Cavalry FC v FC Edmonton, referred to as the Al Classico or Battle of Alberta, was an inter-city soccer rivalry between Alberta-based clubs Cavalry FC and FC Edmonton. It was one of several sporting rivalries between the two largest cities of the province. The rivalry ended in 2022 when FC Edmonton folded.
The Wildrose Cup was awarded annually to the team that wins the most points from the series in league play.
History
The first edition of the Al Classico took place in 2018, when FC Edmonton's Academy played provincial rivals Calgary Foothills FC in two friendly games to help them prepare for their upcoming season. The fixtures were also used to gauge Edmonton's interest into a potential return to join the Canadian Premier League.
In May and June respectively, it was announced that Cavalry FC, based in Calgary, and FC Edmonton would be joining the Canadian Premier League, where the rivalry would continue. In preparation for their inaugural Canadian Premier League seasons, Cavalry FC announced they would host a match between a Cavalry FC Prospects and FC Edmonton Prospects side on September 29, to be followed by a rematch on October 20 at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton.
On September 11, 2019, Cavalry FC clinched the first-ever Wildrose Cup with a 1–0 win over FC Edmonton.
Results
Competition Date Home team Result Away team Venue Attendance Reference 2019 CPL Cavalry Edmonton ATCO Field, Foothills County 4,000 Edmonton Cavalry Clarke Stadium, Edmonton 3,256 Cavalry Edmonton ATCO Field, Foothills County 3,650 Edmonton Cavalry Clarke Stadium, Edmonton 2,790 Cavalry Edmonton ATCO Field, Foothills County 3,492 2020 CPL Edmonton Cavalry Alumni Field, Charlottetown 0 2021 CPL Cavalry Edmonton ATCO Field, Foothills County 2,418 2021 Canadian Championship Edmonton Cavalry Clarke Stadium, Edmonton 1,189 2021 CPL Cavalry Edmonton ATCO Field, Foothills County 3,489 Edmonton Cavalry Clarke Stadium, Edmonton 470 Edmonton Cavalry Clarke Stadium, Edmonton 991 Cavalry Edmonton ATCO Field, Foothills County 3,102 2022 CPL Edmonton Cavalry Clarke Stadium, Edmonton 1,044 2022 Canadian Championship Cavalry Edmonton ATCO Field, Foothills County 2,229 2022 CPL Cavalry Edmonton ATCO Field, Foothills County 4,743 Cavalry Edmonton ATCO Field, Foothills County 3,446 Edmonton Cavalry Clarke Stadium, Edmonton 1,505
All time results
Competitions Matches Wins Draws Goals CAV EDM CAV EDM Canadian Premier League 15 12 0 3 28 8 Canadian Championship 2 2 0 0 4 1 Total matches 17 14 0 3 32 9
Top goalscorers . Competitive matches only. Players in bold are still playing with either team. PosNameClubNationalityGoals 1 Jordan Brown Cavalry FC 42 Joe Mason Cavalry FC 3 Easton Ongaro FC Edmonton 4 Sergio Camargo Cavalry FC 2 Ben Fisk Cavalry FC Daan Klomp Cavalry FC 7 Fraser Aird Cavalry FC 1 Joseph Di Chiara Cavalry FC Amer Đidić FC Edmonton José Escalante Cavalry FC Azriel Gonzalez FC Edmonton Nikolas Ledgerwood Cavalry FC Richard Luca Cavalry FC Anthony Novak Cavalry FC Nico Pasquotti Cavalry FC Ahinga Selemani Cavalry FC Marcus Velado-Tsegaye FC Edmonton
League ranking by season 2019202020212022SeasonFinalsSeasonPlayoffsSeasonPlayoffsSeasonPlayoffs12345678
Players who played for both clubs Cavalry, then Edmonton Gabriel Bitar (Cavalry 2019; Edmonton 2022)
Edmonton, then Cavalry Ben Fisk (Edmonton 2016–2017; Cavalry 2021–2023) Bruno Zebie (Edmonton 2015–2017, 2019; Cavalry 2020) Fraser Aird (Edmonton 2021; Cavalry 2022–2025) Joseph Holliday (Edmonton 2022; Cavalry 2024–present) Mauro Eustáquio (Edmonton 2017; Cavalry 2019) Nikolas Ledgerwood (Edmonton 2016–2017; Cavalry 2019–2021) Shamit Shome (Edmonton 2016, 2021–2022; Cavalry 2023–2025) Tobias Warschewski (Edmonton 2021–2022; Cavalry 2024–present) Tyson Farago (Edmonton 2014–2017; Cavalry 2021–2022) Nathan Ingham (Edmonton 2017; Cavalry 2026–present) Amer Didić (Edmonton 2019–2021; Cavalry 2026–present)
Wildrose Cup results All time results TeamTitlesLargest victory (points per game)Cavalry FC 3 2022 (3 ppg)FC Edmonton 0 —
2022 Wildrose Cup
+Season by seasonWins, draws, and losses are recorded from the winner's perspective.SeasonWinnerTotal points2019Cavalry FC13–14102020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.2021Cavalry FC (2)11–23202022Cavalry FC (3)12–0400
See also 905 Derby Pacific FC–Vancouver FC rivalry Cavalry FC–Forge FC rivalry Canadian Classique
References
External links