Good Friday morning Caps fans. Hope you all are having a lovely week and that your weekend is coming into view. Here in the U.S., we have a head start on you all.
With excitement about Canada’s next knockout match building, it’s easy to forget that the Caps will be playing competitive games in less than a week, with the first leg of their Canadian Championship tie against Cavalry kicking off at Swangard on the 8th.
To that end, the Caps got some bad news this week, as Kenji Cabrera underwent foot surgery to repair something called a fifth metatarsal fracture. The expected recovery time is four to six months, which could easily rule him out for the season. Given that Kenji will need to ramp back up in his fitness, it seems safe to say that the Caps shouldn’t bank on him playing again in any meaningful way until 2027.
The timing is brutal for Kenji, who has been a solid depth piece for Vancouver, with a goal and two assists in all competitions. He still has room to develop, which is why an injury setback for upwards of six months is a big blow.
It is also bad timing for the Caps, who presumably didn’t know about this injury before they let AZ Jackson return to his parent club. Given that AZ had seemingly fallen down the pecking order, I’m not sure Vancouver would have picked up his buy option anyway. But at a time when the Caps were trending towards having everyone back healthy, it is a setback.
The good news is Ryan Gauld is back to full fitness, and we will hopefully get to see him in action against Cavalry. Aside from Andres Cubas and Sebastian Berhalter, both of whom made the round of 16 at the World Cup, and the possible addition of Isaac Boehmer to hit the quota of Canadian players, I’d expect a fairly full-strength starting XI. After all, the Caps haven’t had a competitive match in a month. The return leg comes fast and furious on Monday, the 13th in Calgary. If the Caps manage things well at home, the tie could be in hand by then.
Cavalry sit second in the table, so this isn’t one to overlook, particularly given that the Caps will be shaking off considerable rust while their CPL opponent has played through the World Cup break. But in front of what should be a packed house at Swangard, you would expect a strong showing from the Caps.
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