2024 CPL Playoffs — 4th vs. 5th Match
York United vs. Pacific FC
October 23, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT
York Lions Stadium in Toronto, ON
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here
For the second consecutive season, the Canadian Premier League playoffs begin with a meeting between York United and Pacific FC in the league’s 4th vs. 5th place match.
This year, however, the roles are reversed as fourth-place York United will host their first-ever home playoff match on Wednesday — a historic moment for the club following their best-ever campaign during which they collected 39 points. While the Nine Stripes have taken clear strides on and off the pitch this season, a first-ever playoff victory would unquestionably take the club to new heights.
Home advantage will clearly be on York’s side, as only CPL Shield winners Forge collected more points at home than York United during the regular season, who set single-season club highs for home points (24) and wins (seven). They have not been quite so hot at York Lions Stadium of late, however, with just a single victory in their past six home matches.
2024 CPL PLAYOFF PREVIEWS: York United FC || Pacific FC
The Tridents had to fight until the final day of the season to secure a fifth straight postseason appearance, sneaking into the fifth and final playoff position. As such, the 2021 CPL champions will be on the road for the entirety of the 2024 playoffs and need to win four matches in 17 days to win a second CPL Final. Pacific have won just three times away from home in 2024.
They will still come into this match with plenty of confidence, however, owing to a strong recent and past history against the Nine Stripes.
Pacific defeated York 1-0 in the 4th vs. 5th match last year, courtesy of a stoppage-time winner from Adonijah Reid. They also came from behind to beat the Nine Stripes 2-1 in the most recent meeting between the two sides on October 10 at York Lions Stadium courtesy of a brace from Reon Moore.
RELATED: ‘Winning anything is a mentality’: York United’s Mora, Babouli speak ahead of Pacific playoff clash
All three of Moore’s goals for Pacific FC this season came against York, perhaps making him a player to watch on Wednesday. For York, it has been club leading scorer Brian Wright who has caused the Tridents issues this season, with two goals and an assist in the four meetings this year.
Pacific have lost just one of their past nine matches against York United, a 2-0 result despite a first-half red card for the Nine Stripes at York Lions Stadium on June 19. They won 2-0 back on May 4 in the first meeting of the season between the two sides, while an August 2 clash at Starlight Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw.
Should the two sides be tied again following 90 minutes on Wednesday, two fifteen-minute extra-time periods will be played, followed by penalty kicks if the match is still tied. York famously defeated Pacific FC in a penalty shootout during the 2022 Canadian Championship quarter-finals, although none of the five York shooters, nor heroic goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos are still with the club.
While they finished five points higher than Pacific in the CPL table, York United come into Wednesday’s clash with just two wins in their past ten matches — and just seven goals scored during that stretch. They have not scored more than a single goal in a match since a 4-1 victory over Atlético Ottawa on July 26.
The Tridents, meanwhile, have lost just twice in their past eight matches. After struggling to score all season, they have tallied 13 times in that stretch. In particular, the addition of Moses Dyer from rivals Vancouver FC (four goals in those eight matches) and Dario Zanatta’s incredible run of form (five goals, two assists in eight matches) have suddenly made the Tridents’ attack lethal.
The winner of Wednesday’s match will be off to the nation’s capital, where they will face third-place finisher Atlético Ottawa in the CPL Playoff quarter-final on Sunday, Oct. 27.
All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
- Who starts in net for Pacific FC?: When it comes to difficult decisions for Pacific FC head coach James Merriman ahead of Wednesday’s match, perhaps none will be more than which name he fills out under the goalkeeper section of his starting eleven. On one hand, 21-year-old Emil Gazdov has been one of the league’s best this season, with only Cavalry FC’s Marco Carducci managing more clean sheets than the seven he kept. However, after Gazdov was sent off three weeks ago, veteran Victoria native Sean Melvin has come in and been outstanding, including making three saves in a 2-1 victory over York United at York Lions Stadium back on Oct. 10. Should it be Melvin who starts the match, it is worth remembering that if the game reaches penalty kicks, Gazdov has been excellent in those situations, and in fact replaced Melvin ahead of the shootout against TSS Rovers during the Canadian Championship preliminary round. “It’s an extremely difficult situation and decision, and that’s exactly why we brought Sean in,” said Merriman, who wouldn’t tip his hand in the pre-match press conference as to who might start.
- Can Babouli’s return re-ignite York United attack?: While the Nine Stripes lost to the Halifax Wanderers on the final day of the season, perhaps their biggest win was the 45 minutes they were able to get out of captain Mo Babouli. After missing two weeks through injury following his removal at half-time against Forge on Sept. 28, the York captain looks like he will be fit and ready for Wednesday’s match. There are very few players in the Canadian Premier League with a similar level of game-changing ability. Case in point, York United have lost just once in the 15 matches in which Babouli scored since he joined the club midway through the 2022 season. For a team that has truly struggled in attack over the past few months, a big game from Babouli will be huge to their success against Pacific.
- Opening goal will make all the difference: Including the ‘group stage’ of the 2020 Island Games, Wednesday’s match will be the 23rd postseason match in Canadian Premier League history. In only one of the previous 22 matches has the team that scored first lost — albeit in a memorable fashion as Cavalry FC fell 2-1 to Forge FC after taking a 1-0 lead in extra time of last year’s CPL Final. The simple truth though, is that the first goal is absolutely massive in any playoff meeting, and particularly as it relates to Pacific FC and York United. The Nine Stripes collected just eight points from losing positions this season, the third-fewest in the CPL. Pacific, meanwhile, have recorded the fewest points from losing positions with just five. They have won just once after trailing, although that did come in their last trip to York Lions Stadium, when they overturned a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 on October 10. Nevertheless, the odds of advancing will quickly turn in favour of whichever team can score first.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
York United: Vincensini; Córdova, Sturing, León, Botello; Adekugbe, Martínez, Baldisimo, Babouli; Guzmán, Wright
Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Quintana, Meilleur-Giguère, Greco-Taylor; Reid, Domínguez, Young, Yeates; Dyer, Zanatta
ALL-TIME SERIES
Pacific FC wins: 9 || York United wins: 7 || Draws: 7
Last meeting:
Oct. 10, 2024 –York United 1-2 Pacific FC
PLAYOFF HISTORY
2023 4th vs. 5th match — Pacific FC 1-0 York United
KEY QUOTES
“You take big experience from playing knockout games, Canadian Championship games, the last couple of seasons, the last two years, pushing to the semifinals. Playing a difficult game against the Whitecaps, last season’s push to Calgary in the semifinal in the CPL, so do the players in the locker room who were in those matches and more importantly in the preparation, on the road, in training, in the environment.” — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman