PREVIEW: York United FC vs. FC Laval | TELUS Canadian Championship
05/05/2025
Written by:Charlie O'Connor-Clarke
2025 TELUS Canadian Championship -- Preliminary Round
York United FC vs. FC Laval
May 6 at 7 p.m. ET
York Lions Stadium in Toronto, Ontario
Watch Live: OneSoccer //
York United's homestand continues with an exciting Canadian Championship tie on Tuesday, when Ligue1 Québec champions
FC Laval will look to be the second team from the Montreal area to eliminate a Toronto-based side in this year's tournament.
The Nine Stripes have their sights set on a longer cup run than last year, where they lost in the first round to CPL rivals
(and eventual semi-finalists) Forge FC. York do have a strong history in this competition, having made it to the semis
themselves in 2022.
It'll be York's second time meeting a League1 side in this tournament, their only other encounter being a 5-0 win over
Master's FA back in 2021. In this game, they'll be keen on delivering another emphatic win to help spark an improvement
in their league form as well; York haven't won since the first week of the season, despite having led in four of their
five matches at some point.
Last Friday, the Nine Stripes faced a tough battle against CPL champions Cavalry FC, but they ended up empty-handed after
conceding the winner in the second half. So, York find themselves 1-1-3 in this CPL season so far, which might mean a cup
tie is a welcome distraction coming at a good time for them.
"We've shown what we can do with and without the ball," head coach Mauro Eustáquio said Monday. "We've performed,
but the results haven't been going our way; I think it's been clear. The players understand the way we want to play,
and we've had really good spells but we just turn off in certain ones, and we've been punished by that."
He'll be relying on attacking stars like Julian Altobelli (five goals in five games to start the year) to provide the spark
against Laval.
The Quebecois visitors earned their spot in this year's tournament by winning the Ligue1 Québec title, beating CS Saint-Laurent
by two points to top the table. Laval have a tough act to follow in Saint-Laurent, who made a wonderful Cinderella run in last
year's competition by beating the Halifax Wanderers on penalties before taking on MLS side Toronto FC.
Laval bring with them a side full of talent, including a few names familiar to Canadian Premier League fans. Quentin Paumier
was a standout at the U SPORTS level for a few years (and was drafted by FC Edmonton in 2022), and last year he won
the L1Q Ballon d'argent as the league's second-best player. His teammate, goalkeeper Martin Cantona, won the Ballon de bronze,
while Laval's manager Mario Kancel was the league's coach of the year.
Meanwhile, fullback Obeng Tabi -- a former Halifax Wanderer in the CPL -- was part of the CS Saint-Laurent team that did
so well last year, so his experience in this tournament could prove useful.
This will be Laval's second appearance as a club in the Canadian Championship, and they'll be hoping for their first victory.
They played in the 2023 edition, but lost 3-0 in their debut match against Forge FC.
The winner of Tuesday's game will book a date with Atlético Ottawa in the quarter-finals. Given the recent animosity between
Atleti and York, the Nine Stripes will want nothing more than another crack at the Ottawa side.
Canadian Championship History
Last meeting: N/A
York United:
All-time record: 6W-2D-6L
Best finish: Semi-finals (2022) -- Lost 2-1 to Vancouver Whitecaps
FC Laval:
All-time record: 0W-0D-1L
Best finish: First Round (2023) -- Lost 3-0 to Forge FC
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