AGR's High Press: York United shows glimpse of potential in statement win | Cavalry still figuring out striker situation
The split continues.
Through three games of this young CPL season, a divide has opened up in the table, as four teams sit with two wins, while three remain in the hunt for their first win, with York United the lone team in neither of those categories after beating Vancouver FC 3-0 this weekend.
That split could continue this matchday, too, as the four sides with two wins will take on the other four sides, which could either open up the table further or tighten things right up depending on the results.
Yet, that creates an intriguing storyline - can those at the top continue their hot starts, or will those on the bottom half use those games as a chance to try and turn things around?
This weekend saw a split of those results - York represented the latter with their win, while Forge and Ottawa were an example of the former as they won to stay undefeated.
Will the trend remain this weekend? We’ll find out later this week, but until then, here’s a look back at what stood out in matchday #3 of CPL action in ‘High Press’.
York puts it all together in a big win:
Through two games, it was hard to know what to make of York, as they lost both of their games against their two biggest rivals, Atlético Ottawa and Forge.
Against Ottawa, they were unlucky not to win, as they couldn’t score despite creating a boatload of chances, and were punished for it in the second half. Then, against Forge, they were thoroughly outclassed on their home pitch, hardly able to get a sniff in a 3-0 loss.
Because of that, the big question for them heading into week 3 was figuring out which of their first two games was closer to their true reflection of their talent.
And to their credit, they proved to have a short memory in this performance against Vancouver, putting up a complete showing in their 3-0 win.
It took a while for them to break the floodgates, as the game remained 0-0 until the 70th minute, a scoreline which benefitted Vancouver, but once York got their first goal, they didn’t look back.
GOAL 👑
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 27, 2024
DEADLOCK BROKEN! @yorkutdfc open the scoring against @vanfootballclub through Brian Wright after a great play on the right flank 🟢
1-0 to The Nine Stripes!
🔴 Watch #CanPL on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/WQNXg5T2uy
Plus, they can be pleased with all three of their goals, too, which came off direct attacking play, in which they attacked the space behind Vancouver’s full backs to create two cutbacks and a breakaway, which they then put away.
Then, most importantly, they were excellent defensively, as they held Vancouver to just 0.49 Expected Goals (xG) on 10 shots, keeping things tidy at both ends, something they struggled to do against Ottawa and Forge.
There, a big credit can be given to the pair of Canadian internationals, Juan Córdova and Frank Sturing, who made their first starts for York after joining the club this offseason, with Córdova putting in a shift at both ends at right back, even nabbing an assist, while Sturing was a rock at centre back. After dealing with injuries to start the year, their returns were a big boost, which seemed to lift the York backline in this game. 
Yet, when looking at all of this, it shows the potential that this York side has as a group, and why they could be poised to push up the table over the next few weeks.
First, there are their injuries, which have impacted their ability to field a first-choice team through the first two games. Having missed key pieces like Córdova, Sturing and Brem Soumaoro, that slowed them down to start the season, which is why it was key for all of them to be back in the starting XI against Vancouver.
Then, there’s their ability to generate chances. Through three games, York lead the CPL in big chances created with nine, are tied for shots on target per game with five, and are second in xG for with 4.76. They’ve also struggled to put those chances away, no doubt, which is on them and isn’t a new issue (they were second in the CPL in big chances missed in 2023, and sit tied for first at the moment), but when you get into enough dangerous areas, you can score goals like they did against Vancouver.
Lastly, there’s their midfield group, which is a big strength. Between Soumaoro, Elijah Adekugbe, Matthew Baldisimo and new signing Josue Martínez, their midfield pivot is a strength of theirs when everyone is healthy and available. To be fair, that last point is a slight concern, as Souamaoro and Baldisimo will have international duty with Liberia and the Philippines throughout the year, while Adekugbe (562 minutes) and Baldisimo (889 minutes) struggled to stay healthy last year, but the addition of Martínez offers them a different option if needed.
GOAL 👑👑
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 27, 2024
Dennis Salanović gets his first goal for @yorkutdfc as The Nine Stripes double their lead against @vanfootballclub 🔥
🔴 Watch #CanPL on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/ZEJvNJ0oNk
Now, for York, the big challenge for them will be consistency. And there’s no better example to use in that scenario than striker Brian Wright, who was the star of the Vancouver win with a two-goal and one-assist showing, one that made him a deserved CPL Player of the Week nod.
