Heritage Classic brings back memories for Treliving
It’s a pretty good bet those baby boots of Dominique Malonga were bronzed.
If they weren’t, they should have been.
Especially given how special they were in helping craft the talented feet of the French-born striker. But the Cavalry FC star attacker from Chatenay-malabry, France, is hoping these days to upgrade his footwear by earning a signature award in the Canadian Premier League. Try this on for size …
The CPL’S Golden Boot, given to the player who scores the most goals during the season, including the final series.
“I’m a forward, so … yes,” said Malonga, when asked if he covets the honour heading into the twogame, total-goal championship series against FC Forge that begins on Saturday with the first leg at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton (2 p.m., Cbc/onesoccer.ca).
“I will try my best to win it,” Malonga said. “But for me, it really doesn’t matter.
“The most important thing for me is to win the championship. Afterward, if I have the Golden Boot, then fine. I want to win the championship.”
Malonga’s response is typical of a player focused on the task at hand. After all, the team usually comes first where accolades are concerned.
The truth is, though, if he does capture the Golden Boot, that likely will mean his team has been crowned inaugural league champions.
That’s because Malonga is sitting on 11 goals this year — one behind Forge’s Tristan Borges, the leader with 12 strikes.
If Malonga can leapfrog Borges in goals these next two games en route to the Golden Boot, then there’s a good chance Cavalry will have gotten the better of Forge for the CPL title.
“That’s why we want the Golden Boot on our side,” said fellow Cavs attacker Nico Pasquotti.
“But as a teammate, I want him to win it,” Pasquotti continued. “He deserves it. He’s a goal-scorer.
And, at the end of the day, I want it to be someone from our team, rather than from another team. ”
The contributions of Malonga are many in the eyes of Pasquotti and the Cavs.
“He’s calm, right?” Pasquotti said. “He brings that calmness to the team, where maybe if it gets too hectic, he’s able to just slow it down for us. He’s been great. He’s everything that you want out of a striker — he scores goals.”
Malonga’s experience as a journeyman who has played all over the world certainly plays a vital role in Cavalry FC’S success.
He’s a Congolese national team member with seven caps and a former France Under-19 footballer.
During his 13-year pro career, the 30-year-old Malonga has played for Italian Serie A teams Torino and Cesena. He’s also suited up for Serie B sides Vicenza and Pro Vercelli, Hibernian in the Scottish Championship, Murcia and Elche in Spain’s Segunda Division, Servette in the Swiss Challenge League, and Chania in the Greek Football League.
“I think he’s getting younger — it’s the cold weather,” Cavs GM and head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said with a smile.
“Look at his skin — it’s soft and lovely. And his smile is getting bigger as the season goes on. As you can tell, this is part of my sales pitch to keep him in this country.
“But he’s played in Serie A, he’s played in La Liga, he’s played in the Scottish league, as well. He’s played for big clubs. His quality is the difference in tightly contested games, and he’s scoring goals in bunches. I’m proud to have him as part of this team.”
Make no mistake, Malonga is quite the offensive threat for Calgary’s CPL crew and right there among the league’s best strikers.
Right now, only Borges — just 21 years old — has counted more goals this season.
“I was different than him when I was younger,” said Malonga, who emerged as a goal-scorer with age and experience. He’s cracked 10 goals in only three different seasons, including this one.
“Borges has got potential,” continued Malonga of the Forge striker. “He’s a creative player. Borges is good for the CPL. Hopefully the CPL will get bigger, and young players like Borges will emerge.
“He’s a good example for the future.”
But it’s the here and now that’s taking centre stage with Saturday’s first leg, and the second game on the Cavs pitch at Spruce Meadows seven days later, determining firstyear bragging rights in the CPL.
“I think Dominique Malonga wears his heart on his sleeve and can carry the team on his back,” said Wheeldon Jr.
“He’s one of them that finds space in chaos. And when he scores, he scores in bunches — he scores in pairs. I think he’s been robbed of two hat-tricks. So he knows with those two goals, he’s leading the league.
“But I know that he’s like, ‘If I score or I help somebody score, as long as we win, that’s the only thing that counts.’ And that speaks to his professionalism.”