VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC will begin the quest for their second Voyageurs Cup on July 10 when they visit Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC at ATCO Field in Calgary, Alberta.
The ‘Caps enter the 2019 Canadian Championship in the third round of qualifying. Kickoff for the away leg is at 6:30 p.m. PT and all tournament matches will be streamed live on OneSoccer.ca.
The scene moves to BC Place for the second leg on July 24, with a semifinal berth on the line. Kickoff for the decisive leg is at 7:30 p.m. PT. All of the ‘Caps Canadian Championship home matches are included in Season Ticket Memberships. Single-match tickets are on sale on whitecapsfc.com. .
Cavalry FC earned their meeting against the ‘Caps on Tuesday evening with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Forge FC in the second round of qualifying.
This will be the first meeting between Whitecaps FC and Cavalry FC, who are off to an undefeated start five matches into their inaugural season with the new CPL. The club’s roster features goalkeeper Marco Carducci, defenders Chris Serban, Mason Trafford and Dominick Zator, and midfielders Elijah Adekugbe and Carlos Patino, players who have spent time with the Whitecaps FC system. Former ‘Caps player Martin Nash also serves as an assistant under head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
At stake between the two sides is a semifinal berth versus the winner between Montreal Impact and their third-round opponent from the CPL. York9 FC currently lead 3-1 on aggregate versus FC Edmonton in their second-round series with the decisive leg set for tomorrow for the right to face Montreal.
About the Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship is Canada Soccer’s highest domestic professional competition and is the sole qualification route for Canadian professional clubs into Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League and onto the FIFA Club World Cup.
Dubbed the Battle of the North, the Championship sets itself apart from all North American professional sports competitions that operate on both sides of the border as the only one to hold an all-Canadian competition that leads to the international stage.
Canadian content is a focus of the competition and since 2017, regulations state that each team must field a minimum of three eligible Canadian Internationals as starters for each match.
In 2019, the Canadian Championship will feature 13 teams including three Major League Soccer clubs, Toronto FC, Montréal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps FC; United Soccer League’s Ottawa Fury FC; seven Canadian Premier League clubs, FC Edmonton, Forge FC, Valour FC, Cavalry FC, HFX Wanderers FC, Pacific FC, and York9 FC; Première ligue du Soccer de Québec’s AS Blainville; and League1 Ontario champions Vaughan Azzurri.
