Canadian Premier League — Match #63
FC Edmonton vs. York9 FC
August 25, 2019 — Clarke Field (6 p.m. ET/4 p.m. MT)
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Capping off a critical weekend for teams chasing the CPL’s Fall championship, York9 FC will pay a visit to FC Edmonton on Sunday to complete their Alberta road trip.

FC Edmonton will be hoping to shake off Monday’s 3-1 loss to Valour, which turned sour for them in the second half after they opened the scoring. Jeff Paulus’ Eddies sit third in the CPL, a point behind Forge FC and three back of Cavalry FC in first place. They’re unbeaten in their last six home matches, having turned Clarke Field into a very difficult place to play.

Their opponents, York9, find themselves in a similar spot, their last match also a 3-1 loss (on Wednesday to Cavalry). The Nine Stripes are only three points behind FC Edmonton, but their current three-game losing streak has them slipping behind in the race for the Fall crown. They’ve scored just one goal in that stretch, having cooled off significantly after beating HFX Wanderers 6-2 in late July.

Next up for York9 is a new installment of the 905 Derby as they visit the Hammer on September 8 to play Forge FC (1:00 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer). FCE will head out on the road as well, with their next match a Labour Day tilt against HFX Wanderers FC on September 2 (1:00 p.m. ET, 2:00 p.m. AT, on OneSoccer).

KEYS TO THE MATCH

• Decisions up top: Jimmy Brennan adjusted his lineup on Wednesday to try and get York9’s attack firing again, swapping out Rodrigo Gattas for Simon Adjei. It didn’t work out particularly well, with Adjei limited to just one shot and failing to use his size well against Cavalry’s backline. York9’s most successful offensive performance (six goals against HFX) came when Gattas played on the wing alongside Ryan Telfer up top. Brennan could try and replicate that by returning to the setup that has worked before.
• Easton Ongaro: The 21-year-old striker has been a revelation in recent weeks for the Eddies, with all five of his goals this year coming in the last five matches. He’s become an undroppable player at the top of Jeff Paulus’ lineup, with his tremendous height and surprisingly deft touch on the ball. York9’s defence hasn’t had to face such a barrelling, physical attack on many occasions, so this will be a test for them.
• Start on time: York9’s defending has been very suspect over the last three matches, with seven goals conceded. Twice in that span, they’ve allowed their opponent to score in the first ten minutes of the game. The Nine Stripes absolutely need to shore that up and weather any early storm from FC Edmonton, because their title challenge will be in serious danger if they’re playing from behind all the time.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

FC Edmonton: Connor James; Allan Zebie, Mélé Temguia, Amer Didic, Jeannot Esua; Ramon Soria, James Marcelin, Tony Tchani, Bruno Zebie; Oumar Diouck, Easton Ongaro

York9 FC: Nathan Ingham; Diyaedinne Abzi, Roger Thompson, Luca Gasparotto, Morey Doner; Wataru Murofushi, Joe Di Chiara, Manuel Aparicio; Kyle Porter, Ryan Telfer, Rodrigo Gattas

HEAD TO HEAD

June 5 – York9 FC 3-1 FC Edmonton (CanChamp)
June 12 – FC Edmonton 1-0 York9 FC (CanChamp)
June 19 – York9 FC 0-0 FC Edmonton
July 14 – York9 FC 2-1 FC Edmonton

STATS LEADERS

Easton Ongaro (FC Edmonton) – 5 goals
Rodrigo Gattas (York9 FC) – 5 goals

INJURIES

None

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

None

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

Luca Gasparotto (York9 FC) – 3

REFEREES

Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin
ARs: Melissa Snedden & Graham Forsyth
4th Official: Juan Marquez