2023 Canadian Championship — Preliminary Round
York United vs. Vancouver FC
April 19, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
York Lions Stadium in Toronto, ON
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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Just four days after making their competitive debut as a club, Vancouver FC step onto the pitch for the first time in the Canadian Championship on Wednesday night at York Lions Stadium. They meet a York United side who made it all the way to the semi-finals in last year’s tournament.

Both sides are coming off week one losses in Canadian Premier League regular season action, with Vancouver falling on the road to a late Manny Aparicio strike against Pacific, while York United were humbled at home by Valour on Sunday. Both are also waiting for their first goal in 2023, or in Vancouver’s case, their first goal in club history — with the ultimate goal being advancement in the competition.

There will be added motivation for both sides to win on Wednesday, as doing so would mean not just playing, but hosting, the 2022 tournament champion Vancouver Whitecaps in the quarter-finals. For expansion side Vancouver FC, this would be an absolutely incredible moment for them in their debut season to host their province’s most storied club. For York, meanwhile, it would mean a rematch against the team that eliminated them from last year’s tournament – this time on home turf.

“They have a lot of Vancouver-based players in their squad who I’m sure would love to have a crack at the Whitecaps, there is that big carrot dangling for both clubs,” York United manager Martin Nash told media prior to the match. “So I am sure it is going to be a fiercely contested game.”

Adding to the intrigue is the fact that both sides are expected to have former Canadian champions in their lineups. York’s Mo Babouli was part of Toronto FC’s 2016 Canadian Championship-winning side, Clément Bayiha lifted the trophy with CF Montréal in 2019, while Kadin Chung of Vancouver FC played in and won the delayed 2020 Voyageurs Cup final for Toronto FC, which took place last year.

Nash says there are no new injury concerns for York United after Sunday’s match, but several players look likely to remain sidelined for the match including Elijah Adekugbe, Michael Petrasso, Tass Mourdoukoutas and captain Roger Thompson. Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghobti said that part of the benefit of having a young squad is that they are able to recover quickly, so he is expecting everyone to be available for Wednesday’s match, with a few lineup tweaks of a tactical nature.

All three of York’s 2022 Canadian Championship matches came on the road. The return to York Lions Stadium will be welcome, as the Nine Stripes have never lost at home in this competition — including a dramatic draw with CF Montréal back in the 2019 edition.

The match is part of a doubleheader at York Lions Stadium, as prior to York taking on Vancouver, Halifax Wanderers and Atlético Ottawa will kick off at 5 p.m. ET.

All CPL and Canadian Championship matches will be broadcast live on OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Telus’ Optik TV (Channel 980) as well as online at OneSoccer.ca, through the OneSoccer app and on the fuboTV Canada platform.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Can York build on an impressive run in the 2022 Canadian Championship? Last year, York United was one of the Canadian Championship’s biggest as they went on a dramatic run to the competition’s semifinals. They became the first side in Voyageurs Cup history to win two matches in a penalty shootout, as they defeated Atlético Ottawa, and then Pacific FC on spot kicks. The run ended at the hands of the eventual champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps, on the road at BC Place. “We had a great cup run last year, it was great for the players,” said Nash. “It was great to play Vancouver away, a tough challenge, and I thought we did well in that game but ultimately lost 2-1. It is always fun, the Canadian Championship.”

• How does York’s attack line up after being blanked by Valour? York United’s attack didn’t really wake up on Sunday until after they were already down 2-0. While in part this was likely due to the road side playing more conservatively to protect their lead, it also stemmed from the attacking injection that came from the York bench. The club’s 2022 leading goalscorer (and league Golden Boot runner-up) Osaze De Rosario, who surprisingly started the match on the bench in favour of newcomer Brian Wright, had two big chances despite playing just over a half hour. Meanwhile, substitute Clément Bayiha was also a spark down the wing, with three shot attempts, two chances created, three successful dribbles and six touches in the box. With a game just three days after that Valour matchup, expect York to rotate their attacking options in the starting lineup — which they will hope will make them more goal dangerous from the opening whistle.

• Can Vancouver frustrate York with solid defensive shape?: For 81 minutes on Saturday, Vancouver FC was able to hold Pacific — expected to be one of the league’s top offensive teams in 2023 — scoreless. The goal ultimately came from a careless giveaway in the defensive third – to be expected from a club still learning to play on the same page. For the most part, however, they defended admirably. While Pacific got into good positions throughout the match, they managed to test Irving in net only three times. If they can similarly frustrate a York United side who will already be desperate to find an offensive spark — and looked vulnerable at the back at the weekend — it will significantly improve their odds of picking up a huge result.

ALL-TIME SERIES

First meeting between these sides.

KEY QUOTES

“I saw [Vancouver’s] game on Saturday, I thought they were really organized, tough to break down, have some good pieces going forward as well. They’re going to be a tough side to beat for anyone and they showed that against Pacific. They’re going to be tough to break down and you have to be careful that you don’t catch them in transition.” — York United head coach Martin Nash

“You have one game that will decide your future in the competition. I love these tournaments because not maybe the best team [wins], everyone has a chance to be a champion. Within four games you can be the champion of a trophy, and of competition.” — Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi

“We know York is a good team this year and they have some special players, but we are really focused on ourselves and our game plan and tactically, mentally being ready. I feel like if we do that, and we focus on what coach is telling us then we are going to have a positive result ” — Vancouver FC defender Kadin Chung