AGR's High Press: The Wanderers offence comes alive in long-awaited win | Cavalry's hunt for more creativity amid run of draws
Fittingly, this latest matchday of CPL action started much like it ended - with a team down a player surprising their opponent by scoring and keeping a clean sheet to earn a win over a team higher than them in the table.
Yet, it was that kind of week of CPL action, and it was one where teams were made to work for their results, and that was reflected in the performances that were put up.
With that, it continued to add more layers to an already complicated CPL table, which remains as tight as ever as the halfway point of the 2024 season rapidly approaches.
As some of those who started slowly continue to find their feet, and those who started hot start to slow down, it shows that a lot of movement is still to come, showing why the next few months will be crucial.
Once again, this latest week of action reflected that, as some results ended up shaking up the table. Speaking of, here’s what stood out from this latest matchday of CPL action, in this week’s High Press.
Wanderers finally get their outburst:
It took 10 games, but after some close misses, late heartbreak and frustrating losses, the Halifax Wanderers are finally in the win column, and what a way to do it, as they beat Vancouver FC 4-0 on the road.
Yet, it’s an outburst that has been coming for them, as they’ve been knocking on the door, but needed a statement victory to back up the work they’d been putting in.
Having entered this game with the most xG in the CPL per OPTA’s model, sitting last in goals for despite that, they felt those fortunes were about to turn, and this game backs that up.
Given that they turned just 1.76 xG into four goals, that was the exact sort of finishing luck they’d lacked all year long, which had put lots of pressure on their defence to put in perfect performances every week. For a team that always seemed at their best in 2023 when their offence was flying, it was a long-awaited return to what had worked for them in the past, helping lead to this victory.
GOAL ⚓️@HFXWanderersFC go up 1-0 early over @VanFootballClub as Ryan Telfer ends off a quick-fire attack started from a long ball 😎
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 23, 2024
🔴 Watch our @tonybet_canada #CanPL MATCH OF THE WEEK on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/BoDhfeb1Jc
While the offensive outburst is important, however, as this wasn’t just the first time they scored more than two goals in a game in 2024, but the first time they’d scored four goals in their history, the defensive performance was just as important, however, as they kept just their second clean sheet of 2024. Not only that, but they kept Vancouver to just 0.97 xG from 13 shots, with only five of those shots coming inside Halifax’s box, which is key.
But that it coincided with their best offensive performance isn’t a stroke of luck, as the Wanderers' best form of defence in 2023 came when they were pushing the pace of play and being dangerous offensively, as they were a team who lived with the mantra that “a good offence is the best defence”.
Part of their defensive success in this game came from the fact that Vancouver struggled massively in possession, looking far from their best, but credit has to be given to the Wanderers for how they were set up defensively, sitting compactly in their 4-2-3-1.
Of course, though, their best work came at the other end of the pitch, where they caused all sorts of problems for Vancouver in two ways - through direct play, and by stretching the pitch wide.
GOAL ⚓️⚓️@HFXWanderersFC take a 2-0 lead over @VanFootballClub as Ryan Telfer scores ANOTHER to catch the home team sleeping 😎
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 23, 2024
🔴 Watch our @tonybet_canada #CanPL MATCH OF THE WEEK on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/QxTb25P9wz
In particular, credit has to be given to Halifax’s front three, who played a big part in that success. With the work of wingers Massimo Ferrin and Clément Bayiha, and then the work done by striker Ryan Telfer, there appeared to be a nice combination forming between that trio. Despite it being their first start together, after they had a nice run for a chunk of their game the week prior against Forge, they looked like they’d been playing together for years.
And now, they’ve certainly got the stats to show for it, as they’ve each got two goal contributions in their last two games - Ferrin sits with two goals, Telfer sits with two goals, and Bayiha sits with two assists - showing that there could be something brewing there.
Yet, that’s been the story of Halifax’s season - it’s felt like they’ve been close to doing big things, but have constantly fallen short at the finish line. Now, however, they’ve gotten a win to reward them for their hard work, giving them the belief that they can now build on this and go on a run.
