Saturday will be a unique matchday for both York United and the Halifax Wanderers.
Playing in a stadium that neither calls their own, in a province that neither calls home, the two sides will contest the 2025 edition of the CPL On Tour series in Québec City (7 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. AT / 4 p.m. PT on OneSoccer). Both sides will need to adjust to playing in an unfamiliar environment, and the occasion, in search of a vital three points in their season.
One player stepping onto the pitch at Stade Telus-Université Laval, however, will have a solid frame of reference for this experience. York United attacker Gabriel Bitar was a member of Vancouver FC last season when they played in the inaugural edition of the league's On Tour series against Cavalry FC in Kelowna, B.C.
In doing so, Bitar has seen how special these experiences are, and is looking forward to participating in another showcase game for the league, this time in Québec City.
"It's kind of cool to play in a different city, in a different environment," Bitar told CanPL.ca. "Kelowna was a great, great turnout. I mean, we had a lot of fans. The city was really for it, and the CPL does a great job of just showcasing what having a team in certain towns could look like.
"I think this is great for the league. It shows that we're growing each and every year. It should be another good turnout in Québec."
He thinks the capital city of the province of Québec is the perfect spot for one of these matches, a fervent footballing city in an area that has long been a hotbed of talent for the sport in this country.
"Québec is a very passionate city about football," said Bitar. "They've been wanting a team, a CPL team especially, for quite some time now. So it'll be very exciting to see how it turns out and how the fans really appreciate the game. But I think it'll be a great event."
Bitar has seen that passion firsthand, having played for the Ottawa Fury FC Academy in PLSQ between 2015 and 2016. He travelled across the province playing against its best players at the time. It has become abundantly clear over the past few years just how much talent exists in the province, displayed everywhere from the national teams to domestic clubs.
"There's a lot of great players and some great talent from Québec, you're seeing it in the CPL," said Bitar. "There's a lot of great players that are coming from Québec... hopefully this game will kind of spark something and really bring out the best of these players."
PLSQ, now Ligue1 Québec, didn't have a team in Québec City at that time, so Bitar has never played in the city before. But he has visited before on family vacations, and is really looking forward to returning.
"It kind of gives a European vibe, which is strange because you're in Canada, you don't expect to see stuff like that," said Bitar. "It's a beautiful city. It's got everything. It's got beautiful nature, it's got great places to sit and relax, it's got lakes, it's got everything. So it's definitely going to be a nice place to be."
But make no mistake, this is a business trip for Bitar and his York United team. They take on a Halifax Wanderers side who are top of the CPL table, looking to make history as the first club to win an Our Tour match.
Last year's game between Vancouver FC and Cavalry FC in Kelowna ended in a 0-0 draw. But given the attacking identity both Halifax and York possess, there's a very good chance that Saturday's match ends differently.
"It's always fun playing against another team that has a good offence, and that's scoring a lot of goals," said Bitar. "It'll be exciting for sure. I mean, they're a great team. They're in a good form, and we're kind of trying to find our way, and we believe in who we are, and I think we can get a great result."
Having moved to the Nine Stripes in January from Vancouver FC, Bitar has hit the ground running with the new club -- with three goals in eight matches.
Bitar's first goal of the season came in the club's home opener against the Wanderers to open the scoring. However, despite dominating the first half, York allowed Halifax back into the game and lost 2-1.
On Saturday, revenge is on the menu. But having experienced a CPL on Tour match before, Bitar wants to make sure his teammates enjoy every aspect of the game, from getting to travel to a new city, to the big game crowd and environment expected in Québec City.
Once the whistle blows to signal the start of the match, however, it becomes another important regular-season match with valuable points up for grabs.
"It'll definitely be something cool, and we should definitely, as players, take it in, because it's the first time that [a game in Québec is] happening in the CPL," said Bitar. "So, I mean take it in before the game, take it in after the game, but during the game, we'll all be locked in to try and get the three points."
