Final Score: York United 1-0 Vancouver FC |
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Match in a minute or less
York United picked up their first victory since their season opener, once again defeating, and shutting out, Vancouver FC on Sunday afternoon at York Lions Stadium, this time by a 1-0 scoreline.
After a brace against Vancouver in their first meeting, Julian Altobelli was the hero again for York with his sixth of the season -- tying Atlético Ottawa's Samuel Salter for the Golden Boot lead.
York United held on for what was also their first home victory of the season, and ended a six-match winless streak heading into a big clash with top-of-the-table Halifax Wanderers next Saturday in the CPL on Tour match in Québec City.
Three Observations
Nine Stripes dig deep for vital home victory
Sunday was the kind of performance that had been all too elusive for York United this season: starting the match well and then crucially parlaying that into a solid performance over 90 minutes.
York United's inability to hold onto leads this season was well-documented coming into Sunday's match. Six times had they taken leads, just once had they held on.
Against Vancouver FC, they were finally able to do just that, taking the lead in the 29th minute through another goal from Julian Altobelli before showing good fight and spirit to hold on for just their second victory of the season -- and a much-needed one.
"To go through it again and get the job done, I think for our confidence that does wonders," said York United captain Elijah Adekugbe. "I think the way we won, we had to survive through those tough moments, but to do all that and come up with the victory, hopefully that gets a little momentum going forward."
The Nine Stripes have arguably had better performances this season, but failed to turned those into points. But crucially on Sunday, they limited their errors and didn't make anything particularly easy on the visitors -- especially in the defensive third.
Both team and staff also managed the game much better, recognizing that they needed to hold on late and bringing Luke Singh into the match to help shore things up defensively while not being overaggressive in chasing a second goal.
York were dealt one last significant challenge when 10 minutes of stoppage time were added at the end of the match. But they handled that adversity well too, including their wall holding strong on a dangerous free kick in the dying seconds to deny Vasco Fry.
The Nine Stripes have now scored first in six of eight matches this season, and if they can finally start to hold onto those leads consistently the way they did Sunday, there is a clear path to success for this team.
York United's experienced back three makes the difference at both ends of the pitch
Looking for some defensive solidity, York went back to the familiar, deploying a back three with plenty of experience, featuring Elijah Adekugbe, Frank Sturing and Oswaldo León.
Having returned from injury last match against Valour, Adekugbe's presence in the middle of the back three allowed the Nine Stripes to be solid in possession as he was key to building out of the back. Adekugbe, usually a deep-lying midfielder, who was wearing a mask due to an injury, joked that it was an ideal position for him because his visibility wasn't hampered as much with the game in front of him. The mask didn't seem to trouble him much in building out from the back, as he completed 64 of his 66 passes attempted.
Adekugbe was also outstanding defensively, stepping out of the back three on multiple occasions to cut out chances in the centre of the park. He won all four of his duels during the match.
The back three's ability to build out of the back was crucial, both in terms of relieving pressure, but also playing over top of the Vancouver FC press. This led to their lone goal of the match, with Oswaldo León recognizing the space and run in behind from Altobelli and finding him with a lovely ball.
The trio also, critically, dealt very well with the crosses that Vancouver FC played into the box, something which has been a particular struggle for York at the back lately. Diego Urtiaga deserves plenty of credit in this regard as well, with some brave and timely interventions. Vancouver attempted 23 crosses during the match, but only four of them played into the box found a Vancouver player, and none were redirected on target.
With their experience and execution, it was a vital performance from York United's back three, who look to have given this team some defensive solidity, and the confidence to see out matches. York looked as organized and composed defensively as they have been all season.
Vancouver FC's attacking execution lets them down during a strong second half
After a strong performance against Cavalry FC in the Canadian Championship midweek, Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi made just one forced change to his starting eleven -- replacing the suspended Kunle Dada-Luke.
But while he was hoping that would bring continuity to his group, it instead brought something of a lacklustre first half. Vancouver fell behind in the 29th minute and rarely threatened the York area.
In the second half, however, Ghotbi shuffled his deck a bit, bringing off Terran Campbell and replacing him with Juan Batista. He also shifted Elage Bah over to the right wing to provide more width on that side.
It nearly immediately made an impact, with Bah coming close just a minute after the half. From there, Vancouver FC dominated the second half from a possessional standpoint.
They consistently got the ball into good areas, finishing the match with 66 final third entries, 19 touches in the opposition box. But in those areas, a lack of execution let them down in a big way, with none of their ten shots going on target -- albiet one attempt from Batista hitting the crossbar.
In the end, Vancouver felt that this cagey match was always going to be decided by an error from one of the two teams. They feel that came in the 29th minute, when their central defenders got too separated and allowed Julian Altobelli to latch onto a ball over the top played out of the back by Oswaldo León.
Still, they didn't do enough on their part to put York under significant danger during the match, and when they did, they lacked the execution to be able to make them pay.
What They Said
“This week was all about personality. It's about showing that, giving the players the confidence and going out and executing and just being concentrated from minute one to minute...105 almost. It's something that I'm extremely proud of." -- York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio
“I think we created a lot of opportunities to equalize the game and win again, and you have to take your chances. And I think we had enough chances to equalize, and I feel that's something we struggled with all season to score goals.” — Vancouver FC Head Coach Afshin Ghotbi
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Elijah Adekugbe, York United
The York United captain's intensity throughout was vital to his team's strong performance. He was central to their build out of the back and had some vital interventions in one-v-one situations.
What’s next?
York United head to Québec City next for the 2025 CPL on Tour match against the Halifax Wanderers on Saturday, May, 31 (7 p.m. ET).
The Eagles, meanwhile, are back at home where they host Atlético Ottawa on Friday, May 30 (7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET).
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