2023 CPL Playoffs — 4th vs. 5th match
Pacific FC vs. York United
October 11, 2023 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET
Starlight Stadium in Langford, BC
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here
The 2023 Canadian Premier League playoffs kick off in Langford, B.C. on Wednesday night with a historic first — a 4th vs. 5th match as part of the league’s new playoff format. Pacific and York United, who will contest the first-ever play-in round, meet after two very different seasons. The Tridents have largely had a fall from grace after starting the year incredibly well, sitting in first place in mid-August before dropping to fourth in the table to finish the season, with just two wins in their last ten matches. York, meanwhile, clawed back above the line during the last two weeks of the season and go into the playoffs on the back of two straight victories. They will be looking to bring that sort of do-or-die mentality into the postseason with designs to go on a Cinderella playoff run. “I think we’re in a confident moment right now,” said York United head coach Martin Nash. “We’re coming across a very good team that on their day can be one of the best teams in the league so we’ve got to be aware of that. We’re probably going to have to weather a storm at the start of the game because they’re going to come out flying. It’s important to be tight at the start and be aware that things might not be in our favour right away and we’ve got to work our way into the game. It’s a cup match, and everything down the stretch has been a cup match just to get here so, I think we’re in a good place, just have to go out and give it our best.” York officially clinched their spot with a 2-1 win over Vancouver FC in their final match of the season. Thanks to Halifax winning earlier that day against Valour, and Pacific falling 3-0 to Cavalry the next day, they didn’t have to travel far for Wednesday’s playoff opener after wisely staying in BC to see how the final standings would shake out. The Nine Stripes come into the match having collected the most road points in the entire league this past season, 24, and were tied with Forge FC for most victories away from home in 2023 with seven. Their previous club record for road points was 17, collected in 2021 the only other season in which they have qualified for the playoffs.
On Wednesday, they face a Pacific side that has uncharacteristically struggled this year at Starlight Stadium, which has traditionally been a fortress over the course of the club’s history. The just five wins and 19 points they put up at home this season were record lows for the Tridents. As were the 16 goals they scored in 14 home matches, with only Valour and York having scored fewer. Their lack of form has been especially poor of late as the Tridents have won just once in their last seven home matches. “We were frustrated with the way that our season ended, so we can use that in a positive way, we can use this in a way to motivate ourselves for this match, and we know the journey, we’ve made it difficult on ourselves, but this is where we are and we need to take the opportunity that we have,” said Pacific FC head coach James Merriman. The all-time series between the two sides is completely tied, with both teams winning six each, to go with six draws. This year’s season series, however, went decidedly the way of the Tridents who won three of the four meetings, with the other being a 0-0 draw. Pacific is the only side that York did not beat this season. Pacific’s Sean Young, in particular, has been excellent against York this season with two goals, both match-winners and two assists against the Nine Stripes this season. Slowing down Young and the Pacific midfield has been a real struggle for York this season.
The most recent meeting between the two sides was a dominant 4-1 victory for Pacific at York Lions Stadium on September 17. After that match, York head coach Martin Nash expressed that his side had lacked the minimum effort to win the match. His side seemed to respond to that challenge, however, putting in a tough fight against regular season champs Cavalry FC before winning their next two matches to book a spot in the playoffs. York has made just one previous CPL playoff appearance, reaching the 2021 semifinals and losing 3-1 to Forge FC. Pacific, meanwhile, went on to win the CPL title that year, the only club other than the aforementioned Forge to do so. York United will be without Austin Ricci, who was sent off from the bench in their season finale against Vancouver FC. Brem Soumaoro and Johnny Grant were both called up for their respective national teams, but Nash confirmed they will be available for this match. On the Pacific end, Merriman said that his group is fully fit and available for this crucial match.
