On Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, I sat at a table with my friends at a bar for trivia night, a weekly tradition like no other. But that night, I was a bit off my trivia game as visions of Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC) away days danced in my head. With crossed fingers, I hoped to play someone new and go somewhere outside of Major League Soccer (MLS). The draw trudged on through the evening, and finally, when our matchup ball was pulled, we had our heading.
“Cavalry FC, 2023 Canadian Premier League Shield Winners from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.”
The next two months flew by with preseason, preparation and even a change of venue for our CCC Round One matchup. A frigid winter in Calgary forced a switch to a milder climate and sent us to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to play in Starlight Stadium, home of Pacific FC.
Now seems like a good time to introduce myself to you before we get into the good stuff. I am Mickey Kennedy, the Senior Social Media Coordinator for Orlando City SC. I traveled roughly 2,600 miles away from home and spent a few days with the team in lovely Langford, Victoria, with my trusty Panasonic DMC GF-1 to capture the away day behind the scenes.
Join me as I take you through some of my favorite shots from our first leg against Cavalry FC:
