July 23, 2019 CPL--CanChamp Preview: Y9 heads to la belle province decisive 2nd leg (from canpl.ca website)
CanChamp Preview: Y9 heads to la belle province decisive 2nd leg July 23, 2019 Canadian Premier League Canadian Championship — Round 3 (Leg 2) Montreal Impact FC vs. York9 FC (2-2 agg.) July 24 — Stade Saputo (7:30 p.m. ET) Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca York9 FC shook the Canadian soccer world in Leg 1 as they came oh-so-close to an odds-defying win against the Montreal Impact. It’s 2-2 on aggregate, but the late penalty conceded and Joe Di Chiara’s last-gasp missed chance loom large as the Nine Stripes march into Stade Saputo. Still, the fact that York9 could (should?) have beaten the Impact once suggests they can pull it off this time around. A win in any fashion would put them through to the CanChamp semi-finals, but a 0-0 or 1-1 draw would eliminate them on away goals, so Jimmy Brennan’s side will need to pull firmly ahead. KEYS TO THE MATCH While they’re down: The Impact are limping into this match, having lost four on the bounce in MLS play. Since Leg 1, we’ve seen them in a lifeless 2-0 home loss to Toronto FC and a frustrating 2-1 defeat to the Columbus Crew. Head coach Remi Garde did rotate his squad slightly for the latter match, perhaps a sign of his respect for York9 ahead of Wednesday’s clash. Still, it feels like the Nine Stripes are catching Montreal in a run of very poor form, so an upset is definitely still on the table. No gifts: Harsh as it may sound, Montreal didn’t deserve either of the goals they scored in Leg 1 at York Lions Stadium. The first was gifted to Omar Browne by an errant Luca Gasparotto header in his own box, and the second was an unnecessary penalty caused by an over-eager Nathan Ingham. Although York9’s defending has generally been good, they have been prone to a boneheaded giveaway here and there. With the margin for error so slim, and the opponents sure to punish any major mistakes, the York9 defenders must be on their toes for all 90 minutes. Just win: The good news for Brennan’s men is that the objective is very clear heading into this one: all they have to do is win. Despite technically entering the game a step behind because of away goals, York9 can mentally approach this as though it’s a one-game playoff starting at 0-0. Unlike HFX Wanderers, the Nine Stripes don’t have a specific winning result that they need; that’s one less thing they’ll need to worry about.
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