Concacaf Upset: Could Canada's Cavalry Eliminate Liga MX's Pumas With a Squad Worth $40 million Less? | OneFootball

Pumas couldn’t handle it. Some snow, a former German U19 national team player, and a plucky Canadian Premier League side that few players had likely heard of before drawing them in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

All it took was an 80th-minute wonder goal by Tobias Warschewski, and now, the Liga MX giants are up against elimination, trailing 2-1 to Calgary’s Calvary FC.

Canadian and Mexican dual national Sántiago Lopez scored the lone goal for Pumas in the first leg late in the first half before Cavalry struck back, with goals from Charlie Trafford and Warschewski to win.

All that from a team that hadn’t played a competitive game since Nov. 9, 2024, when they became CPL Champions for the first time.

Another “Iceteca?”

Cavalry's Tommy Wheeldon Jr. is used to coaching and playing in frigid temperatures / Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

While there is still a second leg to play at Estadio Olímpico Universitario on Thursday, Calgary are the latest chapter to Canada’s rise in Concacaf, winning a game somewhat reminiscent of Canada’s “Iceteca” win in Edmonton over Mexico during FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying.

It wasn’t even as bad as it could’ve been for Pumas. Cavalry’s home pitch in Calgary is grass and was frozen, so they relocated the game 453 miles away to Vancouver Island, playing on turf despite freezing coastal temperatures and snow.

“I think you’ve seen with our national team able to do it at the Iceteca... now we’re able to rise and as a CPL team that’s on a fraction of what they’re on, to go and produce that result is a mature performance from this group,” said Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “I think that gives everyone else belief in this country.”

Canada's World Cup Qualifying win over Mexico was in frigid temperatures and has been dubbed "Iceteca." / Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images

That World Cup qualifying team had played together and had played Costa Rica days prior as well in similar conditions. There were several players, such as Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, who were debatably better than their Mexican counterparts as well.

That wasn’t so much the case in the Concacaf Champions Cup tie, though. The CPL side’s roster value is $2.73 million per TransferMarkt, compared to Pumas’ $47.39 million.

“I don’t want to blame the pitch, but I do know it makes it more difficult,” Pumas head coach Gustavo Lema said. “We played with several starters that aren’t used to playing every 72 hours.”

Will Cavalry upset Pumas?

Cavalry has a history of upsets. They defeated Whitecaps FC in the 2019 Canadian Championship, their first season of existence in the newly formed CPL, and won their first CPL title against back-to-back champions Forge FC, finally getting over that hump as well.

After looking out of sorts against MLS side Orlando City SC in their first Champions Cup campaign, they’re in their second kick with experience and confidence, looking to complete one of the biggest upsets in Concacaf history.

In the process, they might just put some pressure on the teams within their eight-team Canadian top-flight circuit while also attempting to become the first CPL side to win the Canadian Championship, a tournament featuring Canada’s MLS clubs from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver as well as top amateur teams.

“We’ve passed the first test, and the second test is going to be even harder,” Wheeldon Jr. said of the second leg. “It’s now about how we can get even better than the performance we had. It’s going to be harder, it’s going to be hotter, it’s their environment, and there’s going to be a bigger crowd, but we embrace that.”

When is Pumas vs. Cavalry FC Leg 2?

Mexico’s Pumas host Calgary’s Cavalry FC in Leg 2 of their first-round Concacaf Champions Cup tie on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 8:00 p.m. ET

How to Watch Pumas vs Cavalry FC