2024 CPL Regular Season — Match #9 York United FC vs. Vancouver FC April 26, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT York Lions Stadium in Toronto, Ont. Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here​


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On Friday night at York Lions Stadium, Vancouver FC and York United clash for the first time since their respective final match of the 2023 regular season. That night, October 6, 2023, was a memorable one for the Nine Stripes, as their 2-1 victory at the Langley Events Centre secured the club just their second Canadian Premier League playoff appearance. For the visitors on Friday, this match will also invoke happy memories. A year and four days ago to the date of Friday's kickoff, April 22, 2023, Vancouver FC secured the first-ever victory, and scored their first-ever goal, in the club's history 2-1 over York United. Interestingly the goalscorers that day, history-maker Shaan Hundal, and Gael Sandoval are no longer with Vancouver FC. Osaze De Rosario, meanwhile, who scored both goals for York on their season finale meeting last year, has departed York United. That in itself shows how much these two sides have changed personnel-wise in a year. "To be honest I try not to live in the past and I try not to think too much about the historic side of the game, I try to go into the game based on the form of the players, the team that we have and focus on what we have to do tactically to get the result," Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi told media ahead of the match. Vancouver, in particular, looks remarkably different this season -- with two wins already under their belt they sit top of the table heading into week three after wins over Valour and Halifax. They do, however, face a quick turnaround after a tough 1-0 loss against Cavalry FC in Calgary in the Canadian Championship on Tuesday. It was the second consecutive year that Vancouver bowed out of the competition in the preliminary round, after losing 1-0 to York United at the same stage last season. With the exception of that aforementioned April 2023 day marked in VFC history, York United have won all four of the other meetings between the two clubs in all competitions. The Nine Stripes will undoubtedly be looking to add to that total after suffering two losses to start the 2024 campaign -- including a humbling 3-0 defeat to 905 derby rivals Forge FC in their home opener this past weekend. These two teams have also historically wasted little time getting the scoring started, as seven of the 13 goals scored in the five meetings between York and Vancouver FC have come within the opening 20 minutes. The latest this fixture has gone without a goal being scored is 17 minutes. Ghotbi has been remarkably consistent in his squad selection so far this season, rolling out the same starting eleven for each of the team's matches thus far. That won't be the case on Friday, as Kadin Chung suffered an injury against Cavalry in Canadian Championship action, but the good news is that the club doesn't believe the injury to be as serious as it first looked. Vancouver will only have six substitutes available on Friday as a result, however. The Nine Stripes could potentially see the return of Brem Soumaoro and Juan Córdova on Friday, which would undoubtedly be a big boost. Frank Sturing and Oswaldo León, however, as well as Matthew Baldisimo are considered longer-term injuries. That means York will likely need to continue relying on a young centreback pairing of Noah Abatneh and Nyal Higgins.
All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.

3 THINGS TO WATCH​

  • Vancouver still looking to find road rhythm: Vancouver FC's first road match of 2024 didn't exactly go to plan, as the high-flying Eagles were humbled by 10-man Cavalry FC in the Canadian Championship. After a pair of home victories in the league, the club is still searching for their first road win of the year. Crucial to finding it on Friday will be adapting to the unique conditions of travel and recovery in the CPL. It took VFC a while to do so last season, as they picked up just one victory in their first 12 road matches of the season. "There's a different rhythm, different moments and conditions you have to deal with," said Ghotbi after Tuesday's loss to Cavalry. "I think we lacked maybe that sharpness that we had in the last two home games."

  • Gee and Giantsopoulos return to York Lions Stadium: There will be a few familiar faces emerging from the away dressing room at York Lions Stadium for York United supporters on Friday. Goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos and fullback Paris Gee departed the club to sign out west this off-season, after being key members of York last season. The 29-year-old Giantsopoulos played 55 matches in all competitions for the Nine Stripes during the past three seasons. Gee, meanwhile, joined York in July of 2022 and was one of their best players last season. The Burnaby native has brought that level of excellent back home with him for VFC to start this year winning CPL Player of the Week honours for Week 1, in which he had a goal and an assist in the season opener against Valour. When asked by media what it meant to return to the stadium he called home for the past season and a half, however, Gee was all business. This match to him is about making sure the group rebounds from their heartbreak in the Canadian Championship and little more.

  • York United looking to up compete level after Derby loss to Forge: Like Vancouver, York are coming into the match hungry to prove themselves after being dominated by rivals Forge FC in the 905 Derby. Despite an outstanding atmosphere at York Lions Stadium in their home opener, the team came out flat in the second half after Forge opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time. The Nine Stripes had just a single shot attempt in the first 25 minutes of the second half, a period during which Forge scored twice. The club's tendency to leak early goals at home, and then fail to recover or show adequate effort thereafter, was a significant issue last season and reversing that trend is critical to their success in 2024. "I think we did the running that was necessary but we didn't compete and maybe want it enough as a group," York United head coach Martin Nash told media. "That's something that we talked about, we are going to have to be more physical, just be more competitive. The competitive fires have to be burning. That's a big key for me if we are going to be successful in this league if we can get that competitive edge up."

PROJECTED STARTING XIs​


York United: Vincensini; Ferrari, Abatneh, Higgins, Botello; Soumaoro, Martínez; Ricci, Babouli, Salanović; Wright

Vancouver FC: Giantsopoulos; Cameron, Norman, Romeo, Gee; Cantave, Garcia, Fry, Bitar; Dyer, Díaz​

ALL-TIME SERIES​


York United wins: 3 || Vancouver FC wins: 1 || Draws: 0

Last meeting:

October 6, 2023 — Vancouver FC 1-2 York United​

KEY QUOTES​


“They've kind of got a bit of everything, they've really tooled up this year they're going to be a really good team in this league. It's not going to be an easy game, so we're going to have to look at ways that we can try to hurt them.” — York United head coach Martin Nash

“For us it's very important, especially after losing a very important game, to get everyone psychologically ready for the game and physically.”— Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi ​

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