Football has brought Benjamín Mora across the globe.

The York United FC manager spent time winning championships in Malaysia, and coaching teams across his native Mexico. During his travels, he has consistently discovered one of football’s universal truths: how a club performs on their home turf has a significant impact on where they finish in the standings. Upon arriving in Canada in early June, Mora quickly made it clear to his new team that this was critical each and every time they stepped onto the pitch at York Lions Stadium.

“Benjamín’s first thing when he came into the club was ‘Make this place a fortress, make it tough to play in’,” said York United fullback Max Ferrari. “And I think we’ve done just that.”

As their season reaches the halfway point, York United have won five of their seven home matches in 2024, losing just once. That ties a club record for home wins in a season, achieved in both 2019 and 2022 — one they will be looking to shatter come season’s end. With 14 goals scored in those seven games, they have already found the back of the net at York Lions Stadium more times this year than all of 2023 (just 11 times).

“We’ve put [a lot of] emphasis on being strong at home,” York United president and general manager Ricardo Pasquel told CanPL.ca. “Going on the road, not just in CPL but any league in the world, it’s complicated, right? You get fans, you get a pitch that you’re not used to, so it was a priority for us to make the team strong at home.” 

The club’s home record is an echo of its new ambition, but it is also central to achieving those lofty targets. York United have made it no secret that they want to be a championship side this year, and the work they are currently putting in on the home front is vital in that pursuit.

Since the Pasquel brothers, Ricardo, Eduardo and Miguel, along with their group Game Plan Sports, took over as the team’s primary owners, a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to create the conditions conducive to home success. For one, after seasons spent training at multiple pitches across the region, including the Ontario Soccer Centre, the Nine Stripes now get to step onto the same York Lions Stadium pitch where they play their matches on a daily basis.

“We train there every day, so the players get used to the pitch, they get used to the wind; we have windy days, rainy days, et cetera,” said Pasquel. “So getting used to where you are going to play makes it way easier, right?”

Improving the game day experience in every way has also played an important role in establishing this home dominance. Through the tireless work of game day operations staff, the club has worked to augment the atmosphere at York Lions Stadium on a weekly basis. Before matches, there is now a fan zone in the stadium’s south end complete with soccer tennis, soccer darts and other fun attractions; the supporters’ groups have also been moved into the main stands, making for a more united atmosphere. After the match, fans are invited onto the pitch. Recent weeks have also seen around 300 fans face off in a kids vs. parents match on the very same field where they just watched the Nine Stripes play.

“The front office have been working really hard along with York University — shoutout to them because they have been really helpful — about not just how we can make the per-game experience better but a more hostile environment for other teams,” said Pasquel. “I think we are making baby steps but nonetheless these are steps, at the same time learning what works, what doesn’t and just taking notes. We are trying to be better each week, not just for the fan experience, also for the player experience.”

It certainly hasn’t hurt that the supporters at York Lions Stadium have had a lot to cheer about this season, especially at home.

“This is a special team this year, and I think we’re just getting going,” said Ferrari. “My past years we’ve [finished] in that fourth, fifth, sixth spot and this year that’s not what we want. We want to push for the top.” 

For Ferrari, who is York United’s longest-serving player having first joined in 2020, it has been exciting to see how many families and young fans from the community are coming out to matches this season. In the club’s first year, back in 2019, the Newmarket native and his family were season ticket holders themselves.

“Seeing these kids in the stands reminds me of myself that first year, so it’s special to see,” said Ferrari. 

Calling the region home, however, goes beyond game days. It starts with a commitment to build a relationship with the area’s many established soccer clubs and develop local players, giving them an opportunity to live out their professional dreams.

One early example of that work in progress is the signing of 16-year-old Shola Jimoh to an Exceptional Young Talent contract. Jimoh, who spent his youth career across multiple local clubs, recently became the second youngest goalscorer in CPL history when he found the back of the net against Cavalry on July 13.

The club furthered that commitment last week with the hiring of Silviu Butnaru as their first-ever Director of Scouting and Development.

“It’s not just that we have to mention it, we have to show it,” said Pasquel. “We have to show the local academies, the local schools that we’re up for it, that we’re serious about it. It’s visiting them, doing the work, creating a scouting team which we previously didn’t have. We just announced last week a person who has been in Canada in the soccer landscape for more than 15-20 years. He’s part of our youth scouting program, he’s going to help us a lot.”

On Friday night, York United play their biggest home match of the season to date. Currently in second place in the CPL table, they host league-leaders Atlético Ottawa for the first time this season, looking to close the five-point gap their Ontario rivals currently hold over them in the table.

‘They’re doing a great season, they’re a very tough opponent,” said Pasquel. “They’re very well coached, you can tell by watching them fairly quickly. That’s why we play this game, we live for these types of moments. Hopefully, it’s a [preview] of a final that we’ll see down the road.” 

While success has come quickly on the pitch for York United since the Pasquels came on as owners, their attention remains on the longer term as well. As well as York Lions Stadium has treated them this year, the club is still working diligently to establish a stadium of their own.

“Unfortunately I can’t say much right now, but I can tell you that it’s a daily thing, talking to many people in the ecosystem in soccer, all around,” said Pasquel. “I can tell you that we’re excited for what the path is going to be like.” 

For now, however, establishing themselves as a true championship contender in the Canadian Premier League on the pitch will go a long way toward supporting their efforts to build the club off of it.