3 things to watch in York United vs. HFX Wanderers FC – 2022 CPL opener

The 2022 Canadian Premier League season is, at last, upon us.

This year, it’ll be York United with the honours of hosting the opener — though it’s their second time appearing in the first match — as HFX Wanderers travel to York Lions Stadium to get us underway for the league’s fourth season.

These sides grew all too familiar with one another in 2021, as they met five times in the regular season. Each meeting was decided by no more than a goal, with four draws and just once decisive bout, which York won 3-2 on August 7, 2021.

Here are three things to watch for in this season-opening battle:

1. Wanderers search for goals as Morelli looks to create: The incredible goalscoring form of João Morelli is, essentially, what carried the Wanderers so close to a playoff spot in 2021. This year, they’d like things to be a little different; Morelli is naturally an attacking midfielder, so the club might like to see him creating chances for teammates as much as he scores them himself. No other Wanderers player scored more than three league goals in 2021, though, so their number one objective this season is putting the ball in the net more consistently. “As a coach, you can bring the players to certain areas of the field; you work very, very hard at that,” Hart explained Wednesday. “But at the end of the day, the end product is the ability to take your chance. You cannot teach a team to score goals.”
   
   
2. New-look York hoping for bright start: Although the bulk of their player core is returning to the club from 2021, much is new at York United this season. Top of the list in that regard is, of course, Martin Nash, who took over from Jimmy Brennan as head coach at the end of last year and brought with him a new staff. Plus, the international contingent is much changed in 2022; expect Sebastian Gutíerrez, who arrived midway through last season, to have a much bigger impact with a full preseason now behind him. Mateo Hernández, the young Argentine who spent last year on loan in Costa Rica, is likely to be a massive piece of the puzzle this year too. And don’t forget about Oliver Minatel, the tricky Brazilian winger with solid CPL experience playing for Cavalry FC the past three years.
   
   
3. Direct play or control? Toward the end of last season, York seemed to develop into one of the most entertaining sides in the CPL with their ability to defend well then get the ball forward and play vertically on the counter-attack. Halifax, too, have had elements of that directness in their best performances — it was essentially the style that carried them to the final in 2020. Under a new coach this year, though, York will surely have a different tactical identity. Plus, with full preseasons this year and more runway over the course of the season, each CPL side will be able to develop more detailed and nuanced styles of play, with a more advanced degree of tactical intelligence. “Jimmy (Brennan) was more free-flowing, attacking style of football,” York captain Roger Thompson said, “Whereas (Nash) is more structured, he has a feeling of what he wants to do.” Perhaps we’ll see York hold the ball more, with Noah Verhoeven or Isaiah Johnston running the show centrally? Or might the Wanderers look to play with possession, playing through Aidan Daniels to get the ball to wide attackers?

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