It would be surprising if a CPL team could beat an MLS team. I think Ottawa Fury aren't very good this year.
It wouldn't be because Pacific are that good this early in their existence. It's because Vancouver has been this bad and other factors could cause an upset. Sure unlikely, but that would be my pick for an upset. Imagine a sold out BC place with most fans wearing Purple...LMAO
May 11, 2019 details of League 1 Ontario game between Unionville-Milliken SC vs Vaughan Azzurri played at Mount Joy in Markham. My game report at http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports19/19l1o036.htm sound files with U-M head coach Sanford Carabin and VA head coach Patrice Gheisar. Vaughan will be playing CPL HFX Wanderers the next 2 Wednesdays in first round of the Canadian Championships! photos, line ups and play by play to follow.
The only way I could see it happening is if the MLS team decided not to take the competition seriously. They are 4-2-2 in league play. They are doing decently.
AS Blainville 0-0 York 9 HIGHLIGHTS | @ASBlainville vs @York9FC 🏆 First Qualifying Round of the Canadian Championship! ⚽️ Many looks on goal from both squads, none capitalized. Final score 0 - 0🎵 Tune in for the second leg next week on https://t.co/hishXepRT3 🍁 #CanChampxOneSoccer | #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/rwGDMx0ULw— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 16, 2019
Vaughan Azzurri 2-3 HFX Wanderers HIGHLIGHTS | @vaughansoccercl vs @HfxWanderersFC 😭 It was an emotional one! Penalty in extra time banged in by HFX's very own Mohamed Kourouma sealed the deal! ⚪ VAU 2 - 3 HFX 🔵👀 Second leg next week on https://t.co/hishXepRT3 ⭐️ #CanChampxOneSoccer | #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/4FI0ZLQTuH— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 16, 2019
Calvary up 2-0 on Pacific. I'd say Calvary is the cream of the crop while Pacific and Halifax are at the bottom of the league.
Bottom is York 9. Not buying what they are selling and still haven't seen what they promised. Pacific invested a lot in De Jong who's out for the season. Their defense is shaky and there was no way to compensate for that Halifax kind of fielded a B team (if there's such thing). Their main keeper would have saved those while their main backline would have made way less mistakes. Perea and Iida weren't playing either. York 9? Full strength A team and AS Blainville were more dangerous with the ball but York had the possession...with bo clue what to do with the ball... York 9 are the weakest link so far
Pacific 0-2 Cavalry HIGHLIGHTS | @Pacificfccpl vs @CPLCavalryFC 🌊 PFC 0 - 2 CAV 🐎💥 Tough defeat for Pacific at home, conceding two early goals in the first half. Can they bring it back in Calgary next week? 👀 Find out on https://t.co/hishXepRT3 ⭐️ #CanChampxOneSoccer | #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/QBnqfGo95w— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 16, 2019
1200 fans in Vaughn which is really good for an L1O team since most L1O games draw more like 100 to 200. No attendance reported (that I can find) for Blainville but it was likely around 1000. 2294 in Victoria. The 0-0 draw by Blainville was also the first time a D3 team has earned a point against a higher division team in Canadian Championship play.
Officially announced as 1040 but the stands hold 1200 and they were full and then one row of fans lined up at the fence the full 110 yards. Also children are smaller (can crush more into the seats!) Vaughan went out of their way to have as many of their youth team players there. May 15, 2019 The sound files from the post game press conferences of the Voyageurs Cup 1st round, 1st leg between L1O Vaughan Azzurri and CPL HFX Wanderers at: http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports19/19l1o041.htm I'll be adding lineups, pictures, and play by play soon.
The results of the Vaughan-Halifax and Victoria-Calgary series are locked up barring something quite odd. (Although we've seen a number of surprising results in Canadian Championship history.) The Blainville-York game has potential, however. Blainville was a crossbar away of coming in to York up 1-0 on aggregate. York is at home and, as the CPL team, is the favourite despite not exactly lighting up the league. Still - does anyone want to predict the first big upset of the Canadian Championship?
Cavalry upsets Vancouver Whitecaps in a battle of the West (BC vs Alberta) “The road to facing the Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS still goes through Pacific FC on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.,at Spruce Meadows) and then the Hamilton Forge FC in another home-and-home series (June 4 & 12), the possibility is there for the Calgary club.”Join us for tomorrow’s match! https://t.co/KHxBL3RDsG— Cavalry FC (@CPLCavalryFC) May 22, 2019 Seems like despite some parity in the league, Cavalry has demonstrated to be much better than the rest of the league. Vancouver being saved by their keeper night after night is worrisome and Cavalry are not only playing great football, but they are unbelievably dangerous on set pieces and will punish any teams conceding them. Wanderers should have this tonight and they will most likely play their "A" starting XI. York 9 should win this, I think the Chilean Gattas scores for them. Let's not minimize how much stronger Blainville is compared to the rest of PLSQ. Expect that team to get gutted once Quebec City and Laval enters CPL.
Canadian Content: Starting XIs for QR1 Match 1 Second Leg. #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/qM9oRCt996— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 22, 2019 Canadian Content: Starting XIs for QR1 Match 3 Second Leg. #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/aZkQoFImYw— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 22, 2019
Vaughan Azzurri wins 1-0 over HFX Wanderers but Halifax advance on away goals @HfxWanderersFC advances to Qualifying Round 2 and will host @ValourFootball at Wanderers Ground on June 5th. #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/rP5x7d0iu0— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 22, 2019
No upsets but some fun soccer. I haven't seen any attendance numbers yet for York or Calgary but a good crowd in Halifax. I'm looking forward to round two.
All the sound files from the post game press conference ie. May 22, 2019 York 9 FC vs A.S. Blainville http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports19/19york099.htm York 9 head coach Jimmy Brennan, then Ryan Telfer, then Blainville head coach Emmanuel Macagno with midfielder Wandrill Lefevre, then York 9's Luca Gasparotto. I'm working on some stadium pictures and my game report which will be numbered 098 and 100 soon.
http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports19/19york100.htm Some stadium pictures of the layout at York Lions Stadium.
I've become so accustomed to soccer specific stadia that, until I watched the highlights of the York game, I hadn't considered how far back the track puts the stands.
I think it's great that we've got lots of cross-country match-ups rather than just having an east-west divide. Feels so much more congealed.
You see that a lot in Latin America. I'm surprised that people at Fernandez stadium in Panama can even see the game.