PREVIEW: York9 FC vs. HFX Wanderers FC – Match #49

2019-07-26

CanPL.ca Staff

Canadian Premier League — Match #48
York9 FC vs. HFX Wanderers FC
July 27, 2019 — York Lions Stadium (3:30 p.m. ET)
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Hoping to rebound quickly from an exhausting Canadian Championship clash in Montreal on Wednesday, York9 FC returns home now to take on HFX Wanderers FC – themselves also recovering from a CanChamp defeat, to the Ottawa Fury.

York9 finds themselves in a decent position in the CPL’s Fall table, with two wins and two losses (good enough for third place). Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the Montreal Impact, although heartbreaking, proved the Nine Stripes to be a resilient side who can withstand a great deal of pressure. Their most recent CPL fixture, also a 1-0 loss, was last weekend at Cavalry FC; they dropped that one on an early own goal from Daniel Gogarty, but ultimately they out-shot and out-possessed the Spring champions.

Stephen Hart’s HFX Wanderers march into York Region with something to prove, having recently broken their scoring drought away from home and now hoping to finally bag that first road victory. They drew 2-2 in Ottawa midweek, although they squandered a 2-0 lead that would’ve seen them through to the CanChamp semi-finals. They’re currently on a three-game CPL losing streak, with their last win actually a 1-0 result over York9 to begin the Fall campaign.

Following this, HFX will finish their road swing with a match at FC Edmonton on Wednesday, July 31 (9:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. MT, on OneSoccer). Jimmy Brennan’s York9 will enjoy a little time off, with their next fixture coming on Saturday, August 10 when they host Valour FC (3:30 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer).

KEYS TO THE MATCH

Close encounters: All three previous matches between these two sides were tight, low-scoring affairs. They played to a 1-1 and a 0-0 draw in the Spring season, and HFX took a slim 1-0 victory in the first week of the Fall. Expect this tilt to be similarly close, with York9’s defence so stingy recently and the Wanderers struggling to score on the road in CPL play.
Target man: Brennan employed Simon Adjei at centre-forward in Wednesday’s CanChamp match, and the Swede turned in a disappointing performance, with no shots on target and a heavy touch that ended several attacking moves. York9 may stick with him, or Rodrigo Gattas may get back into the starting 11 to offer a more creative option. Whoever it is up front, though, they need to be able to threaten HFX’s goalkeeper much more often and take some of the workload away from the wingers.
Find space to counter: HFX has developed a reputation as one of the most dangerous counter-attacking teams in the CPL. Unfortunately, it’s a lot easier to score on the break when your pacey attacking players have space to run into, especially on the flanks — which York Lions Stadium does not have. The Wanderers couldn’t get anything going offensively last time they played on the small pitch; this time, they’ll need to find a way to break out of the congested centre of the park.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

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

HFX Wanderers FC: Christian Oxner; Andre Bona, Matthew Arnone, Peter Schaale, Chrisnovic N’Sa; Kodai Iida, Andre Rampersad, Mohamed Kourouma, Zachary Sukunda; Akeem Garcia, Luis Alberto Perea

HEAD TO HEAD

May 29 – HFX Wanderers FC 1-1 York9 FC
June 22 – York9 FC 0-0 HFX Wanderers FC
July 6 – HFX Wanderers FC 1-0 York9 FC

STATS LEADERS

Simon Adjei – 3 goals (York9 FC)
Akeem Garcia – 4 goals (HFX Wanderers FC)

INJURIES

Elton John (HFX Wanderers FC) – Questionable
Akeem Garcia (HFX Wanderers FC) – Questionable

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

None

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

Andre Bona (HFX Wanderers FC) – 3
Ndzemdzela Langwa (HFX Wanderers FC) – 3
Matthew Arnone (HFX Wanderers FC) – 3

REFEREES

Referee: Pierre-Luc Laurier
Assistants: Phillipe Bettez Quessy & Melissa Snedden
4th Official: Carly Shaw-Maclaren

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

Q. Which team will have more shots off target?

A: Currently Forge FC leads the league in chances missed during the Fall Competition with 10 while Edmonton only has one. Look for more dynamic attacks to have more shots off target purely based on the fact that they tend to create more chances.

Q. Which team will have more tackles?

A: At this point in the Fall Competition, HFX is averaging 15.8 tackles per match, the most in the league. Forge and Cavalry also both average more tackles than their opponents for this weekend’s matches.

Q. Will a player score their 1st goal for their club?

A: Valour will be looking for their new striker signing Michele Paolucci to make an immediate impact in what could be his first appearance for the club. Do you believe that he can become acclimated to the Valour team that quickly?