PREVIEW: York United FC vs. Valour FC – 2023 Match #4

2023-04-14

Mitchell Tierney, Digital Content Producer (@mitchelltierney)

2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #4
York United vs. Valour FC
April 16, 2023 at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT
York Lions Stadium in Toronto, ON
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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The 2022 season didn’t really go to plan for either York United or Valour FC. For the second straight season, Valour missed the playoffs by only a single spot in the standings, while injuries and a two-month scoreless streak ultimately doomed York to also finish below the playoff line.

York and Valour meet in the final match of the Canadian Premier League’s opening weekend on Sunday, April 16 at 2 p.m. ET at York Lions Stadium, both looking to reverse their fortunes from last season. They are also two of the league’s most changed sides from last season, with the hosts having made 11 news signings, while Valour has made 14 to date.

This will make for an intriguing matchup, one where the two sides will look, and potentially play, very differently from how they did during their four meetings last season. Valour and York split 3-1 results at York Lions Stadium last season.

“Phil made some very good acquisitions, and I think they are going to be a very good team,” said York United head coach Martin Nash. “He’s always got his teams organized, they are always teams that compete and they are thought to beat. I expect a difficult match, and there might be a little bit of a feeling out process at the start, not knowing exactly how they are going to play but I think we have just got to worry about ourselves and come with the right energy.”

York was the only side below the playoff line that Valour had a winning record against last season, winning three of the four contests. Historically, the matchup between the two sides has been relatively even, however, with Valour winning six, York five, and the two sides drawing just once.

Valour picked up just a single point in their final seven road matches of the 2022 season, a big reason why they missed out on the postseason. That included a 3-1 loss to York United at York Lions Stadium on September 23, their only loss to the Nine Stripes last year.

Nash says that other than new signing Theo Afework, who will be out until the middle of the summer, there are no really concerning injuries for his side heading into the season. He did say that the nature of having a long preseason does mean a few players are questionable for the opening weekend. Valour, meanwhile, will be without defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste, while Jordan Haynes and Marcello Polisi are both day-to-day with injuries.

Above all, however, both sides are just excited to get back to action, and to see how their new-look lineups translate from paper to pitch.

“I tell the guys as players we might have 10-15 season openers, so enjoy it,” said Valour manager Phil Dos Santos. “It’s a new season, it is a new start, let’s go.”

All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

Two of the league’s most changed sides face off: It was a busy offseason for both the front offices of York and Valour over the past few months. But while a number of new faces will appear in blue and green and black, red and gold respectively this season, there will be many familiar to CPL fans. Both York and Valour added a significant amount of Canadian Premier League experience this offseason. York brought in Johnny Grant (Forge), Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé (Halifax), Brian Wright (Ottawa) and Elijah Adekugbe (Cavalry) while Valour added Abdou Samaké and Jordan Haynes of Pacific as well as Anthony Novak (Cavalry) and Marcello Polisi (Halifax). “Especially when you change a lot of players it is important that many of the newcomers come with league experience,” said Dos Santos.
This is Martin Nash’s York United now: Last year, Nash admitted he was a little bit nervous heading into his first season as a CPL head coach. But after a full offseason in charge, he has been able to complete a retooling of the club that started midway through last season. While he believed the club had all the talent to be competitive last season, he now believes they have the depth to ensure success, and that this is a team better suited to execute his playing style. “We feel we have multiple options in every position which is something we obviously didn’t have last year,” said Nash, “where guys have to be pushed because they have to earn their spots because they aren’t given to them. Last year a few spots were given to guys just out of that’s all we had. I think we have a more well-rounded squad this year, and that is what we were looking to do in the offseason.”
Valour looking to reverse road fortunes: Over the past two seasons combined, Valour has won just four matches outside of Winnipeg. Changing that dire road form would go a long way toward success this season, especially considering how prolific the club has been at home. Picking up a win at York Lions Stadium to start the season would go a long way toward the club’s belief that they can pick up results away from home in 2023. “We want the win,” said Dos Santos, “and I think that needs to be the approach of every team [on the road], because I think that the margins in the league are so small that you are allowed to step into every game with the mentality that it is one to win.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

York United (4-2-3-1): Giantsopoulos; Grant, Soumaoro, Mourdoukoutas, Faye; Gagnon-Laparé, Adekugbe; Bayiha, Babouli, Voytsekhovskyy; De Rosario

Valour FC (4-4-2): Yesli; Baquero, Samaké, Pianelli, de Brienne; Niyongabire, Gutiérrez, Ohin, Sanchez; Williams, Siaj

ALL-TIME SERIES

York United wins: 5 || Valour FC wins: 6 || Draws: 1

Last meeting:

September 23, 2022 — York United 3-1 Valour FC

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Renzo Villanueva

KEY QUOTES

“Especially for the players it has been a long preseason for them, they want to get going … I think the guys are really looking forward to it and it should be a fun day on Sunday.” — York United head coach Martin Nash

“I said this to the players, if we want to be a team that is going to be competing for every game to win if we want to set standards for ourselves that are high and that are playoff-bound standards, I think this is a good way to start, start against a team that is also ambitious. It is going to be a good test for us. ” — Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos