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PREVIEW: York United vs. Pacific FC — 2022 Match #41

2022 CPL Regular Season — Match #41
 York United vs. Pacific FC
June 18, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. ET
York Lions Stadium, Toronto, Ontario
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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The CPL weekend kicks off on Saturday with a very special clash at York Lions Stadium. Champions Pacific FC come to town for the first time in 2022, as York United fans say goodbye to longtime star Diyaeddine Abzi in his final home game before he leaves to his new club in France.

Martin Nash’s York should be up to the difficult challenge of taking on Pacific FC, as they look to get back in the win column for the first time since May 6. They sit seventh in the league table right now, with two wins, four draws, and four defeats. Still, with the standings so congested, the Nine Stripes are only four points back of fourth place.

York have lost three and drawn two of their last five league matches, so expect them to be hungry to turn things around at home — especially as they head into next Wednesday’s Canadian Championship semifinal against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Last time out, York played Atlético Ottawa to a 0-0 draw on Tuesday night in a fiery clash where neither side could quite solve the other. Tempers boiled over at the end of that one with a red card dished out to each team — in York’s case, midfielder Cédric Toussaint, who picked up a three-match suspension and will thus miss out on Saturday.

Pacific, meanwhile, are equally desperate to get back on track with a win. After their red-hot start to the season that vaulted them to the top of the table, they’ve slipped in recent weeks, having lost their last  two and going without a win in their last four CPL games.

As a result of Pacific’s dip in form, they’ve fallen out of top spot; Cavalry took over the league lead with their win on Wednesday night. Still, James Merriman’s Tridents remain in second with 18 points — two back of the Cavs — so they could return to the summit with a win at York.

Merriman revealed Friday that he’s had a full squad in training this past week, meaning the likes of Manny Aparicio, Sean Young, or Nathan Mavila may be nearing a return.

These opponents are not at all unfamiliar with one another this year. In late May, they squared off twice in five days at Starlight Stadium, once in the league and once in the Canadian Championship. The first contest was a cagey 0-0 affair, but the second match was a thrilling cup tie, as Pacific defender Amer Didic scored a late screamer to tie it 2-2 before York keeper Niko Giantsopoulos was the hero on penalties to send his team through to the semifinals.

Though these sides have met several times recently, Pacific have not made a trip to York Lions Stadium since August 2019 (a game they won 2-0). Last season, they played twice in the Winnipeg bubble — a 3-0 win for Pacific and a 2-2 draw — as well as once at Starlight Stadium, which York won 2-1.


Make your match picks prior to kickoff at canpl.ca/predictor for a chance to win prizes, including the grand prize of a trip to the 2021 CPL Final!

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


3 THINGS TO WATCH

  • York seek worthy home send-off for Abzi: Saturday’s game will not be Diyaeddine Abzi’s last in a York United kit — that will come on Wednesday against the Whitecaps. This will, however, be his last in front of York’s home fans, and his last in the league that has given him the platform to earn this move to French Ligue 2 side Pau FC. So, Abzi and York will be very eager for one last scintillating performance at York Lions Stadium from the left-back. He’s sure to have his hands full in a competitive battle against Pacific’s right side of Kunle Dada-Luke and Marco Bustos, which will serve as top-class entertainment for those in attendance. “Abzi’s been a great servant of the club, he’s been one of the top players in the league since day one,” Martin Nash said Friday. “He’s a fantastic talent, a fantastic kid who works really hard and has a great engine.”
  • Pacific need to right ship away from home: No two ways about it: the Tridents haven’t quite looked like themselves away from home this season. They have just won win on the road so far — a 1-0 result in Ottawa — from five attempts, the lowest point coming last Sunday in Hamilton when Forge dominated them to win 3-0. At the time, James Merriman was vocal about the lacklustre energy his side showed from kickoff in that game, which will surely be a focus on Saturday. Pacific have a chance to reclaim first place with a win, but more importantly a strong showing would help right the ship after a frustrating few weeks. “We’ve got a core, we know that,” Merriman said Friday. “We’ve got a good core group in that locker room; we’ve got a good strong group when we are together. We need to be together on the road, most importantly, because the travel can be difficult. That was a disappointing performance for us (in Hamilton), but we’ve debriefed, we spoke about it, we’ve moved forward. This is a really important match for us and where we’re at as a team, and we’re focused on ourselves and our performance, being ready and being up for the match.”
  • York need attacking spark to break goalless drought: Head coach Martin Nash has maintain his cool composure the past few games, content with the defensive solidity and comfortable possession play he’s seen from his team, but nonetheless he’s surely concerned that the goals just don’t seem to be going in for his side. They’ve scored by far the fewest in the league this year with six, and they now haven’t found the net for five consecutive league matches. They’ve had a few different personnel rotate through the attack to try and break the drought, from Osaze De Rosario to Lisandro Cabrera to Mateo Hernández, plus it appears Max Ferrari is close to a full return. With Lowell Wright currently away on national team duty, somebody else needs to step up in his role. However it happens — set-piece, penalty, whatever — York need to start scoring, and soon. “It’s big to work hard defensively and keep a clean sheet,” Nash said Friday. “We’ve been able to create enough chances in every game, just struggling to find the back of the net. I think it’s the same template; work hard, do your job, defend well, we’ve just got to be a little bit sharper… That final connection just isn’t quite there, but it’s tough when you’re asking a central midfielder to play down the wing because you have to. But the effort’s been there.”

ALL-TIME SERIES

York United wins: 5 || Pacific FC wins: 2 || Draws: 4

Previous match:

May 24, 2022 – Pacific 2-2 York United (3-4 on pens.)


KEY QUOTES

“We know it’s gonna be a tough game, Pacific’s a very good team… It’s a battle of two teams that have small squads right now. Both teams fight to the end so it’ll be an interesting game.” — York United head coach Martin Nash

“We started very strong, we got out in the top of the table in first place and we’ve maybe let ourselves down the last few weeks. We’ve also had some injuries, changed players so there’s a lot of different things in the group, but most importantly we need to come together and be together as a team. Push each other, challenge each other, especially on the road when we travel, to be ready for these matches.” — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman