Welcome to CPL5x5. In preparation for the 2023 Canadian Premier League season — the fifth since the league’s inception in 2019 — CanPL.ca will provide full, in-depth preview coverage for each of the eight clubs.
In this series, we’ll break down all you need to know about each team within five sections: Five stats, five key players, five fixtures to circle, five storylines to watch, and five quotes.
To check out the rest of CanPL.ca’s 2023 season preview coverage, click here. To see the other seven clubs’ CPL5x5 breakdowns, click here.
A stunning number of injuries to key players, a two-month-long scoring drought and the midseason transfers of key players Lowell Wright and Diyaeddine Abzi all conspired to effectively end York United’s 2022 campaign before it had even truly begun.
But after a dire spring, August renewed hope for the Nine Stripes. York United finished the season as one of the league’s hottest teams, losing just four of their final 13 matches. They have built on that momentum this off-season by bringing in a number of high-profile CPL players.
As a result, they enter 2023 as one of the league’s most exciting teams. In his second year as head coach, Martin Nash — and whether or not he can get one of the strongest rosters in the league on paper to translate onto the field — will be one of the league’s most interesting stories to follow.
5 Stats
17 goals:
Only Halifax Wanderers scored fewer goals than York United in 2023. However, the signing of Mo Babouli seemed to be the spark that their attack was missing. In the eight matches that the Syrian international played, they scored 17 goals, just over half of the 31 they managed the entire duration of the season.
11 points:
York United were tied for first in the league last season in points earned from matches in which they trailed, with 11. However, this was another area where Babouli had a massive impact as 10 of those points came after he joined the club.
32 players:
York had the highest number of players appearing for them in CPL action last year, with 32 different players stepping onto the pitch in the Nine Stripes. Despite that, they had the fewest lineup changes in the league last year as Martin Nash was often handcuffed in terms of who he could put on the pitch with so few first-team players healthy.
25.3 average age:
The average age of York United’s squad has gone up significantly this last season from 21.6, which was the third-youngest in the league in 2022. Gone are five of the seven players who made up their league-leading 6,910 domestic U-21 minutes (Ronan Kratt is technically still on the roster but is currently out on loan with Werder Bremen II in Germany).
38.7% of goals:
Only Samuel Salter of Halifax Wanderers scored a higher percentage of his team’s goals in 2022 than the 38.7 per cent of goals tallied by CPL golden boot runner-up Osaze De Rosario. He managed 12 of the 31 they scored this past season. While he is expected to lead the line once again, York will be hoping to get more contributions from different players throughout the roster this upcoming season.
5 Key Players
Niko Giantsopoulos
With Giantsopoulous in the lineup, York conceded just 1.16 goals per game last season, which would have been third-best in the league behind only Forge and Atlético Ottawa. Without the 28-year-old on the pitch, York struggled, allowing 1.45 goals per game, which would have been the second-worst in the league last season. While 21-year-old Elias Himaras proved to be a capable deputy last season, the leadership and shot-stopping ability of Giantsopoulos will be critical to York’s success in 2023.
Tass Mourdoukoutas
The loss of Dominick Zator at the back creates a hole that will not be easily filled. A lot of weight then, will shift to the shoulders of the 24-year-old Australian. Coming in midseason last year, Mourdoukoutas settled in almost instantly, showing a good range of passing from the back, while helping to stabilize the centreback position for the club. He will be counted on to do much of the same this season at perhaps the thinnest position on this team.
Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé
York renovated its midfield for the 2023 season, and that centres around the acquisition of the Halifax Wanderers veteran. Gagnon-Laparé is a brilliant progressor of the ball who the club is counting on to set the tempo of matches and get the ball to their numerous attacking weapons in good areas.
Mo Babouli
There is no question that York United was a different side when Babouli was on the pitch last year. Easily one of the most talented and exciting attacking players in the league, Babouli combines dribbling, playmaking and finishing at an elite level. After returning to the league to sign with York, he has become the star of this team, a role that has suited him incredibly well.
Osaze De Rosario
In his debut Canadian Premier League season, the 21-year-old proved to be one of the league’s most consistent goalscorers. He finished second in the league in scoring with 12 goals and was also nominated for the league’s U-21 domestic player of the year. With a better supporting cast around him this season, expect more of the same from De Rosario in 2023 as he will continue to lead the line for the Nine Stripes.
5 Fixtures to Circle
April 15 – York United vs. Valour FC
The opening day of the season sees York United host Valour FC in their 2023 home opener.
May 5 – York United vs. Forge FC
After two wins apiece last season, the first edition of the 905 Derby in 2023 comes on May 5, with York playing host.
June 24 – Cavalry FC vs. York United
Given that York plucked talent from a number of different CPL sides this off-season, there will be a number of reunion matches. Perhaps the most high profile, however, will be one of Cavalry FC’s first-ever signings Elijah Adekugbe, who returns to ATCO Field for the first time in June.
July 2 – Vancouver FC vs. York United
York United head to Langley Events Centre to play expansion side Vancouver FC for the first time during the Canada Day long weekend.
September 8 – York United vs. Valour FC
Valour’s second trip to York will also be a critical match, as it kicks off a stretch of four straight games the Nine Stripes will play at home during the season’s final months. That stretch could well have massive implications on where they finish in the table.
5 Storylines to Watch
Is Mo Babouli the favourite for the league’s Player of the Year award?
Considering his impact on the league, it seems absurd that Mo Babouli only played eight matches for the Nine Stripes last season. Despite playing just over a quarter of the CPL campaign, he finished sixth in voting for the league’s newly introduced Players’ Player of the Year award. He had the second most goals of any York player, with five, and added two assists (tied for second on the team). If the 30-year-old Syrian international can extrapolate those numbers to a full season he will surely be in contention for, and probably win, plenty of awards.
York United add significant CPL experience
Last off-season, York United acquired just a single player with previous CPL experience, Oliver Minatel, who as a result of injury played just six matches for them. In the club’s second year under Martin Nash, the approach was distinctly different, as they acquired former players of five different CPL sides. Gagnon-Laparé joins from Halifax, Adekugbe from Cavalry, Matthew Baldisimo (brought in full-time from Pacific after being on loan with York last season), Brian Wright formerly of Atlético Ottawa and Jonathan Grant from Forge.
Can Osaze De Rosario win the Golden Boot?
De Rosario’s frustration as time wound down during the final match of the season last year against Atlético Ottawa was clear. The 21-year-old had been chasing Alejandro Díaz, who departed Pacific midseason, all year in an attempt to win the league’s Golden Boot award. Ultimately, he would come up a goal short. That will likely only serve as motivation for the striker in 2023, as he looks to build on a fantastic debut season and leave no doubt in proving he is the league’s most prolific number nine.
Can a new-look backline finally add defensive stability for York
With the exception of some short stretches of reprieve, such as the P.E.I bubble in 2020, York United have always historically struggled at keeping goals out of their net. The backline is probably the biggest question mark in regard to this team in 2022. The losses of Zator, as well as Chrisnovic N’sa and Jordan Wilson — the latter of whom stepped in capably when called upon during some injury-filled stretches for the club last season — loom large.
The club did bring in former Forge veteran Johnny Grant, who can play a variety of positions across the backline, as well as Dutch fullback Lassana Faye and Liberian international central defender Brem Soumaoro, and also re-signed Roger Thompson. But if there is one position that is thin in the York roster, it is across the backline. Finding a consistent group that can provide defensive solidity will be critical to success for the Nine Stripes in 2023.
Can York finally get their international signings right
This year York largely elected to keep their signings close to home. But last year’s off-season saw a number of international signings, including Martin Graiciar, Lisandro Cabrera, Daniel Obbekjær, and Eduardo Jesus. For various reasons, those signings did not work out. York will be hoping for a significantly better return from this year’s class of international signings, including dutchmen Lassana Faye and Oussama Alou, plus Liberian international centre-back Brem Soumaoro. Faye, in particular, comes in with high expectations as a 24-year-old former Dutch youth international with multiple seasons of experience in the Eredivisie.
5 Quotes
“We’ve made a lot of new signings. We still have the young guys but I also think that a big part of it is we’ve added experience now. So it’s just a matter of getting all of those things to work in our favour together and I think we could do some damage this year.”
— Fullback Johnny Grant
“I felt like I needed a fresh start. York, from the group that they had and the players that they targeted, and the players that they were keeping, I just had a sense that it was going to be a competitive team and that’s what attracted me.”
— Midfielder Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé
“We’ve got the cover at positions that we need, and we’ve got the technical ability and tactical flexibility to do what we need to make sure that we compete for the league title — because that’s Concacaf Champions League, and that’s the way to secure before playoffs that you’re in that competition. We want to be in that race from early on, and I think everyone is going to be that way this year.”
— CEO & President Angus McNab on the depth and quality at York
“That’s definitely the top goal that I have this season, being the top goalscorer — score on a more consistent basis and have more goals than I had last year. For sure going into this season I’m definitely looking to make a mark again.”
— Forward Osaze De Rosario on his personal ambitions this year
“There’s a lot of hype around the club right now, everyone is excited. Competition is good in training and I think we will have a great season this year.”
–– Defender Roger Thompson on entering 2023