Wright’s coming off a frustrating 2023 campaign, one where he followed up a seven-goal and two-assist 2022 campaign with Atlético Ottawa with a two-goal and two-assist season for York, with both of those goals coming in back-to-back games in August of last year.
Other than that small purple patch, however, it was a year of frustration for the York striker, who missed a league-high 13 big chances, generating over 7 xG, as he just couldn’t put things together in front of goal.
As he showed in those most recent Vancouver match, however, in which he scored two well-taken goals to match his 2023 tally, he doesn’t lack skill on the ball or finishing ability, but can sometimes be his own worst enemy in front of goal.
GOAL 👑👑👑
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 27, 2024
Brian Wright is ON FIRE 🔥@yorkutdfc secure the 3 points in fashion as the forward gets his 2nd goal of the night against @vanfootballclub ⚽️⚽️
🔴 Watch #CanPL on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/foFEIB1mdF
Yet, that’s the story of this York side, which will be worth watching. Last year, they could either be the best or worst team in the league depending on the day that you caught them, so their goal will be to even that out this year, having shown a bit of that with their contrasting results to start this year.
On this day, this side can be pushing for a league title, but finding the ability to show that consistently will be the difference between them doing that or fighting for the fifth and final playoff spot once again.
Cavalry experiences some growing pains at the #9:
Cavalry’s 2023 CPL Shield defence continued to quietly sputter out of the gates this past weekend, as they drew Pacific 0-0 at home to remain without a win to start the year.
To be fair, that’s not a huge worry for this side. After all, they won the title last year by 13 points despite not winning their first five games of the season, so it’s not anything they haven’t seen before.
And when watching this game, it’s hard to think why they should feel any panic quite yet. Ali Musse had an excellent game and seemed likely to pull a goal out of nothing with how he was driving forward with the ball, Sergio Camargo was his usual creative self at the #10, and Fraser Aird’s delivery was causing all sorts of problems for Pacific’s defence.
On another day, they put home one of the 20 shots they generated and it’s a different game, giving them that first win.
At the same time, there’s a key worry that was once again shown in this game - Cavalry are feeling the absence of Myer Bevan up front, after the CPL’s co-golden boot winner stepped away from the club for personal reasons this offseason, which was undoubtedly a huge loss after his big 2023 campaign, in which he scored 11 goals and added four assists in CPL action.
So far, new signings Tobias Warschewski and Malcolm Shaw haven’t been able to find that production nor bring the presence that Bevan had up front, which was a key piece to Cavalry’s fluid attack last year. No matter if Bevan was the one scoring or not, he opened up a lot of space for those around him, which in turn helped create dangerous opportunities for him, which was an underrated part of his game.
Of course, it’s far too early to say Warschewski or Shaw can’t do that, as they certainly can, as shown at past stops. Warschewski did score 11 goals and add 14 assists in just two years of CPL action on a struggling FC Edmonton offence, while Shaw had 17 goals and five assists across four seasons for Atlético Ottawa sides that were always more known for their defensive play, so they can certainly make things happen offensively.
Naturally, though, it’s going to take time for both of them to gel into Cavalry’s system, and that’s been felt through the first three games of CPL action, in which Cavalry has scored just two goals, one coming off a Camargo header on a corner and the other being an own goal, meaning key pieces Warschewski, Shaw, Musse and William Akio are all yet to score.
And that’s been the big factor behind Cavalry’s slow start. They’ve conceded the fewest xG by a mile through three games, with their 1.94 over 1 ahead of the next best side (Pacific, with 3.25 xG against), but are bottom two in xG for with 3.36, showing that they haven’t been able to generate dangerous opportunities, either.
The good news? Things will only improve, as Warschewski and Shaw find their feet in their new system. There have been signs of growth, such as Warschewski’s winner in Cavalry’s 1-0 win over Vancouver FC in the Canadian Championship, so it’s important to build off that.
GOAL 🐎
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 24, 2024
Red card? NBD for @CPLCavalryFC as Tobias Warschewski carves apart the @VanFootballClub backline before eventually getting a head on the follow-up 😎
Will it be #CavsFC vs. #VWFC in the next round of 2024 TELUS #CanChamp action? 👀 pic.twitter.com/z7EpV1m3Be
If so, Cavalry will quickly find their feet again, and return to their title contending ways. Cavalry’s success over the last five years has always depended on their #9s, from Dominique Malonga to Joe Mason and to Bevan, so they’ll now be banking on Warschewski and Shaw to find similar success.
