2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #109**
** Valour FC vs. Halifax Wanderers
** October 6, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. ET
** IG Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba**
** Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here
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Last weekend the Halifax Wanderers both booked a 2023 playoff spot and secured a first-ever home postseason match at the Wanderers Grounds. On Friday at IG Field, Halifax will now try to improve their position further in their final match of the 2023 CPL regular season. A victory, and results going their way elsewhere, could see them move up into third place and avoid the midweek opening round. There is even a chance, should Forge lose and Pacific drop points and they make up goal difference on the Hamilton side, that they could finish as high as second.
Their opponents on Friday, Valour, on the other hand, know where they will be finishing this season. Regardless of results this weekend they will conclude 2023 in last place as they cannot catch Vancouver FC in the first tiebreaker, which is total wins. They have not finished at the bottom of a table since the CPL’s Spring Season in 2019. Despite that, Valour have been playing quite well recently, causing some impactful upsets in the CPL playoff race. They will be keen to end what has been a trying season on a positive note on Friday night. “We want to end well,” said Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos, “It has been a tough spell for us at home and our fans deserve to be rewarded with a good performance, a good result. For some guys, we know it will be the last time that they have the time to showcase themselves in front of our fans.” Valour have won just once in their last six matches at home, losing the other five. York United’s win over Atlético Ottawa last weekend means that Valour now have the fewest points in the league at home this season. Both sides come into this match in similar form overall with two wins in their past five matches. Halifax, however, are coming off the high of beating Forge FC at home, while Valour fell in a close match against CPL Shield winners Cavalry this past Friday. Through three meetings this season, Halifax is the only team in the league that Valour has not scored against in 2023. The opening fixture between the two sides, in Winnipeg, was a 0-0 draw before 2-0 and 3-0 losses Valour suffered in Halifax. This goalless streak goes back even longer, as Valour has not scored against Halifax since July 10, 2022, a run of five matches. That match saw their only goal in the past two seasons scored against the Wanderers. Callum Watson will be available again for the Wanderers as his suspension has been served, but defender Zach Fernandez is still suspended for one more match. It is worth noting, however, that Jake Ruby was excellent in his place in last week’s clash with Forge, setting up Halifax’s opening goal. Dos Santos said that everyone is available for his side, with Abdou Samaké back in training while Kian Williams is also expected to return to the lineup.
All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
- **Halifax Wanderers still require U-21 minutes to be playoff eligible: **The biggest number for the Halifax Wanderers coming into this match will be 195, as in the remaining number of U-21 minutes that the club needs in order to officially qualify for the 2023 playoffs. There are a few different ways that the Wanderers could go about this, but should they start the only three U-21 eligible players who have appeared for them this season, Armaan Wilson, Tiago Coimbra and Tomas Giraldo, they would need each of those players to reach over 65 minutes of action. Or if two of them go for the full 90 minutes, a third would need to appear for just 15 minutes. The Wanderers have left it late, but it is certainly doable. “We need to finish off our U-21 minutes tomorrow night, I’m really excited that everything, knock on wood, has worked itself out,” said Halifax head coach Patrice Gheisar, “and surround them with the guys who have been critical in the season so far to keep them sharp and just be mindful that if we want to have the midweek game off we need to get a positive result.” * Importance of gaining confidence on the road ahead of the playoffs for Halifax: ****Regardless of where they end up finishing after the final weekend of the CPL season wraps up, Halifax knows that making a run in the 2023 playoff will require them to travel away from home at some point. In the best-case scenario, a second-place finish, there is just one road match that separates them from the final, but should they finish fourth, they would need to win twice on the road to even reach the final, which would also be away from home. With that in mind, gaining confidence away from home is critical for the only team in the league that has won just once on the road this season. It is also worth noting, however, that the Wanderers have also lost just four times away from home this season, tied with Cavalry, Pacific and York for the fewest in the league. “Getting into the playoffs and getting into the final stretch there is no more draws, we certainly don’t want to be looking at games going to penalties so for me we have learned what the exhausting travel is about, we have to prepare ourselves, we know what it is, everyone else has to do it, now let’s overcome it,” said Gheisar. * **Walter Ponce has been Valour’s biggest goal threat of late: **Having now scored in back-to-back matches, the 25-year-old Chilean will be looking to continue his strong finish to the 2023 season. Dos Santos, however, says that there could have easily been more from the attacker in 2023. Ponce is eighth in the CPL in expected goals this season with 5.88 (0.53 per 90), and tied for fourth in big chances missed with eight. “I think if he has four he could easily be a player that scored 10, because he gets so often due to the way he commits to plays, and gets into good positions, again it’s about finishing,” said Dos Santos. “It is good that he is getting goals, but that’s Walter, you see how he’s capable of getting the ball on his left foot and finishing the way he did in the last game and sometimes be inconsistent on the next touch right away.”
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Valour FC (4-3-3): **Yesli; Haynes, Samaké, Jean-Baptiste, Baquero; Polisi, Gutiérrez, Campbell; de Brienne, Williams, Ponce
**Halifax Wanderers (4-3-3): **Fillion; Ruby, Nimick, Loughrey, Timoteo; Callegari, Giraldo, Wilson; Ferrin, Daniels, Coimbra
ALL-TIME SERIES
Valour wins: 5 || Halifax Wanderers wins: 10 || Draws: 3
Previous match:
August 26, 2023 — Halifax Wanderers 3-0 Valour FC
KEY QUOTES
“We have to just let the guys go out there and enjoy their football. Enjoy a Friday night in our stadium, with our fans and I want them to play free, I want them to play with joy and not overthink. It hasn’t been a week where I’ve been heavy on what we need to be doing to obtain a result or stress too much certain aspects of the opposition. I think it’s about going out there and doing what they love most which is play the game and play football with joy.” — Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos “It just seems that Valour, the moment they were out of the playoffs, they’ve just become so dangerous. Valour almost had a result against Cavalry at Calgary, so this is not a game we can take lightly. You do not want a loss before the playoffs start.” — HFX Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar