Vancouver FC and Cavalry battled to a goalless draw at Willoughby Community Park to close out matchweek 15 of the Canadian Premier League.
The Eagles came into this week’s game against fourth-place Cavalry looking to build momentum heading into the second half of the season. The 2025 regular season has been disappointing so far, but a few wins could set the tone for a strong finish. The Cavs had plenty to play for as well, aiming to climb the standings and avenge their loss to Vancouver in the Canadian Championship quarterfinals from earlier in the week.
Many expected this to be an attacking game, with Vancouver gaining confidence from a win earlier in the week. However, the match turned out to be slow and methodical, with both teams seemingly hesitant to push forward as a unit. Most offensive attempts came from long balls rather than cohesive attacking play.
Nicolas Wähling had the first clear scoring opportunity for the visitors in the 22nd minute, running onto a long through ball and going one-on-one with Vancouver FC goalkeeper Callum Irving. He was a bit slow to take his shot, allowing Vancouver's defenders to recover and block his weak attempt.
In the 33rd minute, Sergio Camargo had Cavalry's second good scoring opportunity, but his volley from eight metres sailed over the crossbar.
Vancouver’s best scoring opportunity of the first half began with a long through ball from their own half, which was laid back by Elage Bah to Vasco Fry. Fry’s low blast narrowly missed the right corner of the Cavalry goal.
The hosts were dealt a blow in the 62nd minute when Nicolás Mezquida was shown a questionable red card for a late slide—an incident many felt didn’t even warrant a yellow, let alone a straight red.
In the 80th minute, Elage Bah nearly put Vancouver in the lead when his shot from the left side of the box deflected off a Cavalry defender. If not for a diving save by Marco Carducci, the hosts would have taken the lead against the run of play.
In injury time, Vancouver’s defenders rose to the occasion, holding off two excellent scoring chances to preserve the draw.
Next up for the home side is an away game against York United on July 19, 2025, while the Cavs will aim to put a tough week behind them when they face Valour in Winnipeg the following day.
