Forge FC's Alessandro Hojabrpour, right, rises to head the ball during first half soccer action in the Canadian Premier League Final in Calgary on Saturday, November 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stuart Gradon
Calgary’s Cavalry FC have won their first-ever Canadian Premier League title.
Tobias Warschewski and Sergio Camargo both scored as Cavalry FC earned a 2-1 decision over powerhouse Hamilton’s Forge FC on Saturday in the CPL Final.
The Calgary club hoisted the North Star Cup – awarded to the winner of the CPL final – for the first time in the league’s six-year history before a sellout crowd of 7,052 at Spruce Meadows.
Cavalry players and coaches hugged one another and wiped tears from their eyes after “slaying the dragon” and beating the four-time champion Forge.
In 2019, Forge beat Cavalry in the first CPL Cup final with a 2-0 aggregate win in the two-game series.
Then came a 2-1 victory for Forge in extra time at Tim Hortons Field in 2023.
Warschewski opened the scoring in the 32nd minute on a penalty kick. The 2024 CPL Golden Boot winner hammered the ball top shelf behind Forge goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat.
In the 39th minute, Warschewski secured the ball on top of the box and threaded a pass to Camargo on the left side in space.
Camargo finished the play on the far side to make it 2-0 for the Cavalry.
Forge cut the lead to 2-1 early in the second half as Alexander Achinioti-Jonsson nudged the ball behind Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci. The Hamilton side pressed and pressed as time wound down but failed to get the equalizer.
The spectators – led by the Foot Soldiers, the official fan support group of Cavalry FC – chanted, screamed and sang through the final seven minutes of injury time.
The CPL currently has teams in eight cities: Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and Halifax.
Both teams have qualified for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the region’s elite club championship.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
