Despite a valiant effort in Mexico, Cavalry said goodbye to the Champions Cup after falling to Pumas at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario by 2 goals.

The game went as expected, with the hosts dominating and getting the most chances – though they weren’t necessarily the best.

In the 19th minute, the Cavs were reduced to 10 men after Charlie Trafford was shown a straight red card for a follow-through on a Pumas player. Upon a VAR review, referee Juan Gabriel Calderon deemed it was not enough for a red, showing Trafford a yellow instead.



Later in the first half, Panama international Adalberto Carrasquilla had a golden opportunity to put Pumas ahead, but his header went too high.

Just as the first half was about to end, Cavalry’s Jay Herdman cleared the ball but left his foot too high, hitting an opponent with his studs and prompting a VAR review, which would result in his sending off and a penalty for the Mexicans.

Marco Carducci became a giant and denied Ignacio Pussetto from the spot, marking a goalless end to the first 45 minutes.

“We’re frustrated that we weren’t able to hang on.” said Marco Carducci to the official Concacaf broadcast. “I think the circumstances went against us throughout most of the game. Playing with 10 men for 45 minutes is difficult, we always knew it was going to be hard coming here.”

In the second half, Pumas brought on star striker Guillermo Martínez, and the substitution proved to be successful.

In the 53rd minute, his great header inside the box went past Carducci, breaking the deadlock and putting the Liga MX outfit ahead on the night.

The Cavs kept trying, but couldn’t get past the defence.

In the 73rd minute, Martínez scored his 2nd of the night to double Pumas’ lead, though for Cavalry, they still needed 1 goal to send the game to extra time.

The reigning Canadian Premier League champions finally got ahold of the ball in the last 15 minutes of the game, but were unable to get that final shot.

In injury time, Ali Musse found himself 1 on 1 against the goalkeeper, but the tough angle he was shooting from didn’t help, with Álex Padilla getting the save.

Cavalry had a free-kick in the last minute, with Marco Carducci going up to try and send the game to an additional 30 minutes, but the visitors weren’t able to find the shot.

Referee Juan Gabriel Calderon marked the end of a heated match, with Pumas securing a 2-legged date with Costa Rican giants Alajuelense in the Round of 16.

Cavalry return to action on April 5, as they visit Hamilton for a rematch of the 2024 Canadian Premier League final against arch-rivals Forge FC.