May 20, 2022 Canadian Championship...Preview: Motivation Comes Easy as Nine Stripes Look to Bounce Back Against League Leaders (from York United FC website)

May 20, 2022 Canadian Championship...Preview: Motivation Comes Easy as Nine Stripes Look to Bounce Back Against League
Leaders (from York United FC website)

PREVIEW: MOTIVATION COMES EASY AS NINE STRIPES LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK AGAINST LEAGUE LEADERS

Martin Nash's side are seeking their first CPL away win of the season.

Last week's deserving-better defeat to Valour FC should spur on York United who are still on the road
and take in a trip to Langford to face defending league champions and current leaders Pacific FC
at Starlight Stadium later tonight.

It's a unique fixture, with the sides set to face each other at the same venue in the Canadian
Championship quarter-finals next Tuesday too.

For the pending league clash, The Nine Stripes are also on the hunt for their first away win
of the season.

Last week's late 1-0 defeat at IG Field to the Winnipeg-based side left the players frustrated
and the result Martin Nash's side slip to fifth in the table with a 2-2-2 record after six games.

They are now eight points behind James Merriman's outfit who are at 5-1-1 at the summit

The Gaffer acknowledges Pacific have home field advantage but says his troops will fight to the
bitter end for the points.

"They're a very good team and they're very good at home, they have a nice little ground,
it's a smaller pitch than most of the league - it might even be the smallest - and they play well
on it," said Nash.

"We're gonna have to be good, we're gonna have to get pressure on the ball, especially in our half,
and we have to be solid defensively because they're probably the most potent attacking team
in the league. So we've got to be at our best when we're in our own end, and I think it starts
with getting pressure on them higher up the pitch."

The mood is strong in the camp ahead of the opening act to a Starlight Stadium double-bill.

On current form, Pacific can be likened to Hydra, a Greek mythological monster with nine heads.
They've lost just twice in 14 matches at their home ground since last summer.

But the last time York United were at the venue, they needed a terrific 81st minute strike from
second-half substitute Lowell Wright to seal a come-from-behind 2-1 win. The points proved crucial
and eventually secured a playoff spot for the 2021 Championship.

Wright is still around and expected to be handed a starting berth as the 18-year-old has shown
improvement this season.

Ahead of this evening's fixture, he and Mamadou Kane were named in Canada's provisional 60-man squad
for the upcoming CONCACAF Men's Under-20 Championship to be played in Honduras in June.

Nash expects the call-up to have a positive impact on two of his many U21 stars who are destined
to be stormers in the league.

"I think it's great for both players because it that means they're in the eyes of the national
program," he added.

"For any young player that's what you want, right? To be part of your national setup? So, it's good.
We'll see if they get the opportunity to go to the tournament but it's great for the club, it's great
for them as players and it's great for the CPL in general so we're really delighted that they're
both included in the wider squad."

OPPONENT WATCH

Pacific will parade the league's leading scorer with five goals Alejandro Diaz. Also available
are Manny Aparacio and playmaker Marco Bustos.

Head Coach James Merriman has been boosted by the return of Thomas Meilleur-Giguere
and Matthew Baldisimo from the sick bay.

The towering Amer Didic in defence for the Tridents will pose some problems.

Ibrahim Ridwan Asante

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