Preview: York9 FC vs. Pacific FC â?? Match #57

August 16, 2019 - Canadian Premier League (CPL) News Release

Canadian Premier League - Match #57

York9 FC vs. Pacific FC

August 17, 2019 -  York Lions Stadium (3:30 p.m. ET)

Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Two sides looking to shake off a loss converge at York Lions Stadium this weekend, as York9 FC continues a homestand by hosting Pacific FC.

The Nine Stripes, fourth in the congested Fall table but only two points off the top (depending what happens in Friday's Al Classico, of course), stumbled last weekend. Despite creating chances and dominating much of the game, they fell 2-0 to Valour FC as they never recovered from conceding in the seventh minute. They've got three wins and three losses in the Fall, and they'd certainly like to keep pace at the top with a win here.

The challengers from Vancouver Island, meanwhile, reside in the basement of the standings, with just one win and four losses (and a draw) to put them on four points. Last time out, they were convincingly beaten, 3-1, by FC Edmonton, as they struggled to get much going offensively. They haven't won on the road since June 20, having already visited York Region and lost 1-0 in the Fall competition.

York9 will move quickly onward from this home clash, travelling to Calgary for a high-stakes tilt with Cavalry FC on Wednesday, August 21 (9:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. MT, on OneSoccer). PFC's next contest won't be until next Saturday, when they'll return to Van Isle for the grand opening of Westhills Stadium and a match against Valour FC (6:00 p.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. PT, on OneSoccer)

KEYS TO THE MATCH

Make it count: It seems that every time York9 falters, it's not for lack of chances. Coach Jimmy Brennan voiced his frustration last weekend about his team's inability to capitalize on any of their 21 shots or 66.7% possession. Perhaps it'll be a little easier this week with Manny Aparicio back in the fold, but York9 has to try and recapture the energy that sparked their six-goal outburst against HFX Wanderers FC two games ago.

Push forward: Over 50% of Pacific's game against FC Edmonton was played in the middle third, as PFC struggled to find any meaningful touches near the Eddies' box. They had a makeshift midfield due to injury, which certainly contributed to their struggles in buildup play, but Michael Silberbauer needs to find a way to unlock his attacking players more (particularly Terran Campbell, who had just 18 touches in that game).

Greater accuracy: One thing that sunk York9 last week against Valour was their reliance on the long ball. With the York Lions Stadium pitch so narrow, pass after pass seemed to sail over the head of wide players like Kyle Porter or Rodrigo Gattas. If they want to play with rapid switches of play like that, the York9 fullbacks are going to have to be more accurate with their passes, because this field does not forgive errors like those.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

York9 FC: Nathan Ingham; Morey Doner, Luca Gasparotto, Roger Thompson, Diyaedinne Abzi; Joe Di Chiara, Emmanuel Zambazis; Kyle Porter, Wataru Murofushi, Rodrigo Gattas; Ryan Telfer

Pacific FC: Nolan Wirth; Blake Smith, Lukas MacNaughton, Hendrik Starostzik, Alessandro Hojabrpour; Alexander Gonzalez, Noah Verhoeven, Matthew Baldisimo, Ben Fisk; Terran Campbell, Marcus Haber