With the Canadian Premier League’s 2023 season just past its midway point, the faculty at CanPL.ca have decided to evaluate each club’s first half of the campaign. All four panelists have assigned a letter grade to every side for their body of work so far, with some advice and areas for improvement for the remaining half of the year as well. To see report cards for other clubs, click here.
York United FC
Record so far: 6W, 3D, 7L (21 points)
First half summary:
Mitchell Tierney: There is no doubt that the Nine Stripes are in a better place than they were at this point last season, where they struggled with both health and goalscoring. But despite sitting in a playoff spot, there are some sizeable concerns about York. Namely, they have the worst home record in the league with just eight points from eight home matches. The Nine Stripes have also accumulated only 345 of their required 2,000 U-21 Canadian minutes, after leading that statistic by a significant margin last season.
GRADE: B-
Benedict Rhodes: Despite a lack of production from their strikers, York United have shown signs of becoming a very strong team. They have been defensively sound and good in net, apart from a couple of blowout defeats, and their midfield is up there with the best in the CPL. There is a lot of room to grow, however, with more goals a must if they are going to compete with the best teams in the league. York have been very poor in the U-21 minute department as well, leaving themselves a lot of catching up to do while simultaneously trying to keep themselves in the race for the playoffs. It will take some balancing from Martin Nash to accomplish both, but if they are to have a shot at their first-ever trophy, it is something they will have to do.
GRADE: B-
Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic: It’s been a topsy-turvy season for York, who have certainly been a fun team to watch this year, thanks to their win-or-bust approach. That’s reflected in their record – they sit second in the league in wins, and second-last in losses, and have a league-low three draws. As a result, thanks to an uptick in draws across the league this year, that’s allowed York to sit in a playoff spot, and have even pushed as high as second when they found form. Considering that they’ve dealt with a lot of injuries, they’ll take that, showing the growth they’ve made since last year.
GRADE: B
Charlie O’Connor-Clarke: The fact that Osaze De Rosario has scored just twice this year, and Brian Wright not at all, is a major surprise and a concern for York given both players’ talent and goalscoring record last year. Martin Nash has had to chop and change his lineup a lot this year thanks to various injuries and suspensions, but workhorse players like Paris Gee and Brem Soumaoro have stepped up admirably. York have had some memorable moments this year — their win at Forge, or the home triumph versus Atleti — but haven’t put the ball in the net consistently enough. Still, they’re in a playoff spot at the halfway mark and that’s good news.
GRADE: C+
Second half outlook:
Mitchell Tierney: A significant part of the second half of the Nine Stripes season will come down to the performance of whoever steps into the lineup to make up their U-21 Canadian minutes. They also need much more from their strikers, as 2022 Golden Boot runner-up Osaze De Rosario has scored just twice this season, while Brian Wright has been held scoreless. It is worth noting that four of their final five matches of the season come at home, which could be the difference between making the playoffs and not.
Benedict Rhodes: The Nine Stripes desperately need their strikers to start producing, because the lack of production from them has been one of the glaring issues on a team with the potential to make a deep playoff run and potentially win the North Star Shield. A lack of U-21 minutes will potentially force Martin Nash to deviate from what could be his best starting eleven, and the entire squad will need to be at their best to keep the team in the playoffs and on an upwards trajectory.
Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic: York have played well, but two things have been a worry for them: lack of goals from their strikers, Osaze De Rosario (two goals) and Brian Wright (zero goals), and their overall defensive play. The former should correct itself, given that the pair continue to rack up big chances and xG, so the big goal will be to tidy up the latter, as they’ve conceded the second-most goals in the league. The good news is that injuries have played a role in that, and they’re finally starting to get healthy at the back, so they’ll hope that can push them back on the right track. Therefore, look for them to try and find the same magic they had in 2022, where they nearly made a surprise late push into the playoffs, especially given that they’re in a much better position now than they were at this stage of last year’s campaign.
Charlie O’Connor-Clarke: The U-21 minutes will be something to watch down the stretch, but other than that necessary rotation we may see Martin Nash start to hone in on his best starting XI. He’s had tough lineup choices to make, especially in attack, but at this point in the season he needs his high-profile players — De Rosario and Mo Babouli in particular — to be difference-makers if York are to make the playoffs.