With this new-look front three, the return of Dan Nimick at centre back (who scored two goals and kept a clean sheet in his first game back from a small injury), and improved solidity in midfield, the Wanderers are trending in the right direction.
GOAL ⚓️⚓️⚓️@HFXWanderersFC go up 3-0 over @VanFootballClub as Dan Nimick all but secures a first W for the visitors! 💪
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 24, 2024
🔴 Watch our @tonybet_canada #CanPL MATCH OF THE WEEK on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/PAQCsxQ4F4
In fact, they’ve now quietly gone undefeated in four games, so there’s no reason why they can’t build off this and make an already intriguing playoff picture tighter as the summer approaches.
York’s formation experiment:
Once again, York continued to cruise under new manager Benjamín Mora, as they defeated Pacific 2-0 to give them seven points in three games since Mora’s arrival.
This time, however, after using a 5-3-2 that operated similarly with and without the ball, Mora slightly tweaked things tactically, keeping the same defensive set-up but changing things in possession.
Instead of sticking with the back five in their build-up, they built up in a 4-3-3, with the central player in the back three, Elijah Adekugbe, stepping up into his more familiar central midfield role in possession after mostly playing as a true centre back the week prior in their win over Atlético Ottawa.
From there, Kadin Martin-Pereux, who was deployed as the left centre mid in the three, stepped up to join Brian Wright and Austin Ricci up front, completing the formation shift.
With that, York were able to attack new areas in possession, creating overloads on both sides of the pitch with the introduction of wingers, while still being able to employ extra numbers in the midfield.
Goal 👑@yorkutdfc OPEN THE SCORING vs. @Pacificfccpl as Brian Wright finds the bottom corner for his seventh of the season! 🎯 It's 1-0 in the 37th minute of this #CanPL clash: Watch LIVE on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/obnbcNi9qz
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 19, 2024
To start the game, it looked fluid and organized, which allowed them to create the first goal, as midfielder Josué Martinez jumped into the attack and did well to receive the ball in a dangerous area, finding the in-form Brian Wright with a nice cutback for the 1-0 goal.
They then weren’t able to execute their game plan for the entire game, as Ricci then picked up a 38th-minute red card to put his team down a player, but they were able to hold on from there and still grab another goal to secure the win, once again showing the improvements they’ve made defensively while showing a glimpse of what their new offensive tweak could provide.
Yet, once again, it shows why this York team has become so intriguing under Mora. Immediately, he’s given them a strong defensive identity that they didn’t have before, but he’s still finding ways to tweak and play with his offence to ensure they’re more consistent in their ability to score. Given that before they could score, but would often do so in bunches, that they’ve now scored two goals in three straight games under Mora is a sign of how they’re becoming more consistent at that end of the itch.
But this shows why they’ve been quietly able to climb to second in the table, and why more could still be to come from them, as they’ve been able to find their feet in a short time under their manager. And with it still being early days in Mora’s tenure, look for that evolution to continue, which could lead to some more intriguing tactical experiments as he continues to shape this team in his image, which will be exciting to follow given the hot start they’ve already gotten off to already. 
Cavalry’s shot quality:
For a second, it looked like Cavalry might finally put their run of draws behind them, as they stormed out to an early lead against Atlético Ottawa, with Tobias Warschewski finding himself in the right place at the right time on a rebound to make it 1-0 after just two minutes.
Given that it put them on the front foot right away, able to dictate the pace of the game, it felt like it’d put them in a good position to add another and cruise to victory, finally giving them their third win of the season after drawing seven and losing one of their other 10 matches, having drawn five of their last six matches.
GOAL🐎@CPLCavalryFC open the scoring vs. @atletiOttawa as Tobias Warschewski puts it in off the corner!
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 22, 2024
It’s 1-0 right off the bat in this #CanPL clash: Watch LIVE on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/HXRdzwIzX1
Instead, however, Ottawa eventually broke them down, as Alberto Zapater scored a perfect header to make it 1-1 in the 39th minute, and both teams battled for the draw from there.
