Daan Klomp knows what’s at stake.
Ahead of another final for his soccer club, Cavalry FC, the centre back didn’t shy away from talking about what it would mean for the Calgary-based Canadian Premier League side to win the league championship.
“It’s a legacy to play for,” said the 2023 CPL defender of the year.
“It’s the one that’s missing, the playoff title. That’s the one we haven’t won yet.”
On Saturday, Cavalry FC will take on Hamilton’s Forge FC — the defending champions and the Calgary side’s biggest rival.
The winner of that game will be awarded the North Star Cup, given to the winner of the CPL’s championship match. They will automatically qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, where North America’s best soccer clubs compete for continental glory.
But it won’t be easy.
The Canadian Premier League championship final will see familiar foes Cavalry FC and Hamilton’s Forge FC battle it out again. The Calgary side could win its first championship trophy at home in front of its supporters at ATCO Field.
Forge FC have won the Canadian championship four times, beating Cavalry twice. The club also won the regular season this year, finishing at the top of the table.
“They’re a phenomenal side,” said Tommy Wheeldon Jr., Cavalry FC’s head coach and general manager. “They’re the defending champions, so we have to be the challenger, we have to embrace that.”
Wheeldon Jr. was nominated for the 2024 coach of the year after winning the award twice before.
There’s going to be a lot of star-studded power on the field and on the touchline for the men in red. Tobias Warschewski, the CPL’s top scorer and a nominee for the 2024 player of the year award, will lead the attack for the Cavs.
Klomp, a four-year veteran of the Calgary club, was once again nominated for the league’s defender of the year award after winning the honour in 2023.
“If you’re playing in the last game of the season, it means you’ve had a successful season,” he said. “And you’re one game away from being a champion.”
Saturday’s game will be the first time the championship final is played at home for Cavalry FC since the format was changed from a two-leg finals to a one-game winner takes all.
It’s something Wheeldon Jr. said will play to Calgary’s advantage.
“Now the opportunity is to win it in front of our fans,” he said.
“They become the extra man, they become the extra voice for us, and to lift the trophy in front of them certainly motivates me, certainly motivates our players. So it’s a great opportunity and one that we’re going to rise to.”