July 13, 2022...Aussie Rules: After an Eye-Catching CPL Debut, Mourdoukoutas Leads For the Back (from York United FC website)

AUSSIE RULES: AFTER AN EYE-CATCHING CPL DEBUT, MOURDOUKOUTAS LEADS FROM THE BACK

The new recruit looked very comfortable on his first ever appearance for The Nine Stripes last Friday.

Tass Mourdoukoutas believes the second-half of the Canadian Premier League season will bring about
a different version of York United.

Having sat in second place after five games, a frustrating run of form has seen The Nine Stripes
fall to seventh in the table and they head into their home clash with reigning champions Pacific FC
at York Lions Stadium on Friday night having lost their last three league fixtures.

But the new recruit, who made an impressive debut for the club in last Friday's 0-2 derby defeat
to Forge FC, believes the team's recent results isn't a true reflection of their capabilities.

Speaking to Eoin O'Callaghan in the latest episode of official club podcast Added Time: The York
United Show, Mourdoukoutas pointed to the impact of losing several experienced players to injury
for prolonged periods. Martin Graiciar, Austin Ricci and William Wallace have all been ruled out
for the season while Oliver Minatel and Sebastian Gutierrez remain absent. Michael Petrasso,
named on the bench against Forge, is slowly recovering but has made just two appearances
in the entire campaign. Captain Roger Thompson has been missing for a large chunk of time too while
both Mateo Hernandez and Cedric Toussaint have served lengthy suspensions. Meanwhile, Lowell Wright
has been away with the Canada Under-20 squad on two different occasions and the club has also seen
two players - talisman Diyaeddine Abzi and defender Daniel Obbekjaer - transferred to Europe.

At the midway point of the 2022 campaign, the club has been forced to press the reset button and call
in reinforcements. Mourdoukoutas and Canadian winger Ronan Kratt both arrived a number of weeks ago
while another Aussie - Luis Lawrie-Lattanzio - was signed last week. Kevin Dos Santos, another
attacking player who spent last season with English side Darlington FC in the National League North,
has also been formally announced by the club and there might be some more transfer business
on the horizon too.

Mourdoukoutas feels the timing is perfect and the new faces - along with the return of key players
from injury - will inevitably lead the team to a reversal of fortunes.

"We've had a torrid run with injuries but as more players come in then realistically it should create
a bit of a buzz and it should be exciting," he says.

"It's gonna add more competition as players come back and it will help the team and give everyone
a new lease of life. It's been good to get the group back and have a full week of training under
our belts. We want to get out of this slump. We want to win things."

"I was still travelling to Toronto when I managed to watch the Canadian Championship game against
Vancouver Whitecaps and I saw a lot of good potential and a lot of quality performances all around
the park. So, it's about shifting from, 'Oh, it's just another league game.' We've got to think
of [the next game] as another semi-final or final. Because it doesn't matter who you're playing
at the weekend, you've all got to put good performances in and have the right mentality. If everyone
is at a 4 or 5 then it's almost impossible in this league because things are so tight. If everyone
is doing their job and helping one another out then that's our best chance. It doesn't mean the whole
team has to play exceptionally well but it's about backing up your team-mate when he's perhaps
not having a good game. Maybe instead of saying, 'Hey, that's not good enough' it's about a shift
in mentality where we're gonna back him and lift him up and do well for him. So, it's about bringing
back that team unity that I know the group has."

FOOTNOTES
Tune into Added Time: The York United Show every Wednesday at 7pm on Sauga960AM or subscribe
to the podcast (released every Thursday) in the usual places.

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