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PREVIEW: York9 FC vs. Cavalry FC – Match #31

Canadian Premier League — Match #31
York9 FC vs. Cavalry FC
June 26, 2019 — York Lions Stadium (7 p.m. ET)
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Cavalry FC has another chance to clinch the CPL’s Spring championship on Wednesday as they pay a visit to York9 FC in the first campaign’s penultimate matchday.

The Cavs enter this one recovering from their first-ever defeat, which came at home last Saturday at the hands of Forge FC. Nevertheless, they remain first in the league with a 7-1-0 record and a two-point cushion over Forge. They’d reach 24 points with a win, securing the title for themselves.

This match is another important litmus test for Jimmy Brennan’s York9, unbeaten in three games (although their last two were both 0-0 draws). The Nine Stripes’ 1-2-5 record technically has them at the bottom of the league table, although their eight points are level with all three of HFX Wanderers, FC Edmonton, and Pacific, and they’re just one point behind Valour in the battle for third place.

Last time these sides saw each other, York9 visited a snowy Spruce Meadows in Cavalry’s very memorable home opener, a 2-1 win for the hosts that kickstarted their rise to the top of the table. The Nine Stripes would certainly like to knock the league leaders down a peg or two in their bid to become a real contender for the Fall season.

Both Cavalry and York9 are on the road for the July 1st finale to the Spring season. Tommy Wheeldon Jr.’s Cavs will head to Vancouver Island for a date with Pacific FC (6:00 p.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. PT, on OneSoccer), and York9 will be in Winnipeg to face Valour FC (6:00 p.m. ET, 5:00 p.m. CT, on OneSoccer).

KEYS TO THE MATCH

  • Rebound: The Cavs were stunned by Forge’s early goal on the weekend, and now they’re tasked with rebounding from a loss for the first time. They’re still firmly in the driver’s seat for the Spring season, but pressure is mounting to get the job done. All Cavalry needs to do is stay the course and play the comprehensive soccer they’ve been playing all year, without letting doubt enter their minds.
  • Battle on the wing: Nico Pasquotti has been a nightmare for defenders to deal with all season, especially out on the right flank. The York9 player assigned to try and neutralize him is likely to be Diyaedinne Abzi, who seems to have won a job as the Nine Stripes’ first-choice left-back. On the narrow pitch at York Lions Stadium, Pasquotti won’t have as much room to operate, but Abzi certainly needs to keep an eye on the Cavs star at all times.
  • Find a breakthrough: Stellar as they were at the back in their two straight clean sheets, York9 will be a little disappointed not to have won either match due to their inability to fill the net. In those two 0-0 stalemates, the Nine Stripes took a combined 29 shots, although only 11 have been on target. The opportunities have been there, they’ve just been lacking that quality in front of goal to win either contest. Finish a couple of those, and they’d easily have two more wins.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

York9 FC: Nathan Ingham; Diyaedinne Abzi, Daniel Gogarty, Luca Gasparotto, Morey Doner; Joseph Di Chiara, Emilio Estevez, Manuel Aparicio, Kyle Porter, Ryan Telfer; Rodrigo Gattas

Cavalry FC: Marco Carducci; Dean Northover, Dominick Zator, Jonathan Wheeldon, Nathan Mavila; Jose Escalante, Elijah Adekugbe, Julian Büscher, Nico Pasquotti; Sergio Camargo, Dominique Malonga


HEAD TO HEAD

May 4 – Cavalry FC 2-1 York9 FC

STATS LEADERS

Sergio Camargo 3 goals (Cavalry FC)
Rodrigo Gattas – 2 goals (York9 FC)

INJURIES

 Chris Serban (Cavalry FC) – Out (Knee)
Nik Ledgerwood (Cavalry FC) – Questionable
Roger Thompson (York9 FC) – Questionable

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

None

ACCUMULATION
(Players are suspended for one match 14 days after accumulating a 4th Yellow Card)

Elijah Adekugbe (Cavalry FC) – 3
Jonathan Wheeldon (Cavalry FC) – 3
Joel Waterman (Cavalry FC) – 3

REFEREES

Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere
AR: Melissa Snedden & Gabrielle Lemieux
4th Offical: Carly Shaw-Maclaren


FANTASY PREDICTOR
Download the Centre Circle app to play predictor ahead of each match. 

1. Will a player play 5 minutes or less?

Yes. With two matches on Wednesday that have Spring competition implications, it is a very plausible scenario to see either Bobby Smyrniotis or Tommy Wheeldon Jr. use a substitution late in the second half to kill time off.

2. Will a team’s duels won % be higher than their possession %?

Usually the answer should be no, but for a matchup such as York9 vs. Cavalry it would not be surprising to see York9 significantly behind in the possession category.

3. Which team will win more fouls?

You have to have possession of the ball in order to be fouled. It is a safe bet to pick the team you believe will have more possession in the match as the team that will also win more fouls.