Veteran fullback Fraser Aird looks forward to 3rd straight CPL final with Cavalry

Neil Davidson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Nov 07, 2025 1:58 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Fraser Aird's 3rd consecutive travel to the Canadian Premier League title crippled with Cavalry FC has travel with a agelong runway.

The Calgary-based side's archetypal crippled this twelvemonth was Feb. 6 against Mexico's Pumas UNAM successful CONACACAF Champions Cup play. Camp opened Jan. 3.

"It's been a agelong play for america again this year, starting successful CONCACAF and coming successful in January," Aird said. "But the information that we person a accidental to play successful different last travel Sunday makes it each worthy it."

Defending champion Cavalry has struggled against Atlético Ottawa, its hostile successful Sunday's last astatine TD Place Stadium. Cavalry (11-8-9), which finished 14 points beneath second-place Ottawa (15-2-11) during the regular season, went winless successful its 4 meetings with Ottawa.

Ottawa won some games successful Calgary, 3-1 connected April 26 and 2-0 connected June 28. The teams drew 2-2 astatine TD Place connected Aug. 23 with Ottawa winning 3-0 determination connected Sept. 27. Cavalry did not pb successful immoderate of the 4 meetings.

Cavalry FC players observe aft Tobias Warschewski's 57th infinitesimal goal, which led the squad to a 1-0 triumph implicit the Forge FC during the Canadian Premier League Contender semifinal connected Nov. 2 astatine Hamilton Stadium. (CPL Photos)

"We had this speech astatine grooming today," Aird said this week. "It doesn't substance what happened successful the regular play now. It's a one-off, playoff crippled ... Both teams are going to travel retired warring and whoever shows up amended connected the time is going to triumph the game."

"It's decidedly going to beryllium a battle," the 30-year-old fullback added. "It mightiness instrumentality 90 minutes, possibly 120 minutes, possibly punishment kicks, you ne'er know. But we're going to beryllium acceptable for it."

Ottawa is unbeaten successful league play astatine location this play with an 8-0-6 record.

Aird has survived much than a fewer shot cauldrons. At 16, helium near Toronto to articulation Glasgow Rangers, making his first-team debut successful September 2012 aft spending clip with the U-17 and U-19 sides. The pursuing season, Aird was named the club's Young Player of the Year aft scoring 7 goals and adding 10 assists successful 37 appearances.

Aird returned to Canada successful 2016, joining the Vancouver Whitecaps connected loan. After a play successful MLS, helium returned to Scotland for stints with Falkirk, Dunfermline, Queen of the South, Dundee United and Cove Rangers earlier returning to Canada to articulation the CPL's Valour FC successful January 2020.

Fraser Aird pictured connected June 12, 2017, during his clip with the Winnipeg's Valour FC. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)

He spent the 2021 play with FC Edmonton earlier signing with Cavalry successful February 2022.

At the time, Cavalry manager and wide manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. called Aird "a large quality successful the locker-room and an interaction subordinate connected the transportation that yet makes america an adjacent amended squad."

"Fraser brings a batch of leadership," said Cavalry skipper Marco Carducci.

Cavalry made it to the CPL last successful 2023, losing 2-1 aft other clip astatine Forge. The 2 teams met again past twelvemonth successful the title game, with Cavalry winning 2-1 connected location turf.

WATCH | 2024 Canadian Premier League title rubric claimed by Cavalry FC:

Cavalry has gone unbeaten successful 5 games (2-0-3) since its September nonaccomplishment successful Ottawa, astir precocious dispatching York United (4-1) and league-leading Forge (1-0) successful the playoffs.

"We're peaking astatine the close time," said Aird, who marked his 100th quality for Cavalry past period contempt missing astir of the 2022 play aft country to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"Here we are successful different final," helium added. "We person acquisition successful our squad, we person a batch of the aforesaid players that were present past twelvemonth that lifted the trophy, with a fewer additions that person made america a small spot better."

A erstwhile winger, Aird is present a beingness from his station arsenic fullback. One of 4 Cavalry players named to the 2024 CPL Best XI, the gritty defender tin inactive deposit a transverse connected a dime.

"It's 1 happening I pridefulness myself on, that's for sure." helium said.

"The mode that the modern crippled is nowadays, I consciousness similar everyone attacks, everyone defends," helium added.

Born successful Toronto to Scottish parents, Aird grew up a fervent Rangers fan. It's a household contented fixed his parents met astatine a Rangers supporters radical successful Scarborough, arsenic members of the North American Rangers Supporters Association.

The relation continues. His parent inactive works down the barroom erstwhile the radical meets.

Aird's devotion to Rangers outgo him successful December 2019 erstwhile helium was caught connected camera making a rude motion from the distant basal during an Old Firm Derby lucifer astatine Celtic. Aird's motion was seemingly aimed astatine the Celtic fans.

Aird was playing for Cove Rangers FC, a Scottish lower-tier club, astatine the clip and the incidental promoted the squad to merchandise him up of the January extremity of his contract. On the positive side, Rangers won the top-of-the-table clash 2-1.

Aird apologized successful the aftermath.

Aird represented some Canada and Scotland astatine younker level, yet winning 8 caps for Canada astatine elder level. He scored his lone elder extremity against Scotland successful a 1-1 gully successful Edinburgh successful March 2017.

"A nighttime I'll retrieve for the remainder of my life," helium said.