PREVIEW: York9 FC vs. Pacific FC – Match #43

York9 FC continues their extended homestand Wednesday by hosting Pacific FC, for a rematch of the Nine Stripes' first-ever league win (a 1-0 result on June 15).

Pacific travels to York Region hoping to turn things around after losing their first two Fall matches by consecutive 3-2 scores at home (to Cavalry FC and Forge FC). Michael Silberbauer's squad looked to be coming into form with their 3-1 win over Cavalry on Canada Day, closing out the Spring season, but two straight losses have them struggling to get on their feet in the Fall.

Last weekend was kinder to York9, who put a stop to FC Edmonton's four-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory at home. They'll be entering this one with confidence at an all-time high, on the back of Sunday's win and last Wednesday's gritty 2-2 draw with the Montreal Impact in the Canadian Championship. Jimmy Brennan's side would certainly like to keep that momentum going against a side they've beaten at home before.

Next up, York9 faces a daunting road trip to Calgary, for a Spruce Meadows showdown with Spring champions Cavalry FC on Sunday, July 21 (3:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. MT, on OneSoccer). Pacific returns to Van Isle to host an East-coast adversary in HFX Wanderers FC on Saturday, July 20 (6:00 p.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. PT, on OneSoccer).

• Stay awake: Both of York9's goals against FC Edmonton last weekend came from punishing the Eddies' defenders for making a mistake — whether a passing blunder or a fullback failing to keep their eye on a long-ball option (à la Ryan Telfer). The Nine Stripes are a club that can hold of their opponent confidently enough to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike; Pacific would do well not to provide that.​
• Reinforcements: Pacific saw the much-welcomed return of Hendrik Starostzik to their backline last weekend against Forge, as he entered to play the last half hour of the 3-2 loss. Although he only had 16 touches, his presence alone lightened the mood around PFC; the more injured players they get back into the squad, the closer they can get to Michael Silberbauer's true vision for the team. It's possible that Lukas MacNaughton could be the next returnee, which would (crucially) allow Matthew Baldisimo to return to a midfield role.​
• Decisions in the middle: York9's centre-back pairing of Luca Gasparotto and Daniel Gogarty was one of the CPL's most reliable together for most of the Spring season. Recently, though, with Roger Thompson's return to full health, Jimmy Brennan has had more to think about in that area. The backline has remained solid, with just three goals allowed in three league games Thompson has started, and Gasparotto's error in last week's CanChamp game well out of his usual character. Still, it's tough to justify dropping Gogarty so easily from the starting 11 after he clicked so well with Gasparotto. Brennan now has some tinkering to do to define his first-choice defensive lineup.​

York9 FC: Nathan Ingham; Diyaedinne Abzi, Daniel Gogarty, Luca Gasparotto, Morey Doner; Joe Di Chiara, Manny Aparicio, Wataru Murofushi; Kyle Porter, Simon Adjei Karlsson, Ryan Telfer

Pacific FC: Nolan Wirth; Blake Smith, Hendrik Starostzik, Émile Legault, Kadin Chung; Alessandro Hojabrpour, Alexander Gonzalez, Noah Verhoeven; Victor Blasco, Terran Campbell, Ben Fisk



Q: Will a goal be scored in the 1st half?

A: Teams, recently, have had slow starts out of the gate when it comes to offensive production. With a midweek matchup and tired legs, don't be surprised to see this trend continue.

Q: Will a goal be scored from outside the box?

A: In the past couple of weeks, we've seen long-range efforts from the like of Ramon Soria, Victor Blasco and Issey Nakajima-Farran all hit the net. With the set-piece emerging as an effective way to score in the CPL, look for another outside the box attempt to find the net

Q: Which team will have more headed shots?

A: Ryan Telfer is 5'11, Marcus Haber is 6'4. Height matters when you need to use your head.

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