy.”
The Cavalry FC identity and hitting 100
Ali Musse’s legacy has a lot of intertwining with Cavalry FC’s identity.
Cavalry plays with intensity, pride, and purpose. They are a team that believes in grinding out results, playing with tactical discipline, and pressing with intelligence. And every side needs its artist, its wild card — the player who makes fans hold their breath.
For the Cavs, Musse is that player.
He embodies Cavalry’s ethos but adds the flair that makes the club compelling. He can track back and win the ball, then explode forward in transition.
He can unlock a defence with one deft touch or silence a crowd with a long-range rocket. And most of all, he shows up in big moments — time and time again.
Case in point, Musse’s 100th appearance for the Cavs against Pacific FC. It was a fitting stage for a player who had shaped so many of the club’s biggest moments.
This was more than a number. It was a reminder of his epic journey — from being released to finding his footing, to becoming the very face of a footballing revolution in Calgary.
In that match, he scored a goal via a penalty, created chances leading to the first two, and looked dangerous throughout with five shots, eight touches in the box, and seven duels won.
Typical Musse.
“He’s such a threat,” said Wheeldon Jr. “He’s showing intelligence, good decision making and also two-way play. I was delighted for him.”
If that wasn’t enough, just a match earlier against Halifax, Musse put on a clinic as well when he won a penalty, scored two goals, and led the attack with urgency and creativity, signaling that the 2023 version of Musse was still very much alive and well.
There are players who light up a league. Then there are players who light a fire inside a club. Ali Musse is the latter. A once-overlooked talent who now shapes Cavalry’s destiny every time he steps on the pitch.
For the fans at ATCO Field, the name Musse no longer symbolizes potential — it stands for performance, passion, and purpose. And as long as the moose runs loose, Cavalry will always believe that magic is just one moment away.
