Cavalry FC extended their unbeaten start to the 2026 Canadian Premier League (CPL) season, but were left ruing missed chances as they settled for a 1-1 draw against a resilient Inter Toronto FC side at ATCO Field Saturday.
On an afternoon that began with control and promise and ended in gentle snow and second-half frustration, the Cavs looked poised to claim all three points before Inter Toronto flipped the script and held firm under pressure.
Star winger Ali Musse’s return to the starting XI brought immediate spark as it set the tone for a dominant opening spell for the Alberta outfit.
Within 50 seconds, Harry Paton carved open the visitors with a slick combination involving Musse and Tobias Warschewski, forcing an early save from goalkeeper Diego Urtiaga.
Paton orchestrated proceedings with authority in midfield, spraying passes wide and linking play with ease, while Warschewski bullied defenders and generated multiple efforts on goal.
By the half-hour mark, Cavalry had already forced six corners, which underlined their territorial dominance.
As snow began to fall lightly midway through the first half, it did little to disrupt Cavalry’s rhythm. Instead, it was Toronto who struggled to cope, clinging on as waves of pressure continued.
Set piece strength delivers and responds
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 36th minute and it came in familiar fashion.
Musse delivered a pinpoint ball into the box following a free kick and center back Daan Klomp rose unmarked to head home his second goal in as many home games.
“Yeah, those set pieces were good,” said Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
“In conditions like these, it’s very tough for the defending team to be able to put in a challenge. We got two great deliverers of the ball in Tobi and Ali, and Klomp got his second goal of the season, which is great. The set plays have been great for us, so that’s brilliant.”
Yet just five minutes later, Inter Toronto struck back with a reminder of their own attacking quality. A well-worked corner saw Beni Badibanga pick out Tomasz Skublak, who produced an instinctive, almost improvised no-look header to level the score.
“I honestly think that [scoring goals]is my bread and butter. We’ve been doing it in training. It’s just something that I do and the ball whipped right where it was supposed to go and I did what I had to do so I was very proud. Very happy. Don’t really need to see the ball. You know where the net is so just put it on target,” said Inter Toronto goalscorer Tomasz Skublak.
The equalizer shifted the mood and what had been a one-sided contest suddenly felt finely balanced heading into halftime.
Momentum shifts as Cavalry waste chances
As the second half began, Inter Toronto emerged with renewed control. They dictated possession in the early stages, exploiting spaces and forcing Cavs into a reactive shape.
“At halftime, we wanted to come out and have the ball. I think that was the main thing,” said Inter Toronto coach Mauro Eustáquio. “They [Cavalry] dropped their lines and let us have the ball, and I wanted to keep the ball for longer spells. We were trying to bring them to one side and quickly move it to the other. It didn’t work out as clean as I wanted to, but the players were in the right places, just the passes weren’t connecting.”
Cavalry still created chances remarkably. A testament to that was when all but two outfield players (keeper Nate Ingham and left back Bradley Kamdem Fewo) registered shots on target by the 55th minute.
However, their efficiency deserted them as crosses failed to find targets and promising moves broke down at crucial moments.
Inter Toronto nearly capitalized on the shift in momentum when Luca Accettola forced a sharp save from Ingham just before the hour mark. As conditions worsened and the snow fell heavier, the game became increasingly scrappy.
Cavalry thought they might have a lifeline when a potential penalty on Eryk Kobza was reviewed through Football Video Support, but the decision went against them. From there, frustration crept in.
“I think it’s easy to get ahead of ourselves thinking we’re the finished product of what we’re going to be at the end of this regular season, especially with the first game that we had here against Ottawa when we were firing on all cylinders,” said Cavalry skipper Sergio Camargo.
“We’re creating chances. Our movement up top is probably the best I’ve seen this early on in the season, so I’m very happy with a lot of things, but obviously we’re going to be frustrated with the result being 1-1 when we expect to win every game.”
Late drama nearly tilted the match when Max Ferrari produced a heroic goal-line clearance to deny substitute Nate Edwards, while Urtiaga made a crucial stoppage-time save from Levi Laing to preserve the point.
In the end, Inter Toronto were content to leave with a result.
“We’re still undefeated. It’s not easy to come to ATCO Field and get points,” said Eustáquio. “Obviously, we wanted three points and we prepped for that. But the reality is we couldn’t get it. We came here and got a point. So for us, we want to continue to build. We’re still getting players into their best match fit performances and the reality is, again, we’re undefeated.”
For Cavalry, the unbeaten run continues. But on a night where they controlled so much and finished with so little, it surely felt like an opportunity missed.
