August 15, 2024...Preview: York United FC vs. Cavalry FC - 2024 Match #72 (from canpl.ca)

PREVIEW: York United FC vs. Cavalry FC — 2024 Match #72
2024-08-15
by Charlie O’Connor-Clarke, Digital Content Editor (@charliejclarke)

2024 CPL Regular Season — Match #72
York United FC vs. Cavalry FC
August 16, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT
York Lions Stadium in Toronto, Ontario

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Another top-four clash takes centre stage at York Lions Stadium this Friday, as York United FC look to continue their excellent home form in a test against Cavalry FC.

York are hoping to put themselves back atop the league table, which they would do with at least a point in this match. They ended last weekend in first place after defeating Valour FC 1-0, but a midweek win for Forge FC means it’s now the Hamilton side leading the pack.

Still, the Nine Stripes will begin the weekend technically in second place, but level with Forge on 31 points. The two sides have identical 9-4-5 records, but Forge’s wins against York earlier this year mean they’ve got the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Nonetheless, York are unbeaten in their last six games, and their last seven at home. They haven’t lost at York Lions Stadium since their home opener in April, picking up six wins and a draw since then.

Hoping to spoil that party will be Cavalry FC, who have the second-most away points in the CPL this year with 13. The Cavs aren’t far behind York in the league table, sitting in fourth place but on 27 points, putting them just four away from the top.

Cavalry are arguably the most in-form team in the CPL right now, having won three in a row heading into Friday. They beat Halifax Wanderers FC 3-2 last Saturday as their ability to put the ball in the net seems to finally be returning.

These sides have already met twice this year, both times in Calgary. They played to a 2-2 draw in mid-May, then York picked up a rare away win at ATCO Field in July as 16-year-old Shola Jimoh’s winner made him the CPL’s youngest ever goalscorer.

Historically, Cavalry have been the better side in this fixture with 12 wins from 19 meetings. They won last time they visited York Lions Stadium, in September 2023, as well as both matches in Calgary last year.

However, this is a much improved York side playing perhaps some of the best football in club history right now under Benjamín Mora. Either way, it’s a pivotal game in what’s shaping up to be a fascinating title race.

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

3 THINGS TO WATCH

Brian Wright still dominating: With 10 games left in the season, has there been any attacking player in the CPL more impactful than Brian Wright? After a frustrating 2023 where he scored just twice in 26 league appearances, Wright has been in arguably the best form of his career this season. He’s played 16 games, and he leads the league in both goals (nine) and assists (six). With 15 total goal contributions, Wright is closing in on a CPL record for combined goals and assists in a season. Tristan Borges set the mark in 2019 with 17 contributions (12 goals, five assists), which feels like a number Wright will undoubtedly get to in the next few weeks. Records aside, Wright is largely the one making York’s attack tick right now, and therefore he’ll be a major subject of Cavalry’s focus defensively on Friday.

Musse’s return lifting Cavalry: The Cavs went through a stretch this year where they had serious trouble putting the ball in the net. It’s no coincidence that that stretch matched up with a lengthy absence for Ali Musse, who missed 12 straight league matches (with one brief cameo against the Vancouver Whitecaps that may have re-aggravated his injury). Musse returned to the pitch two weeks ago in Ottawa, coming off the bench to score both goals in a 2-1 Cavalry win. Last weekend against Halifax, he had an impact yet again as he provided the assist to Daan Klomp’s first goal, delivering a corner kick straight to the defender’s head in a moment that was reminiscent of so many others in last year’s regular season-winning campaign. It’s clear how much Cavalry missed him, and now that Musse is back and in form the Cavs look significantly scarier going forward.

New and familiar faces to be involved: Both of these clubs did some noteworthy business in the summer transfer window, and it’s already paying dividends. York’s 20-year-old Mexican winger Jorge Guzmán had three assists in his first two games and he already seems to be a dangerous force on the wing. Something to watch with York will be their second Mexican loanee from this window, as Santiago Marquez recently joined the squad on loan from Necaxa and could be in line for a debut on Friday. Meanwhile, Cavalry have already been reaping the benefits of the arrival of German winger Nicolas Wähling, and more recently they’ve found contributions from Lowell Wright. The 20-year-old forward has returned to the CPL with Cavalry but he got his start as a professional with York United; perhaps Friday he might get an opportunity to reintroduce himself by scoring against his former club?

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

York United FC: Vincensini; Abatneh, Sturing, León; Ferrari, Martínez, Adekugbe, Guzmán, Cordóva; Babouli, B. Wright

Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Klomp, Kobza, Field; Gutiérrez, Shome; Musse, Wähling, L. Wright; Warschewski

ALL-TIME SERIES
York United wins: 4 || Cavalry FC wins: 12 || Draws: 3

Last meeting:
July 13, 2024 — Cavalry FC 1-2 York United

KEY QUOTES

“I think [Cavalry] is one of the best teams in the league. Well-coached, and they know what to do. They know how to play as a team, they are strong, they can press. So we’ve been studying their game style a lot, and we’re going to try our best to be in good shape in order to execute our game.” — York United head coach Benjamín Mora

“What hasn’t changed is the way we’ve played and the way we’ve defended. If we do that, we knew we’d be in the mix once the top attacking players were available to us, and it’s proven the point. It’s good to have them back, especially for the run-in because that’s where people start focusing.” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

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