PREVIEW: York United vs. Cavalry FC — 2023 Match #27 (tonybet Match of the Week)

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2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #27 York United vs. Cavalry FC May 28, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. MT York Lions Stadium in Toronto, Ontario Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here​

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What a difference a week can make. Going into this past weekend, York United and Cavalry made up two of the league's bottom three teams. But after both securing decisive victories in week six, the two sides will have reason to believe they have turned a corner after a difficult start to the season. That makes their meeting on Sunday evening at York Lions Stadium all the more intriguing, as the two sides look to build on their biggest results of the season to date. York were 3-0 victors against Halifax Wanderers on the road, picking up their second win of the campaign, while after five straight draws to open the season, Cavalry defeated Atlético Ottawa 2-0 at home. York United is one of a stunning five CPL clubs still searching for their first home victory of 2023. All six of their points collected so far this season have come on the road, while they have lost three times, and scored just once, at York Lions Stadium. "That's the thing with York, they have been good on the road, but not so much at home, but I'm sure they will be up for it against us when we come to town," said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. Interestingly, in terms of points collected, this match pits the league's worst home team against the league's worst away team so far this season. The struggle away from home for Cavalry dates back to last season, as they have not won a match outside of Alberta -- they beat FC Edmonton in mid-September of last year -- in all competitions since June 15 of last season. For York, this match will be about trying to string together results for the first time this season. Their previous wins this season, both in the Canadian Championship and in CPL play, were followed by losses. "It was nice to come off that performance last week, but we have to try to build from it now right?," said York United head coach Martin Nash. "One performance doesn't set you on your way as it didn't last time we had a good performance, so we are going to have to build on the performance that we had. We are getting guys healthy, which is also the key for us to be able to go on a run." York will be given a big boost by the fact that Mo Babouli has returned to training, as has central defender Roger Thompson. Nash says he will have significantly more options at his disposal on Sunday than in recent weeks. Cavalry, meanwhile, will still be without Joe Mason for this match as he will not travel, as well as Shamit Shome and Callum Montgomery who are dealing with longer-term injuries. Ethan Beckford, however, returned to training and should be available for the side on Sunday.

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All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.

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3 THINGS TO WATCH​

• Marco Carducci looking to become Cavalry's first centurion: Should Cavalry FC goalkeeper Marco Carducci feature between the sticks on Sunday, he would become the first player to make 100 appearances in all competitions for the club. The Calgary native, who was among the first signings in club history, is now in his fifth season with the club. He recently won his second Golden Glove award as the CPL's 2022 goalkeeper of the year, after previously winning the award in the league's inaugural 2019 season. Carducci was also the first active CPL player to receive a call-up from the Canadian men's national team in 2019 among many other trailblazing moments since he joined his hometown side. "He's been the face of this football club from day one," said Wheeldon Jr. "Number one on the roster, number one in people's hearts. I think he captures that."

• Austin Ricci delivering for York: After missing all but four matches in all competitions last year through injury, Ricci's return has been of critical importance to the Nine Stripes in 2023. While he only has a single assist to show for it in league play so far this season, plus a goal against the Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship, the 27-year-old has been a key chance creator for York this season with a team-leading 0.38 expected assists, and 4.29 dribbles per 90 minutes. His relentless energy and directness in the attacking third make York significantly more dangerous. "He's got energy, he works as hard as anyone on the pitch, he has some great ability going forward," said Nash. "He really suits the way I want to play, and suits the team. He's got a great attitude and a great character." Likely to line up against a Cavalry FC right side that loves to get forward, Ricci's role could be incredibly important in Sunday's match.

• Three-goal outburst a huge confidence boost for York attackers: For the first time this season, York United scored more than a single goal in a match, in fact doubling their goal total for the season, when they stunned the Halifax Wanderers 3-0 last weekend. This is despite the fact that they sit second in the league in non-penalty expected goals with 7.8, second in shot attempts with 57 and tied for first in penalty area entries with 191. The Nine Stripes have consistently been getting into good positions all season, and the chances have been there -- they have missed a league-leading 12 big chances so far this year -- but prior to last Saturday, the goals hadn't followed. "It was big for us, I think it helped us relax as a group, to be fair, a little bit," said Nash. "When you are not scoring consistently you are wondering where the goals are coming from. It was nice to get three for the first time this year". One major issue that remains is the fact that there has been no consistent goal threat for York this season, neither Brian Wright nor Osaze De Rosario have been able to find a goal this season so far, while they remain the only club in the league to not have a single player on its roster who has scored multiple goals in CPL play in 2023.

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