Yet, it once again showed the biggest thing that has led to Cavalry’s draw streak, and that’s their attack, as they were only able to muster up 1.17 xG on 14 shots in this game (OPTA). Given that they’ve only got 12 goals in 11 games, they’ve struggled to score in bunches, and that’s hurt their ability to take advantage of some strong defensive performances, as they’ve conceded the third-fewest goals and the lowest xG in the CPL (WyScout).
When you pull back the hood and take a deeper look at their offensive numbers on WyScout, which actually aren’t that bad as they’ve got similar xG numbers to Ottawa, Forge, Pacific, but there’s one stat where Cavalry lags behind those teams - their xG per shot, which is the second-lowest in the league on WyScout’s model.
And that manifested itself in this game, as despite having a decent number of shots as they chased a second goal, not enough of them were of high quality, as their xG per shot was only 0.08, which is even lower than their season average.
But that’s the biggest challenge with this Cavalry team, who certainly feels the absence of Ali Musse, whose creativity has been sorely missed as he’s dealt with an injury - they need someone to step up and create chances.
Earlier in the year, they had some woes at the striker position, but Warschewski has seemed to solve that given that he now has six goals on the year, good for second in the CPL. When he’s been given chances, he’s scored them. 
Because of that, it’ll be intriguing to see who Cavalry leans on to help find those chances until Musse’s return, as they’ve got options, both centrally and out wide.
For the former, Lucas Dias seems like the best candidate to replace Musse stylistically, even if Dias mirrors Musse’s play (Musse likes to operate on the right as a left-footer, while Dias plays as a right-footer on the left), and Sergio Camargo is a natural #10 option. Then, in terms of wide threat, Lleyton Brooks has had dangerous games on the left, and Fraser Aird has arguably remained the team’s most creative threat with his crossing ability from deep on the right side.
Perhaps, it might take getting all of those options out on the pitch at once, with Brooks shifting from left wing to the right to accommodate Dias, but it feels like some experimentation could be on the way in either case.
The good news for Cavalry? Their defensive play is buying them time with how they’re keeping them in games, as shown with all of the draws, which has been enough to keep them in sixth place, three points off second, as they’ve only lost one game.
But it also still feels like Cavalry has another gear to find, and they just need to find the right formula offensively to do so, helping them return to the heights they had in 2024.
Certainly, Musse’s return will be the biggest factor in helping them return to that, but until that’s possible, they’ll have to find something internally, or else that lack of chance creation could push them to even more draws in the future, which would be quite something.
Who caught my eye? Clément Bayiha![HFX Wanderers FC vs Pacific FC - June 08, 2024]()
Ever since his arrival in Halifax via a surprise swap with York United at the end of May, as he was shipped out after not carving out much of a role with York this year, Bayiha’s added a new dimension to the Wanderers attack, bringing a different element with his speed and creativity.
For a Halifax team that likes to play in possession, having him play as a direct outlet has given them a different wrinkle to use, and that’s helped them in multiple ways.
That was on display in this game, as he used his speed to stretch the pitch and open up space, but he also then showed his creativity with his assist on Ryan Telfer’s opening goal, as he found his striker with a perfect pass to help his team open the scoring.
What to watch: Pacific FC vs Vancouver FC
With it being a long weekend, it feels like there’s no bad choice in terms of games to watch, but it’s always intriguing to tap into a derby game, especially one that will be as hotly contested as the Salish Sea Derby match between Pacific and Vancouver.
Given that both teams are coming off tough losses where they fell despite spending large chunks of the game up a player, both will want to bounce back and push back up the table, and no better way to do that than with a derby match.
Because of that, look for both of them to come out flying in this match, building off their first meeting of the season, one that started slow but certainly finished with some drama as Vancouver snatched a late winner.
With what’s at stake, with the winner of this game able to climb as high as second place depending on other results, no reason why there won’t be an intense and dramatic affair as they look to leap up the table, with Pacific sitting in fourth with 16 points and Vancouver in fifth with 15 heading into this game.
