Canadian Premier League — Match #37
HFX Wanderers FC vs. York9 FC
July 6, 2019 — Wanderers Grounds (4:30 p.m. AT/3:30 p.m. ET)
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Just as they turn the page on the Spring season, HFX Wanderers FC and York9 FC are right back at it to begin the Fall on Saturday. After an up-and-down inaugural campaign for both sides, their respective managers both hope they’ve started to nail down a system that works heading into this fresh start.

Jimmy Brennan’s York9 side ended up sixth in the league (although equal with fourth and fifth at 11 points). They struggled to find their first league win, waiting until June 15 to taste victory in CPL action. The Nine Stripes finished strong though, ending their Spring with a resounding 3-1 win away to Valour FC on Canada Day as they finally found their scoring boots.

The Wanderers slotted in at fourth in the Spring table, edging out Pacific and York9 on tiebreakers. Stephen Hart and his squad had some highs and lows in the short season, and they were the second-last team to be eliminated from title contention. After a 2-0 road loss to FC Edmonton on July 1, they’ll be looking to bounce back at home.

Up next, both sides resume play in the Canadian Championship with some massive tests ahead. They’ll each play at home on Wednesday, July 10, when HFX will host the USL’s Ottawa Fury (6:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. AT, on OneSoccer) and York9 takes on the Montreal Impact of MLS (7:30 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer) in the first legs of the CanChamp’s Qualifying Round 3.

KEYS TO THE MATCH

• Work with what you’ve got: The Wanderers have been a little frustrated recently by injuries. Last weekend, they only had five players on the bench, with Luis Alberto Perea, Chakib Hocine, and Juan Diego Gutierrez (plus others) all sidelined. They’ve dealt with injuries all season and must continue to do so for a little while longer at least. It hurts that they’ve gone so long without Perea, but HFX will continue to need players like Thomasz Skublak and Mohamed Kourouma to step up.
• Flying fullbacks: York9’s wide play against Valour was superb, and not just because Morey Doner scored an unbelievable volley in the seventh minute. Doner and his left-sided counterpart Diyaedinne Abzi were dominant on the flanks, with Doner cutting in to fire off shots and Abzi sending in five crosses and three key passes. They did an excellent job of running Valour ragged on the outside while attacking, and also forcing their opponents’ attacks toward the middle, where Joe Di Chiara and Manny Aparicio waited to cut them off.
• Pick your shot: The Nine Stripes have become better and better over the past two months at generating shots, but they’ve seriously struggled with finishing (as the Wanderers saw in their 0-0 draw a couple weeks ago). Two of their goals against Valour were excellent strikes, but not necessarily high-percentage plays. Only seven of York9’s 14 shots found the target in that game. Similarly, HFX took seven shots against FC Edmonton on Monday, but not a single one was on target. Both sides need to be a little more discerning with where they’re shooting from.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

HFX Wanderers FC: Jan-Michael Williams; Ndzemdzela Langwa, Matthew Arnone, Peter Schaale, Andre Bona; Elton John, Andre Rampersad; Mohamed Kourouma, Akeem Garcia, Kodai Iida; Thomasz Skublak

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

HEAD TO HEAD

May 29 – HFX Wanderers FC 1-1 York9 FC
June 22 – York9 FC 0-0 HFX Wanderers FC

STATS LEADERS

Akeem Garcia (HFX Wanderers FC) – 3 goals
Rodrigo Gattas & Simon Karlsson Adjei (York9 FC) – 2 goals

INJURIES

Luis Alberto Perea (HFX Wanderers FC) – Doubtful
Chakib Hocine (HFX Wanderers FC) – Doubtful
Juan Diego Gutierrez (HFX Wanderers FC) – Doubtful
Michael Cox (York9 FC) – Questionable
Emilio Estevez (York9 FC) – Questionable

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

None

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

None

REFEREES

Referee: Juan Marquez
ARs: Travis Lefebvre & Chad Lefebvre
4th Official: Ben Hoskins

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

Q: Will the team that finished higher in the Spring Competition standings win?

A: As we saw last week, teams toward the bottom of the table are capable of beating 1st place team Cavalry. This is a question where the underdog pick is not an unwise choice.

Q: Will the home team lead in possession?

A: Unless the home team is playing Cavalry, then yes. On the first day of Fall Competition, expect home clubs to come out with that extra motivation to put in a strong performance for their home crowd.

Q: Will an international player score?

A: Even though a majority of players on CanPL rosters are Canadian, international players have been crucial as offensive focal points for clubs. Expect Dominique Malonga, Oumar Diouck, and Akeem Garcia to continue being the go-to man up top for their clubs.