Cavalry FC make Carleton forward first pick
There have been a lot of “firsts” for Cavalry FC in the past couple months.
They announced their first coaches, showed off the plans for their stadium for the first time and travelled the country for the Canadian Premier League’s first open trials.
On Tuesday, they did it again, this time making the first overall pick in the CPL’s U Sports draft following the national university soccer championship in Vancouver.
With their first pick, the team selected Carleton University forward Gabriel Bitar, a former U Sports rookie of the year who scored four goals in three games for the Ravens at this year’s championships.
“We were able to look at some of the top players, top picks, source our contacts from coast to coast and we had an idea of these players before the national championship,” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “Once we were there it was up to the players to turn those interests into reality and that’s exactly what Gabriel Bitar did, as soon as we knew we had that top pick he was at the top of the list.”
The Cavalry FC coaching team has had the chance to see Bitar up close, as assistant coach Martin Nash was working at Ottawa Fury FC when the youngster was at that club’s academy.
Bitar’s name kept popping up on lists of top prospects that were distributed to CPL coaches as well, but it wasn’t until Wheeldon and his staff saw the Ottawa native up close at this past weekend’s U Sports championship that they knew for sure he was their man.
“We did our homework and it’s one thing to have things on paper, but paper’s not live so we had to go see these players live and see how they reacted,” Wheeldon said. “Gabriel scored two wins over UBC and two goals in the bronze medal game, he was a difference maker in both games and showed the sorts of skills and attributed we’re looking for from a young Canadian player.”
As soon as we knew we had that top pick, he was at the top of the list.
Getting picked in the CPL-U Sports draft doesn’t guarantee that a player is going to get drafted, but it does secure them a training camp invite and the pro league and university organization are allowing non-graduating studentathletes — like Bitar — to preserve their collegiate eligibility by signing development contracts, while graduating players can sign standard pro contracts.
One of those graduating players will be Joel Waterman, a fifthyear Trinity Western product who Cavalry FC signed with the No. 14 overall pick.
“He’s a versatile player, he’s equally comfortable in the midfield or the back and he’s the type of personality and player who I think can do well in this league,” Wheeldon said.
With their third and final pick, No. 15 overall, the Calgary team selected University of Alberta product Easton Ongaro.
“He’s a really unique player,” Wheeldon said. “He’s only just turned 20. He’s a 6-foot-5, leftfooted striker, and when you think of those types of players you think he’s going to be a great, big target man, but what he is, he’s actually a great one vs. one dribbler, has great skills and is great in dead-ball situations.”
Cavalry FC will kick off its inaugural season in April of next year and will be playing at a new home stadium at Spruce Meadows.