August 28, 2020...HFX Wanderers FC vs York9 FC: A key battle for top 4 positioning at The Island Games (from CanPL website)
HFX Wanderers FC vs. York9 FC: A key battle for top 4 positioning at The Island Games 2020-08-28 by JOHN MOLINARO, DIRECTOR OF CONTENT (@JOHNMOLINARO) 2020 CPL regular season (The Island Games) — Match #19 HFX Wanderers FC vs. York9 FC August 29, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. AT UPEI Artificial Turf Field in Charlottetown, PEI Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & CBC It’s not a must-win situation for either club. Far from it. But Saturday afternoon’s contest between York9 FC and HFX Wanderers FC is a crucial battle between two sides in the top half of the table, and the outcome could have major implications on the final standings. York enters the contest in third place with six points, just ahead of HFX, who has five points and sits in a three-way tie for fourth place. Of course, finishing in fourth is vital, because only the top four teams at the end of the first round of The Island Games advance to the second round. Both teams will likely be doing some scoreboard watching earlier in the day on Saturday when Valour FC tangles with FC Edmonton. Valour currently sits seventh in the table with four points, but a victory over the Eddies would propel them into third place before Y9 and HFX kick off. At the moment, a mere four points separate second-place Forge FC and seventh-place Valour, an indication of just how tight things are as the first round of the season enters the home stretch. Every point (and every dropped point) means so much at this point, a fact not lost on HFX and York as they prepare to face off in this crucial encounter. 3 THINGS TO WATCH Y9’s set pieces: HFX would be well advised to work not to vie up any set pieces in this game, as all three of Y9’s goals against Forge came off set pieces, and demonstrated how dangerous they are in and around the box in their build-up play. “You’re getting set pieces because you’re doing the right things,” York coach Jim Brennan said. “You’re getting fouled, or you’re getting to the byline and you’re trying to create something, where it gives you an opportunity to get a corner or a free kick, whatever it may be.” Oxner or Beaulieu for HFX: After recovering from an injury, HFX goalkeeper Christian Oxner made his season debut against Edmonton and left his mark on the game when he made a crucial penalty save on Tomi Ameobi. “Christian has trained well, he showed me that he was feeling good. It’s important for him to get the games, just like any of the other players,” coach Stephen Hart said after the game. Indeed, Oxner looked sharp against the Eddies, and it raises the question as to whether Hart will give him another run out against Y9, or if he’ll go back to Jason Beaulieu, who started the first three games for the Wanderers. Di Chiara an unheralded hero: Raise your hand if you thought Joseph Di Ciara would be leading the Golden Boot race at this point in the season. As hard as it might be to imagine, Y9’s industrious midfielder has three goals, which puts him top of the league’s scoring chart with three other players. Against Forge, aside from his brace, he also won 16 duels and made six tackles in a man-of-the-match performance. “When you see Joe play in a match, that’s how Joe trains every single day,” Brennan said of his midfielder. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING “The connection is getting better day by day. It just feels natural, they’re very good footballers. When I have the ball I have three good options, and so at least one of them, I know I can get a good pass. The running, it feels like we’ve played a long time together.” – HFX forward João Morelli, after the Edmonton game. “It was huge for us just to get that win. Six points right now allows us to have a little bit of breathing room after the three straight draws, and we can build from this. It’s huge, it’s huge for us.” – York midfielder Joseph Di Chiara, after the Forge game. ALL-TIME SERIES HFX wins: 2 York wins: 1 Draws 2 PREVIOUS MEETING October 19, 2019: York9 FC 0, HFX Wanderers FC 2 REFEREES Referee: David Barrie ARs: Sean Hornsby & Travis Lefebvre 4th Official: Yusri Rudolf
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