May 15, 2025...Preview: Valour FC vs. York United | CPL Match #24 (from canpl.ca)
PREVIEW: Valour FC vs. York United | CPL Match #24
15/05/2025
Written by: Mitchell Tierney
2025 CPL Regular Season — Match #24
Valour FC vs. York United
May 16 at 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET
Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Live: OneSoccer //
Friday night in Winnipeg may feature a match between the Canadian Premier League's bottom two teams. But the seventh-place
York United, and eighth-place Valour FC are ready for a battle as both look for a critical win to get their 2025 season
back on track.
"It's not one that we take lightly," said York United captain Elijah Adekugbe. "We understand the pressure on the game.
I mean, you look at the table, we're right next to each other. So this game has a lot of meaning on it for us. It's about
embracing the pressure that comes with it.
"Ultimately, if we want to be the team that we want to be, we're gonna have to start winning games, and we're gonna have
to embrace these type of pressure situations."
No doubt there will be significant pressure on Valour as well to stop the bleeding as the league's lone team without
a victory this season. If Valour fail to win on Friday, they would officially be off to the worst start to a season
in club history -- worse even than last year where they spent their first seven matches of the season on the road
as Princess Auto Stadium underwent renovations.
The same can be said for York, however, who have never collected fewer than six points through the first seven games
of a season in club history. If they fail to win on Friday, it is a historically poor start to a campaign for them as well.
The Nine Stripes have already left a lot of points on the table this year, having dropped 11 from winning positions in 2025.
Less than a quarter of the way through the season, that is already half-way to the CPL record for most points dropped from
a winning position in a single season, 22 by Valour in both 2022 and 2024.
Valour are also looking to be better with a lead this season, having scored first against Atlético Ottawa this past weekend,
before losing 5-2 against the league leaders.
The Winnipeg club, however, do have a pretty strong record against York United at home in recent years, winning four of their
last seven meetings at Princess Auto Stadium. They shut out York United on each of those occasions.
Valour, it is worth noting, also have an absolutely massive match against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship
quarter-final coming up on Tuesday. It is the first time the club is hosting an MLS side in its history.
Head coach Phil Dos Santos, however, has made it clear to his group that they cannot look ahead, and that all of the club's
focus right now is on accumulating crucial points in the league on Friday.
York United will be without head coach Mauro Eustáquio for this match due to yellow card accumulation following a booking
he picked up late in last weekend's loss to Pacific FC.
The Nine Stripes, however, will be bolstered by the return of captain Elijah Adekugbe. He has missed the past three league
matches with an injury, and is now fully back in training and expected to play some sort of role in Friday's contest.
Valour, meanwhile, get both Kris Twardek and Jevontae Layne back from suspension -- a big boost for their attack. Meanwhile,
following precaution taken due to a minor injury, defender Gianfranco Facchineri is back for Valour as well.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
Can Valour find a way to tighten up at the back?: When Valour have been at their best over the years, they have been among
the league's best defensive teams. With a league-leading 12 goals conceded this year, however, included eight goals conceded
in their past two matches, it is clear something has to change in order to improve in this area. Despite several individual
errors playing a part in goals in recent matches, the Winnipeg club are focused on how they can improve collectively from
a defensive perspective. That will be put to the test on Friday against a York United team who have scored the second most
goals in the league this season. "It's not one or two guys," said Valour FC defender Gianfranco Facchineri. "We all agree
we need to do a better job as a team and help one another out so, we're working on getting a little bit more cohesion all
the way from our goalkeeper, all the way through our number nine. Because defensively it's not just one or two guys, it's
all 11 out there."
Can returning York captain Elijah Adekugbe bring much-needed leadership?: For the past three matches, four in all competitions,
York United have been without captain Elijah Adekugbe as he worked his way back from injury, and his absence was noticeable.
The 29-year-old has been a vital piece of this York United team as the crucial tempo and tone setter for the Nine Stripes.
But just as important as his on-field presence will be on the leadership he brings on Friday, and his ability to shepherd his
team through the key moments. Whether he is starting Friday's match or available off the bench, having Adekugbe's leadership
and abilities on the pitch, especially late in the game, could be a game-changer for York United in terms of earning
a much-needed result.
Both sides looking for set-piece improvement at different ends of the pitch: On Friday, set pieces, and particularly crossing
situations, will be a crucial factor for both clubs. For Valour, a big point of emphasis has been improving on set plays
in attack, especially with the quality of deliveries they have played in from wide areas this season. They scored on one such
moment this past week against Atlético Ottawa, with Kelsey Egwu heading home a cross from Themi Antonoglou and are looking
to build on that moment. They have done well to get balls into wide areas throughout this season, but the finished product
in the centre hasn't been there nearly enough. For York, meanwhile, their focus is more defensively. Mauro Eustáquio mentioned
in his pre-match press conference that many of the goals his side have conceded are coming from similar situations.
Seven of York's 11 conceded this year were either off-set piece situations or crosses into the box. Knowing Valour are
particularly dangerous from both these areas, this is a good chance for the Nine Stripes to demonstrate defensive improvement.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Valour FC: Viscosi; Fernandez, Romeo, Facchineri, Antonoglou; Ohin, Figueiredo; Twardek, Williams, Faria; Hundal
York United: Urtiaga; Singh, Sturing, León; Ferrazzo, Adekugbe, Yeates, Ferrari; Jimoh, Bitar, Altobelli
ALL-TIME SERIES
Valour FC wins: 9 || York United wins: 8 || Draws: 3
Last meeting:
Sept. 13, 2024 —York United 1-1 Valour FC
KEY QUOTES
"I think the desperation is for both teams...We know they're well-coached coached, well-worked. And just have to be aware of where
they could hurt and make sure we play our game knowing that we need to be good on the ball. We need to be aggressive in the way
we attack, the way we attack the spaces, the way we try to hit them in the spaces they give, not allowing them to get set in that
line of five, and where they could be difficult to break and take our chances."-- Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos
"We understand that we need to change things, and kind of change the tide, and change the narrative for our season."-- Valour FC
defender Gianfranco Facchineri
"What I've talked to the team about a lot, it's on the mental side. We have to have that maturity, that understanding that
it's not just 90 minutes. It's going to go 95, 96, 97 and we have to make sure to close down shop. I've said this before,
and the players are aware. We want to win every game, but if at the 85th minute, at the 90th minutes, we have a tie away,
we've got to grab that point and come back home with it." -- York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio
"I think you've seen in stretches and moments what this team can be. It's now our job as a group to work on consistency and trying
to turn 45 to 60 minute performances into a 90 minute performance." -- York United midfielder Elijah Adekugbe
back to 2025 York United FC menu
.
.