All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
- Pacific FC looking to quickly shift mentality and focus after a tough end to the season: Pacific FC’s 2023 regular season was punctuated by a pretty awful trip to Calgary. Not only did they lose the match 3-0 and drop to fourth, when a win could have secured them second place, they saw Cavalry lift the CPL Shield that they so desperately wanted to win on the pitch after the match. After returning home to the Island on Saturday night, however, the group has been clear in their need to shift their mentality and understand that any further slip-ups would mean the true end of their 2023 season. “We said it the next day after our last match, that we need to shift our focus, we need to shift our mindset, we need to understand what it is to be in a playoff match, especially at home,” said Merriman. Whether or not they can get their mentality right and find some positive momentum could make or break a potential postseason run. * **Can York United learn from lopsided regular season losses: **In Pacific FC’s favour going into Wednesday’s match is the fact that arguably two of their best performances this season have come against York United. On May 14 at Starlight Stadium, and then again on September 17, the Tridents put in dominant 4-1 performances complete with brilliant team goals and dynamic attacking football. While the slate is clean heading into the 2023 playoffs, York know they need to learn from those matches if they hope to achieve a different result on Wednesday. First and foremost, he says, his team need to match the energy that Pacific brings, and make sure they are allowed to just get on the ball and play in the way they do when they are at their very best. Less than a month after the most recent lopsided loss, he believes his group will show a different side of themselves on Wednesday. “I think they are going to see a different team than they saw that night,” said Nash. “We’ve played them well twice this season for me and twice we didn’t play them well so I’m hoping that we’ve learnt from our mistakes, we are going to show them some of it and be better prepared.” * **Osaze De Rosario rounding into form at the right time: **After a 2022 season in which he scored 12 goals and finished second in the league’s Golden Boot race, De Rosario had a comparably disappointing 2023 finishing with half that many goals, just six. When York needed him most in their season finale, however, De Rosario stepped up to deliver a brace that clinched the Nine Stripes just their second-ever playoff appearance. It is worth also noting that De Rosario has been especially lethal against Pacific FC in his career, with his four goals being the most any player has managed during the all-time head-to-head series. If the 22-year-old can find momentum and confidence from that performance, he could be a real game-changer for a York side who have scored the fewest goals (35) of any playoff team this season. “He did really well in the game, he was in the right areas which we’ve got to keep reaching with him and hopefully it just gives the lad the confidence,” said Nash.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Pacific FC (4-3-3): Gazdov; Mukumbilwa, Meilleur-Giguère, Didić, Dada-Luke; Toussaint, Aparicio, Young; Sellouf, Heard, Daniels
**York United (4-2-3-1): **Giantsopoulos; Gee, Thompson, Mourdoukoutas, Ferrari; Gagnon-Laparé, Soumaoro; Santos, Babouli, Bayiha; De Rosario
ALL-TIME SERIES
Pacific FC wins: 6 || York United wins: 6 || Draws: 6
Last meeting:
September 17, 2023 –York United 1-4 Pacific FC
PLAYOFF HISTORY
First postseason meeting between the two sides.
KEY QUOTES
“You can never stop, these games will go right down to the final whistle. The football can be played in different ways. We need to expect everything, we need to prepare for everything and we need to lean on our experienced players, we need to lean on them on the field. Guys like Manu [Aparicio], TMG, Josh Heard, these players that have experienced these playoff games, Concacaf games, it’s not the same. It’s not the same type of football and the most important part is the mentality.” — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman “None of us were really hoping or expecting to play [this match] especially given the way the season was going early on. We didn’t think we would be in this situation, but I think it’s a good opportunity. A good opportunity to see what we’re made of and how we can pull through together as a team.” — Pacific FC midfielder Manny Aparicio “It’s not going to be easy. We have not done great attacking against them, we know that. So we’ve been looking at ways to break them down and create more chances. That will be key, to create more chances, because we know obviously we need to score. Neither team wants this to go to extra time especially with the travel trip for the winner afterwards. Both teams will come out flying and try to get the business done in 90 minutes. ” — York United head coach Martin Nash