May 7, 2022 – Canadian Premier League (CPL) – FC Edmonton News Release
EDMONTON – Rivalries are always more intense, and FC Edmonton learned a hard lesson against their bitter rivals, Cavalry FC.
The Eddies were on their heels for the majority of the first half, and Cavalry FC earned a convincing 3-0 victory in the first installment of the Al Classico, Friday night at Clarke Stadium. Joe Mason and Ali Musse scored for Cavalry in the win, and they were awarded an own goal late in the second half to round out the scoring. It marked the first loss at home for FC Edmonton, as they dropped to 0-3-3 on the year as they continue to search for their first win of the season.
“Cavalry deserved to win the game; throughout the course of 90 minutes, they were the better team,” said FC Edmonton head coach Alan Koch. “I think they came out with more intensity than we did and in a (local) derby, as young as we are, you have to come out with that intensity, you have to be ready to play from that first minute to that last minute. “I was pleased with our response in the second half, we challenged the guys a little bit at halftime, but that obviously doesn’t impact the result tonight.”
Cavalry FC took control of the first half and used their experience to put pressure on the young Eddies squad. They took a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute, when Mason slipped in behind coverage and ripped a shot off the crossbar and in. Just four minutes later, Musse’s free kick picked the corner as Eddies goalkeeper Andreas Vaikla had no chance on either goal. Vaikla, who has started in all six matches for FC Edmonton this season, was solid once again as Cavalry had 13 shots, seven of which were on target.
“To be honest, it might have been a little bit naivety. Our guys are young, and a lot of them don’t know what it’s like to play in a game like this. Cavalry has experience all over the place,” said Koch.
The Eddies looked much better in the second half, as they started to get more offensive…
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