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Analysis: Cavalry FC’s Ali Musse Shines in 2-1 Win Over Pacific FC

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CPL

Cavalry FC was the better team and put Pacific FC on the defensive end often at ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows. They also avenged their loss in the 2021 CPL playoffs as they will now travel to Hamilton for the CPL Final.

Cavalry FC and Ali Musse Wins an Important Game at Spruce Meadows

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Cavalry FC Winger, Ali Musse, Steps Up

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Cavalry FC winger, Musse, really played well in his performance helped the Cavs win the game.

  • Musse’s game-winning goal was a team goal, as Fraser Aird and Sergio Camargo set up the goal.
  • The Musse shot almost scored early in the second half, but his shot was stopped by Emil Gazdov.

Musse throughout the game created scoring chances. He was everywhere for the Cavs, he created set pieces for his team and created other scoring chances with one leading to the opening goal of the game.

Cavalry FC Got Behind Pacific FC’s Lines and Created Set-Pieces

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Cavalry FC was able to get behind Pacific FC’s lines and produced set pieces throughout the game. The team from Langford had difficulty defending and until late in the game, had trouble creating scoring chances.

Some examples of this include:

  • Sergio Camargo’s shot was stopped.
  • Camargo passed the ball to Akio, whose shot was off-target in the 16-minute.
  • Eryk Kobza’s header from a dangerous position following a set-piece was off-target.

Pacific FC Had Some Good Scoring Chances Late in the Game

After Kekuteh Manneh scored, the momentum started going in Langford’s favour. This included some fantastic plays in stoppage time that almost led to the game being tied. A few examples include:

  • Marco Carducci made a big save late in the game to help preserve the Cavs lead at stoppage time.
  • The last chance for Pacific FC came a few moments later as Manny Aparicio’s shot was just wide in the 90+5-minute of play.

Carducci would make four saves and Cavalry FC advanced to the Canadian Premier League Final for the second time in their club’s history. The first time they made the final, they lost the two-legged tie against Forge FC in 2019.

Other Factors: Kekuta Manneh Stepped Up in the CPL Playoffs

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READ MORE: Pacific FC Advanced To Their First-Ever CPL Final

Kekuteh Manneh made something happen in each of the three CPL playoff games he played in. He was the one who assisted on the game-winning goal against York United FC and he was also the one to force the HFX Wanderers FC to score an own goal. In this case, Manneh took it upon himself with his fantastic individual play and footwork. Yes, Adonijah Reid played a big role in the goal, but it was Manneh who ended up scoring the goal, which allowed Langford to stay in the game against the team representing Calgary at Spruce Meadows. This is what Pacific FC head coach James Merriman (source: OneSoccer):

“We can be proud that we showed the spirit of our team, and in the playoffs and the last two matches.”

Cavalry FC head coach, Tommy Wheeldon Jr., also broke down the game on Saturday:

“Buzzing, buzzing for the lads,” Tommy Wheeldon Jr., said as he also talked about the performance. “We were brilliant, we created so many chances, credit to Leon Hapgood and Daniel Hutchins that work a lot on our set-plays because that has to be a difference maker.”

Wheeldon Jr. also talked about preserving one-goal leads:

“You have to be prepared to suffer, and we had that in the end, and I thought tactically, we were very good today.”

What this win means and CPL Final on October 28

READ MORE: Three Takeaways: Whitecaps Win The Voyageurs Cup

This win not only means that the team representing Calgary will be in the CPL Final. It also means that Forge FC from Hamilton will be in the Concacaf Champions Cup. This means that overall, there are three Canadian teams in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup edition. Cavalry FC made the competition by finishing with the best record as they won the 2023 Canadian Premier League Shield and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC made the competition by winning the Voyageurs Cup by beating CF Montreal in the final.

There is also a small chance of CF Montreal making the Concacaf Champions Cup next year as they were the runners-up in the 2023 Canadian Championship. However, for that to happen, the Whitecaps would need to win the MLS Cup this year.

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The final, which will take place at Tim Hortons Field on October 28 at 6:00 PM ET, will be between Forge FC and Cavalry FC. Fans can watch the game live on Telus and OneSoccer. Forge will look to win the trophy at home after losing the CPL Final to Pacific FC in 2021 at Tim Hortons Field.

 

Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League

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