Cavalry FC heads to Mexico City for a chance at making Canadian soccer history

February 12, 2025 Canuck

Canadian Soccer history could be made Thursday night in Mexico City.

Calgary’s Cavalry FC will take on one of Mexico City’s most beloved clubs, the Pumas UNAM, in the second leg of the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) Champions Cup.

Cavalry beat the Pumas 2-1 last week at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C., and that victory marked the first time a Canadian Premier League team beat a squad from Mexico’s top division.

“It was a surprising victory for Cavalry, and that’s something that the people in Mexico are not happy with,” said sports reporter Mariano Sánchez Torres, who splits his time between Toronto and Mexico.

He told CBC Radio’s the Calgary Eyeopener on Wednesday that Mexico City’s Pumas are one of the Mexican football league’s top teams, in terms of both performance and popularity. It’s why he says Cavalry’s win was a stunning upset for Pumas fans in Mexico.

“[The Pumas] have a very strong fan base,” said Sánchez Torres. “They combine football with an academic and cultural background, since they represent the UNAM … the most prestigious university in Latin America, so the team carries a strong sense of identity and values.”

LISTEN | Sports reporter breaks down the Pumas vs. Cavalry:

Calgary Eyeopener7:20Cavalry FC in Mexico City

It’s a big week for Calgary soccer fans as Cavalry FC heads to Mexico City. We hear what all the buzz is about, from a journalist who covers Mexican soccer.

The two teams will battle it out in Mexico City’s Estadio Olimpico Universitario on Thursday, with the series winner moving on to face Costa Rica’s Liga Deportiva Alajuelense in the round of 16 of CONCACAF’s elite club competition.

Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. says he’s predicting a very difficult game on Thursday.

“We are coming in what we would call the lion’s den. But this is the home of the Pumas and we know that this is their territory. We have to respect that. We have to respect the conditions and our opponent,” he said during a news conference on Thursday.

“So we know we cannot, as we would say in English, copy and paste the game plan that won last time. We have to find a new way to compete against the Pumas.”

Wheeldon says advancing in this tournament would be a massive statement for Canada’s top domestic league.

The coach added that he foresaw Thursday night’s match years ago, in 2008, while he was vacationing with his son and watching a famous Mexican club team get off their bus.

“And I said to him, I said, ‘One day, we’ll play against an opponent like that’ … and tomorrow we get to do that.”

“I believe that you have to spend each day trying to work and build. And you cannot build bricks without clay. So a lot of work has been done to get to this moment … We’re honoured to be in this stadium. We’re honoured to be playing against the Pumas. And it’s a chance to test ourselves yet again.”

Cavalry FC leads Pumas 2-1

Meanwhile, Sánchez Torres anticipates Calgary’s team will have to work hard for a win in Mexico.

“Playing in Mexico City represents a significant challenge for visiting teams, and Cavalry will have to deal with one of the biggest factors: the altitude,” he said.

“The stadium of the Pumas sits over 2,200 metres above sea level, and for players who aren’t used to it, breathing can become more difficult as the game progresses, so fatigue sets in quicker. Teams often struggle to maintain their usual intensity.”

Cavalry goes into the two-game aggregate leading Pumas 2-1.

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