June 22, 2022...Preview: Nine Stripes Stand on the Cusp of Immortality as Canadian Championship Semi-Final Takes Centre Stage (from York United FC website)

June 22, 2022...Preview: Nine Stripes Stand on the Cusp of Immortality as Canadian Championship Semi-Final
Takes Centre Stage (from York United FC website)

PREVIEW: NINE STRIPES STAND ON THE CUSP OF IMMORTALITY AS CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL
TAKES CENTRE STAGE

Martin Nash's side take on MLS heavyweights Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place tonight.

If you have nothing to lose, then you’ve got everything to win. York United can draw inspiration
from this mantra when they meet MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps tonight in the semi-final
of the 2022 Canadian Championship.

For Head Coach Martin Nash, this will be his third return to BC Place, where he spent the bulk
of his professional playing career as a midfielder, and the objective is simple; hunt down his
former employers and reach a historic final in the coveted Voyageurs Cup.

Despite his side’s six-match winless run, The Gaffer says it will be at their opponents’ peril
to write them off.

"It's going to be a tough game. I expect them to have a lot of the ball and we're gonna have
to work hard and stay organized and pick and choose our moments," Nash disclosed at Tuesday's
pre-match conference.

"It’s not gonna be an easy task but I've got a bunch of players in this group that just give
you everything and when a team works as hard as we do then you've always got a chance."

The Gaffer will welcome back midfielder Cedric Toussaint, who is serving a three-match ban
in the league. Noah Verhoeven made a cameo in last week’s 0-0 draw at home with Pacific FC
and should be fit to give the team some more minutes after recovering from injury.

Nash did receive another injury blow in that game when attacking midfielder Sebastian Gutierrez
limped off and it remains to be seen if the Colombian is fit for tonight's assignment.

The goals have dried up for The Nine Stripes in their last four games despite creating
decent chances.

Against Pacific, Max Ferrari, Lisandro Cabrera and Diyaeddine Abzi all had excellent
opportunities, while Niko Giantsopoulos had to make just one comfortable save the entire
duration. With 66% of ball possession, York were clearly in the driving seat and were never
in trouble.

"We’re not flowing as much as we'd like and some of that is a little bit of tired legs,
some of it is guys playing out of position. But, to be fair with this group, they're all doing
exactly what I asked of them and working really hard. The guys are frustrated, but they’re
battling through. They’ve got a great mentality, this group; I think once we score one,
the floodgates could open and just give us that little bit of confidence.”

When asked how his side was going to overcome that against the Caps, Nash said:

"We'll see. When you're not scoring a lot of goals in the run of play, you always like to chip
in with set pieces and we've been really close from corners and free-kicks in recent games.
So it'd be nice to get a set piece goal. We have been [doing] a lot lately just to be sharper
in the final third. I think it's just time that someone steps up and puts them in the net."

In their last two previous games in the competitions, York United were successful in penalty
shootouts after tying in regulation time at Atletico Ottawa and Pacific FC.

On both occasions, goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos was the hero but his preference is to avoid
another similar situation.

‘‘I'd like to win it in regular time but if it has to go to kicks, we've been pretty successful
taking penalties this year and especially in this cup so it'll be an exciting moment.
But if I have it my way, we'd win after 90 minutes,’’ said the shot-stopper who joined
Whitecaps last month in an emergency one-match loan deal.

OPPONENT WATCH:

Whitecaps have won seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions and that includes
last Saturday’s 2-0 win at FC Dallas in the MLS.

Vanni Sartini’s side are tied on points with Seattle Sounders FC in seventh place
in the Western Conference standings.

They progressed to the last four of the competition after a penalty shootout victory over
another CPL side Calvary FC at Spruce Meadows.

Striker Tosaint Ricketts won two Canadian Championships during his stint with Toronto FC.

Ridwan Ibrahim Asante

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