The quicker that adjustment happens, it will go a long way, especially with how good Cavalry’s defence has been statistically, something they look poised to maintain given the continuity they have in midfield, at the back and in goal, with their attack being the big area of change this offseason.
Can Valour find Antonoglou a target?
Themi Antonoglou continued his strong start to life in the CPL against Forge, setting up Jordan Faria’s goal for his second assist of the season.
And he could’ve had many more, as he ended up finishing the game with four chances created, including two big chances, for a total of 0.84 Expected Assists (xA).
GOAL 🎖
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 27, 2024
INSTANT RESPONSE FROM @VALOURFOOTBALL!
Jordan Faria levels things up at Tim Hortons Field against @ForgeFCHamilton with a phenomenal goal 🔥
🔴 Watch #CanPL on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/bRqxdHgV3h
Thanks to his left foot, which saw him connect on six out of seven of his crosses, it caused all sorts of problems for Forge’s defence, who had the play of Chris Kalongo in goal to thank for ensuring they claimed their third straight win of the year.
But as for Valour, it shows that they’ve got a true offensive weapon in Antonoglou, who they’ll look to keep leaning on going forward. Having assisted both of their goals so far, he’s been a creative force at wing back, one who adds a different dimension to Valour’s attack.
Now, however, the big task for Valour will be to figure out how to best use Antonoglou’s skills as a crosser, as doing so could help their offence find their feet.
In this game, they went with Abdul Binaté up front, and it proved to be a decent match, as he has the physicality to play as more of a target striker, although his movement wasn’t always as sharp as can be, which can be likely attributed to him having just six pro appearances under his belt. With experience, his runs will get better, and he’ll start to meet Antonoglou’s crosses with more regularity.
But starting Binate meant starting Shaan Hundal, the club’s marquee striker signing this offseason, on the bench, which doesn’t seem ideal as he could also be a key source of offence. At the same time, he’s typically at his best when he’s running the channels in behind opposing defences, which he didn’t get to do much of in Valour’s first two games that he started in.
Then, Faria and Jordi Swibel have been Valour’s other two options in their front three, and have been the ones who scored, although both look to profile more as second strikers than through targets (although Swibel’s week one goal was one a target striker could be proud of). Along with Joe Hanson, whose profile is similar to Hundal’s, that leaves Binate as the lone profile suited to regularly getting on the end of Antonoglou’s crosses.
So now, it’ll be interesting to see how Valour handles that. Do they stick with Binate up front and let him find some confidence and earn experience (and valuable U21 minutes), and then try and find a combination that works underneath him? Or do they continue to experiment with figuring out who the best option is to lead the line between him, Hundal, Swibel and Hanson?
That’ll be the key to figuring out this Valour offence, which will be crucial if they’re to turn things around after losing three straight to start the year. Their defence will figure things out once fully healthy (new signing Tass Mourdoukoutas is yet to play a minute, for example), but the attack will be the difference-maker, with Antonoglou looking to be a key piece, if they can find the best way to get the most out of him.
The @AllstateCanada Save of the Match belongs to @ForgeFCHamilton's hero Chris Kalongo for this stop in the second half 🧤#CanPL I 📺 @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/G4DTCFz6Lu
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) April 27, 2024
Who caught my eye: Ali Musse
Ali Musse was unlucky not to generate any goal contributions in his team’s 0-0 draw against Pacific, as he generated four chances and had seven shots in a strong showing from the 2023 CPL’s Player’s Player of the Year.
After a quieter start to the year, it was the sort of showing that Cavalry has come to expect from Musse, who was the team’s offensive heartbeat last year.
If they’re to turn around this slow goal-scoring start, having Musse keep this up will go a long way, so look for him to build on this, and turn some of those chances and shots into goal contributions while he’s at it.
Game to watch: Forge vs Halifax Wanderers
Might this be the matchup the doctor ordered for the ailing Wanderers? It won’t look like it on paper, as after losing their third straight match to start the year, they now get set to face a Forge side who has become the fourth CPL side to win three games to start a CPL season after Cavalry (2019), Valour (2021) and Pacific (2022).
Yet, the Wanderers won’t be bothered by that, as they had a pretty good record against the four-time playoff champions last year, winning two and drawing two games, going undefeated in those two matchups.
So while Forge will feel confident heading into this matchup with how they’ve been playing, they’ll expect a tough game, as they look to join Cavalry’s 2019 group as the only side to start a season with four straight wins.
