PREVIEW: FC Edmonton vs. HFX Wanderers FC – Match #34

The second fixture on the CPL's Canada Day slate is a clash between two clubs in a dead heat in the standings, as HFX Wanderers FC heads to Alberta to play FC Edmonton for the first time.

Both sides sit on 11 points from their nine Spring season games, tied for third place with identical 3-4-2 records. Stephen Hart's Wanderers are coming off a comprehensive 2-0 win over Valour FC on Wednesday, where they rebounded from a pair of lacklustre results against York9 FC and Cavalry FC.

The Eddies, meanwhile, are trending upward for the first time this year, it seems. After breaking their six-game goal drought in a big way last weekend, exploding for three goals against Pacific FC, they added some momentum with a 1-0 midweek win over the surging Forge FC. So, they enter this game riding a three-match unbeaten streak with a chance to claim third in the Spring season.

The Fall season begins next Saturday, July 6 for both sides. FC Edmonton travels to Hamilton, where they'll play Forge in the second campaign's first match (1:00 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer), and HFX returns home to host York9 FC (3:30 p.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. AT, on OneSoccer).

• Towers at the back: Breaking down either of these sides at the back is a physically daunting challenge, with quite a lot of muscle in both defensive lines. FC Edmonton's centre-back duo, Mele Temguia and Amer Didic, are starting to play the punishing defensive style they've been expected to, and the results have improved for the Eddies. The Wanderers' CB pairing is similarly imposing, with Matthew Arnone and Peter Schaale playing rock-solid physical football.
• From aways: Stephen Hart's side has found some kind of magic at home at Wanderers Grounds, but they've not yet been able to replicate that outside of Nova Scotia (in CPL play, at least). They have yet to score a goal on the road in a league game, with three losses and a 0-0 draw with York9. So, whatever it is that's been working for them at home, the Wanderers desperately need to find a way to keep the same form on the road heading into the longer Fall season.
• Share the wealth: FC Edmonton's scoring woes have been well-documented, but much of the offence they have generated has come off the foot of Oumar Diouck, who has three goals (plus one in the Canadian Championship). Jeff Paulus needs more from his other attacking players, though; Tomi Ameobi has just one goal, and Randy Edwini-Bonsu (who missed the last two matches) has none. Regardless of who plays a part in this game, the Eddies need goals to start coming from a wider variety of sources.

FC Edmonton: Connor James; Allan Zebie, Mele Temguia, Amer Didic, Jeannot Esua; Ramon Soria, James Marcelin; Marcus Velado-Tsegaye, Oumar Diouck, Son Yong-Chan; Tomi Ameobi

HFX Wanderers FC: Jan-Michael Williams; Ndzemdzela Langwa, Matthew Arnone, Peter Schaale, Andre Bona; Elton John, Andre Rampersad; Mohamed Kourouma, Akeem Garcia, Kodai Iida; Thomasz Skublak



Q: Which team will have more total passes?

A: Usually home teams tend to dictate possession and end up putting together more passes. However for a club such as Cavalry who tends to dictate possession even when playing on the road, they may be the one outlier in the Canada Day matches.

Q: Which team will make the last sub?

A: The easiest way to look at this is which club will save a substitution to kill the clock off, meaning which team will be ahead late in the match? Clubs higher up in the standings like Halifax and Cavalry are safe bets, the only 50/50 opportunity may be for the Valour and York9 match where both clubs are currently facing problems scoring roadblocks.

Q: Which team will have more Canadians play this match?

A: So far we’ve seen clubs with younger rosters give more playing time to Canadian players. It would then be wise to consider Pacific and Valour as options here. Valour manager Rob Gale has specifically spoken about getting younger players playing time as the Spring Competition comes to a close, a huge hint for things to come.

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