September 2, 2022...Preview: Pacific FC vs. York United - 2022 Match #89 (ComeOn! Match of the Week) (from canpl.ca site)

PREVIEW: Pacific FC vs. York United — 2022 Match #89 (ComeOn! Match of the Week)
2022-09-02
by ALEXANDRE GANGUÉ-RUZIC, CANPL.CA CONTRIBUTOR (@ALEXGANGUERUZIC)
CANPL  MATCH PREVIEW
2022 CPL Regular Season — Match #89
Pacific FC vs. York United
September 3, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET
Starlight Stadium in Langford, British Columbia
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // 

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The race towards the playoffs continues to get tighter and tighter in the Canadian Premier League.

With just six points separating first and fifth place as of writing, and seven out of eight teams still 
alive in the playoff race, there is still a lot that needs to be decided as the final few weeks 
of this 2022 campaign really gets underway here. 

Therefore, as Pacific FC gets set to host York United at Starlight Stadium on Saturday, that is expected 
to be a game with big implications on both the race towards the top four, as well as the race towards 
first place, and for good reason. 

To begin, there are the hosts, Pacific, who after a heartbreaking end to their maiden CONCACAF League 
journey, are looking to once again refind their form in the CPL. 

Currently riding a two-game losing streak in CPL play, that has seen them slip to fourth 
in the standings, with Valour sitting just two points behind them after beating them 1-0 
in Winnipeg last weekend. 

Because of that, a win in this game would be huge for Pacific, as they look to cement their spot 
in the top four, allowing them to continue their defence of the ‘North Star Shield’, of which they 
remain holders. 

Meanwhile, with York United, it’s all about survival right now, as they try to keep their playoff hopes 
alive in any way possible. Currently able to max out at 41 points, a win would be huge for them, 
as a loss would set that number back to 38, a number that all of the current top four teams could 
either match or surpass this week. 

They wouldn’t be eliminated with a loss, though, but what that shows is that the margins are very fine 
for the club right now, making it important that they try and leave Vancouver Island with all three 
points in their back pocket. 

“Yeah, draws don’t really get us anywhere (right now),” York head coach, Martin Nash, said this week. 
“I want this group getting that mindset going forward, and into next year, that they can be on the front 
foot and trying to win games, so if we’re in a position where we need to take a risk, we’re more than 
willing to do so, so we’ll go for it.”

Which, given how tight matchups have typically been between these two teams this year, is a very 
realistic possibility, which should make for a good matchup between these two teams once again. 

As a result, there will be no shortage of incentives to chase a win for both sides on Saturday, making 
for a highly anticipated showdown at Starlight Stadium.

Make your match picks prior to kickoff at canpl.ca/predictor for a chance to win prizes, including 
the grand prize of a trip to the 2022 CPL Final! To learn more about ComeOn!, click here.

All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980. Tous les matchs 
de l’Atlético Ottawa sont aussi disponibles en français sur OneSoccer.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

Which version of this matchup will we get? In 2022, the Pacific versus York matchup has taken two forms 
– ultra chaotic, and ultra cagey. To begin, it was ultra cagey, resulting in a hard-fought 0-0 draw 
at Starlight Stadium back in May, before it turned chaotic in a Canadian Championship game just a few 
days later, in which York beat Pacific in a shootout after a wild 2-2 draw that featured some wild goals, 
lead changes and a late equalizer. Then, in a return to form, the next meeting was a 0-0 draw 
at York Lions Stadium in June, one where defence was the flavour of the day, before things broke open 
in their next meeting at the Stadium in July, where Pacific stormed back from down 1-0 and 2-1 
to win 4-2 off of the back of an Alejandro Díaz hat trick. Therefore, while this matchup has technically 
featured a combined 10 goals in four games across all competitions, those goals all came in two games, 
making for two very contrasting types of games. Now, the question is simple – what version of this 
matchup will we get this time around? Given the implications that this match could have on the playoff 
race, the neutrals will suggest chaos, and given that a draw doesn’t really benefit both teams, that 
could very well prove to be the flavour of the day in Langford. 

Pacific hoping strong home record gives boost: Speaking of Langford, Pacific will hope a long-awaited 
return home can really give them a big boost as they look to push back up the table. Having played 
at Starlight Stadium just twice in CPL play since the beginning of July, four of their last seven games 
are at home now, giving them a chance to make up for lost time in that regard. Which could be good news 
for their title push. Having won both of those recent home games, that now means that they’re just one 
win away from tying Cavalry for the best home record in the league, holding a game in hand over their 
Albertan foes. Considering all that they’ve gone through on the road, both in CPL and CONCACAF League 
action, that’d be a big boost, as they look to navigate this stretch of home games, before getting set 
for what they’ll hope to be another good playoff push. No better way to set that up than a couple 
of wins at home, which as things stand, is a very realistic possibility, provided that they take care 
of business in these games, starting with this match. 

York hoping defence can frustrate Pacific once again: Of those four previous matchups between Pacific 
and York in 2022, one thing stands out – those two clean sheets that York was able to pick up against 
Pacific, as other than the Halifax Wanderers, no other team has been able to pick up more than one 
shutout against Pacific this season. Yet, that’s a credit to York’s play in those matchups, as they 
gave up nothing to one of the more dangerous attacks in the league. Despite facing the likes of Díaz, 
Marco Bustos, Manny Aparicio, Josh Heard and Gianni Dos Santos, who have had fun against most teams 
in the league (and Díaz in that third York league meeting, to be fair), they haven’t really been able 
to replicate that success against York. Because of that, look for a big game for York’s defensive group. 
Led by Dominick Zator, Tass Mourdoukoutas and Chrisnovic N’Sa, who have been pillars of stability despite 
a whole host of absences around them, look for them to shock Pacific with another strong defensive 
performance, allowing them to build their lead in the all-time series against Pacific, while keeping 
their playoff hopes alive. “We’ve been solid defensive (as of late), even if we’ve been conceding 
a few more goals,” Nash said. “We’ve been solid defensively, and that’s allowed us to win a few games, 
and I think the group has a positive mindset right now, and is playing well.”

ALL-TIME SERIES
York United wins: 5 || Pacific wins: 3 || Draws: 5

Previous match:
July 15, 2022 — York United 2-4 Pacific FC

KEY QUOTES
“I think the guys are in a good mood, they’re in a good place, we know that it’s not going to be easy, 
no games in this league are easy, so we’re going to have to put in a performance, but we’ve got guys 
playing for positions right now, and it’s competitive in the group in training, and we’re seeing that 
in matches, which is great.” — York United head coach, Martin Nash.  

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