Match in a minute or less
York strengthened their hold on fifth place in the Canadian Premier League table, as they beat Pacific 3-1 at Starlight Stadium on Saturday.
After Pacific opened the scoring through an Aly Ndom rocket in the 20th minute, York came alive in the second half, as Luca Accettola responded with a great goal of his own in the 53rd minute, before Riley Ferrazzo scored from close range to put his team up 2-1 in the 60th minute.
From there, Orlando Botello put a bow on the game in the 70th minute, scoring with a perfect shot from distance to put his team up 3-1, a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way en route to victory.
Three Observations
York shows good resilience in rare comeback win:
For all of the struggles that York have had in 2025 with holding onto leads, something that has plagued them all year long, they haven't fared much better in games where they've trailed, either.
Because of that, it was likely quite worrying for them to go down as early as they did in this game, as they'd failed to win their last nine matches when conceding first, with their last comeback victory coming in July of 2024.
Faced off against a Pacific side that is usually quite solid when defending a lead, it was going to be tough for York to get back into this game. Certainly, the last 25 minutes of the first half showed that, as just one of their six shots in that span registered at over 0.1 xG - Julian Altobelli's 0.12 xG attempt from open play in the 35th minute.
Despite that, it didn't deter York, who will be happy with how they peppered Pacific's goal, even if they weren't turning those chances into much quality. They were getting to the right areas of the pitch, but just needed to slow things down on the ball and make the right plays.
Because of that, head coach Mauro Eustáquio had a simple message at half time: just be yourselves. Having felt that his team were perhaps a bit too overeager, he told them to stick to their team's game model and to express themselves a bit more individually on the ball.
Certainly, the message came across, as his team scored two incredible goals and were otherwise utterly dominant in the second half. Just look at the second half stats - they had 1.54 xG to Pacific's 0.22, outshooting their hosts 9-4, doing so despite holding just 46.9% of possession.
That shows what they did well, however, as they sat back in a disciplined, organized shape, and then broke forward in numbers every time they won the ball back, doing a great job of overwhelming Pacific's defenders with the overloads they were creating.
Because of that, while the goals might've seemed to be more borne of moments of individual brilliance, they were facilitated by team play, as they did a great job of creating the space required to score those goals, thanks to selfless runs.
Yet, this has been building for York, who are now on a bit of a roll in CPL play, with nine points from their last four games. Having found a bit of a strong defensive formula in those games, in which they've conceded just three goals after conceding 13 times in their first seven matches of the season, they seem to have found the right formula on both sides of the ball, which helped set up this comeback win, one they'll relish given that it also came on the road.
Pacific's woes continue after second half capitulation:
For 45 minutes, Pacific had to be quite pleased with how things were trending.
Having entered this game riding a streak of four games without a goal, they'd done well to bust that slump in style in the first half, as Ndom scored a banger of a goal, one that felt like it could turn Pacific's momentum offensively. After a strong first half, in which they had several good looks at goal, they were poised to get something out of this game, after taking a 1-0 lead into half, just the third time they'd grabbed a lead in a game this year.
Instead, that momentum seemed to evaporate in the blink of an eye in the second half, as Pacific were left powerless in the wake of York's surge.
Yet, that speaks to Pacific's confidence right now, which continues to be a big factor behind their woes this season. This side knows that the eight points they've taken from their first 11 games of the CPL season aren't a fair reflection of their quality, but they continue to struggle to find consistency in their overall game, leading to frustrating results.
For the most part, the offence has been the big focus, and for good reason - that's to be expected for a team that has scored just eight times in 11 games this year. At the same time, the defence, which was a strength of this team in 2024, has also slipped, with these three goals conceded vs. York pushing Pacific to a league-high 19 goals against in 2025 (as of writing).
Given the frustrating nature of the goals they conceded, which came in a 25-minute sequence, Pacific will not look back on this game fondly, as they squandered a chance to pick up three huge points. Instead, they now sit five points behind York, who grabbed a bit of a foothold on the fifth and final playoff spot with this win, doing well to capitalize on Pacific's five-game winless run.
Now, the biggest challenge will remain finding a way out of this rut. When a team is short on confidence, it can be very hard to find it in large supply, as it doesn't take a lot for a team that isn't feeling good about itself to wilt, even when they seem to build a bit of momentum.
This game is a prime example of that, as Pacific scored a goal that could've very well lifted their spirits and powered them to an important victory, but that confidence quickly evaporated once York's first goal went in, as the wheels came off from there.
That'll frustrate Pacific, as they'll know that they could've still very much gotten something out of this game at 1-1, but that goal completely shook them, and that led to the lopsided final result in the end.
York flexes attacking depth in much-needed goal outburst:
To York's credit, they've been quite good offensively in 2025, scoring in every game they've played in.
Thanks to a flexible, high-flying attacking system, one that asks York's players to fly forward in numbers, attacking the box at every opportunity, they've done a great job of turning offensive pressure into goals. In particular, this offensive system has seemed to fit the play of striker Julian Altobelli, who is tied for the league lead in goals with seven (and has nine goals in all competitions), as his team's high-flying ways have powered him to an incredible start to 2025.
Despite that, however, York knows that their attack runs a lot deeper than Altobelli, as his strong start wouldn't be possible without the work they do to set him up.
Plus, as they reminded people of in this game, there are some very capable goal scorers elsewhere in the lineup, as on a day when Altobelli was held off the scoresheet, York won this game off the back of goals from both of their wing backs and a defensive midfielder, helping them score three goals in a game for the first time in CPL action in 2025.
In particular, Ferrazzo's goal stands out, even if it was the least spectacular of the three, as it was his third of the season, which is not a bad haul for a wing back to have through 11 matches of a season.
Yet, that shows the effects of York's high-flying offensive ways, as they employ a system where all players have the license to join the attack, and that pressure can allow for players like Ferrazzo to find a bit of offensive success from deeper positions.
Because of that, look for York to build off this offensive performance. They know that they won't be getting bangers like the one Accettola and Botello scored every week, as they'll have to rely on more goals like the one Ferrazzo found, but they won't mind as long as they keep flowing, as it'll mean that they're continuing to get to the right areas of the pitch.
Having found a bit of defensive success lately, too, they'll be pleased that it hasn't come at the cost of their attack - and they'll want to keep it that way going forward, both from Altobelli and the rest of his teammates.
What They Said
"Fair play to the players, we've been travelling all week, so we kind of knew that the legs were kind of heavy and it was going to be a slow start, but in the first half, I still thought we controlled the game, we got a lot of opportunities in lateral areas, but our crosses weren't coming, and the type of cross that we were looking for wasn't there, so it was also about adjusting a little bit our offensive movements to create space for certain players. In the second half, those spaces were there, they executed, we shot, we created rebounds, and we scored. To get goals, you need to shoot, and the guys did that in the second half." -- York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio
"We're just finding ourselves as a whole; we haven't been able to fully close out these games, but I think our performances have been good, it's just been about that finishing touch, and I think it's all starting to click now." -- York United midfielder Luca Accettola
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Orlando Botello, York United
On top of the peach of a goal he scored, it was a good afternoon for the York left wing back, who completed 50 out of 59 passes (85%), including six out of nine long balls, creating seven chances, taking two shots and completing one dribble offensively, while also winning four out of six duels, completing three clearances, making one interception and adding one tackle defensively.
What’s next?
Pacific will be out on the road for their next match, as they travel to Calgary to take on Cavalry at ATCO Field on Saturday, June 21st (3:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. MT). Meanwhile, York United will return home for a derby match against Atlético Ottawa at York Lions Stadium on Sunday, June 22nd (1:00 p.m. ET).
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