The Story
York United — 5th place, 38 points
Record (W-D-L): 10-8-10
Goals For/Against: 43/38
Top Scorer: Julian Altobelli (10)
Assists Leader: Max Ferrari (5)
For a third consecutive year, York United have reached the playoffs. They finished one point, and one position, lower than they did in 2024 -- missing out on a home playoff match. Under head coach Mauro Eustáquio, in his first season after serving as an assistant with the club since 2022, they played an exciting brand of attacking football all year that resulted in a club record 43 goals this season. The addition of Julian Altobelli played a big role in this, as he led the team with 10 goals. With Adonijah Reid, Gabriel Bitar, Massimo Ferrin, Shaan Hundal and Leonel López also joining the mix this year, the Nine Stripes have a number of attacking weapons, capable of starting games or coming off the bench.
In the end, however, a big reason the Nine Stripes come into the playoffs as the bottom seed was their peformance against the rest of the top five. They won just three matches against playoff teams this year, with a 3-6-7 record against the four teams ahead of them. Only two games all season were lost by more than a goal, but they will need to grind out wins in the playoffs if this season is truly to be considered a success.
The Stats
43 goals scored
York United set a club record for goals this season, scoring 43. They also scored in 23 of their 27 matches this season, with only Forge FC finding the back of the net in more different matches. That should serve them well this time of year, where goals are at a premium and each one is significant.
Just two losses by more than a goal
One thing to note about this York United team, they were in almost every game this season. With the exception of a 4-0 loss to the Halifax Wanderers on Sept. 1 and a 3-0 loss to Forge on the final day of the season, the other 26 matches York played this season were either losses by a single goal, draws, or victories. This experience in close matches is an asset to their playoff aspirations.
87 Yellow Cards
In what has been a story all season, the Nine Stripes finished with 87 yellow cards for a second consecutive year — which is the most a club has ever been shown in a CPL season. Only Valour had more fouls conceded than their 383, although York also led the league with 396 fouls suffered. This, in part, was a byproduct of the compete which the team showed all over the pitch, but also that their emotions can get the better of them at times. Still, it is worth noting that they only had one sending off all season, so they did a good job of not crossing that costly line.
The Stars
Frank Sturing, Defender
The Canadian international defender has been one of the CPL's best when fit and available this season. Playing in just 19 matches, he made six appearances in the league's Gatorade Team of the Week, and was a big part of why the Nine Stripes finished the season with a club record nine clean sheets. With great ability on the ball and defensive instincts, Sturing made several key defensive interventions throughout the season.
Kembo Kibato, Midfielder
The 25-year-old was the heartbeat of York's midfield this season, appearing in all 28 of their matches this season, starting 24. Excellent on both sides of the ball, he finished tied for seventh in the league in duels won with 134, winning 58.5 per cent. He also completed 89.4 per cent of his passes and plays a crucial role in keeping York in possession, and setting the tempo in the centre of the park for the Nine Stripes.
Julian Altobelli, Forward
With 10 goals, and three assists, in his debut CPL season, there are few attackers in the league as lethal in front of goal as Altobelli. The striker's form did dip over the second half of the season, especially as he struggled with injuries, and he scored just twice in York's final 14 matches of the year. But there is no question that he is York's most dangerous finisher, and if given the chance in the playoffs, he could be their difference maker.
The Soundbites
“This club is growing, we are growing on the field and off the field. With that growing comes a lot of growing pains...but what we're doing on the field has been exciting. We're still the second youngest team in the league, we're getting the results that we're getting, we're competing to break club records." — York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio
"We're not afraid of anybody. For us, now we're the underdogs. Nobody believes in us, so we'll take that and we'll do what we have to do with it. But you're not going to want to play us in playoffs, I can guarantee that." — York United captain Elijah Adekugbe
The Scenario
York United came into the playoffs in the unenviable fifth position, knowing that they will spend their entire postseason on the road. But they quickly showed they are up for the fight, opening the playoffs by coming from behind twice in Halifax before defeating the Wanderers on penalties in the knockout match. They now head out west to Calgary for the semifinal qualifier. The contender semifinal and CPL Final would both be played in Ontario against Forge FC and Atlético Ottawa, but those are also the two teams in the league that York did not defeat this season.
The road has not been particularly kind to York this campaign, as they won just three away matches during the regular season, and scored 15 goals — the second fewest in the league by a road team. Still, York have shown plenty of character and compete this season and can cause anyone in the league problems on their day. York go into the playoffs with minimal pressure, and all the attributes to play big-time spoiler.
