Canadian Premier League — Match #41 York9 FC vs. FC Edmonton July 14, 2019 — York Lions Stadium (3:30 p.m. ET) Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

York9 FC will host FC Edmonton to York Lions Stadium for the third time in six weeks on Sunday, as Y9 shift its focus back to league play following a 2-2 draw against Montreal Impact in the Canadian Championship’s Qualifying Round 3. The Nine Stripes defeated FC Edmonton in the previous round of the CanChamp, 3-2 on aggregate, to advance to take on the Impact. Although their end-to-end draw on Wednesday is a fairly good result against an MLS side, York9 could have undoubtedly come away with a victory had it not been for two crucial errors at the back. The Eddies continued their late-Spring season form into the Fall last weekend, earning three points on the road against Spring runner-up Forge FC. Now four wins on the bounce, Jeff Paulus and co. promise to be a different proposition than their last trip to York, which ended in a scoreless draw. Following this matchup, FC Edmonton will return home to kick off a four-game homestand starting against Valour FC on Wednesday, July 17 (9:00 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer). York9 will remain at home as well, with West Coast side Pacific FC coming to town on Wednesday, July 17 (7:00 p.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. PT, on OneSoccer).
KEYS TO THE MATCH

  • Limit mistakes: York9’s past two results, a 1-0 loss and 2-2 draw, have been marred by key defensive mistakes. An ill-advised header from centre-back Luca Gasparotto led to Montreal’s first goal on Wednesday, with an unforced penalty conceded by goalkeeper Nathan Ingham leading to a second. Despite reiterating his patience with his side, head coach Jimmy Brennan will hope these key defensive errors don’t become routine.​
  • Defence: FC Edmonton carried the second-best defensive record in the Spring season conceding an average of less than a goal per game. That feat has been emphasized by Jeff Paulus’ men recently, having given up only two goals in their last five matches. With York9’s continued woes in front of goal, and on a small pitch, the Eddies could be primed for another stellar defensive performance.​
  • Oumar Diouck: The Belgian striker led the Eddies with four goals during the Spring season – half of the team’s total through the 10-match sprint. York9 will have to keep a close eye out for Diouck as slip-ups with the FC Edmonton striker lurking could lead to goals.​

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

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


HEAD TO HEAD Jun 5 – York9 3-1 Edmonton (CanChamp) Jun 12 – Edmonton 1-0 York9 FC (CanChamp) June 19 – York9 FC 0-0 Edmonton

STATS LEADERS

Simon Adjei & Rodrigo Gattas - 2 goals (York9 FC) Oumar Diouck - 4 goals (FC Edmonton)

INJURIES

Randy Edwini-Bonsu (FC Edmonton) - Doubtful

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

None

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

None

REFEREES

Referee: Scott Bowman ARs: Peter Manastyrsky & Gabrielle Lemieux 4th Official: David Barrie


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

Q: Will the team that finished higher in the Spring Competition standings win?

A: As we saw last week, teams toward the bottom of the table are capable of beating 1st place team Cavalry. This is a question where the underdog pick is not an unwise choice.

Q: Will the home team lead in possession?

A: Unless the home team is playing Cavalry, then yes. On the first day of Fall Competition, expect home clubs to come out with that extra motivation to put in a strong performance for their home crowd.

Q: Will an international player score?

A: Even though a majority of players on CanPL rosters are Canadian, international players have been crucial as offensive focal points for clubs. Expect Dominique Malonga, Oumar Diouck, and Akeem Garcia to continue being the go-to man up top for their clubs.

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