March 8, 2024
He told the Canedian Premier League
Ricardo Pasquel
Owner of the York United FC soccer team
We have the squad to do it’: Ricardo Pasquel believes York United are ready to compete with the best in the CPL
It has been a month since York United players returned to the field to begin preparations for their sixth Canadian Premier League season.
The new president and general director of the club, Ricardo Pasquel, is already counting the days until he can see his team in official competition.
He has spent those weeks evaluating the group almost daily as they play different formations and test themselves against multiple opponents ahead of their season-opening trip to TD Place Stadium to face Atlético Ottawa on April 13.
“It’s a long preseason, right?” Pasquel told CanPL.ca. “For us it’s almost two and a half months, so it’s too long. At the same time, we have to take advantage of the opportunity that this brings, we are trying different formations, we are trying different strategies.”
In the 14 weeks since Game Plan Sports Group, led by Pasquel and his brothers Miguel (CCO and Head of New Strategic Alliances) and Eduardo (CEO), Ricardo, the coaching staff and sports director Jorge Villalpando have been working hard to reinforce the Nine Stripes Roster heading into this season.
At his introductory press conference in December, Pasquel spoke of a global search for talent, and that has certainly been evident in the Nine Stripes’ signings so far this offseason. Players from leagues in Austria, Belgium, Chile, Mexico and Spain have joined the club.
“Different experiences everywhere, some good, some bad, but that’s part of the job, right?” Pasquel said. “Talking to countries, maybe 10 to 15 different leagues, maybe even more, but that’s part of the job, that’s part of being a general manager, that’s part of having good leadership. We have to explore all options. Being under the salary cap every penny counts, when you are going to spend it and how you are going to spend it.”
Pasquel was quite happy with the core of players he inherited from a Nine Stripes team that set a club record for points and wins last season before making the playoffs for the second time in club history. But in evaluating the group this offseason, one area in particular stood out that needed to be addressed before 2024.
“I think one thing that happened last year is that they had some bad luck on the injury side, specifically on the defensive side of the ball,” Pasquel said. “Nashy [York head coach Martin Nash] had to maneuver all over the place, so a big part of it was making sure we finished the back first. Not only do we have Juan [Córdova] coming from Chile, we have Frank [Sturing] from Europe, Oswaldo [León] and Orlando [Botello] coming from Mexico. And having Noah [Abatneh], he was surprised, he’s a great player, Noah. That was very important, making sure we strengthened the backend.”
The Canadian international defender pair, in particular, spearhead York United’s revamped defensive line. Juan Córdova, a 28-year-old winger, comes to the club from Ñublense, one of the best clubs in Chile, and has played twice in the CanMNT. Meanwhile, Frank Sturing, a 26-year-old center back recruited from Austrian club SV Horn, scored for Canada in a record-breaking win against the Cayman Islands in 2021.
Juan has a lot of technique, he is a very good player,” said Pasquel. “I have been very impressed by his technique, I think by his quick thinking. Frank has been very impressive. It’s been a while since he played in a formal match, it’s been maybe six months or so. He is slowly working his way back up, but at the same time in the minutes he has accumulated in exhibition games you can see the quality right away. He has a very, very good right foot, he makes these long passes look very simple, which is difficult to do.”
Pasquel and Villalpando have also used their connections in Mexico to strengthen the squad, bringing in 21-year-old midfielder Josué Martínez and 22-year-old defender Orlando Botello on loan from Liga MX club CF Monterrey. Meanwhile, defender Oswaldo León, 24, signed with the Dorados de Sinaloa club.
“They have very good quality, very good quality, they have a very high technique,” Pasquel said. “But it is also an adaptation process for them to come to the CPL, which is a very physical league. So the adaptation for them and also the language barrier, but we have been very happy with the month they have been here.”
While several players have impressed during the preseason, at this point, from net to forward, no one is guaranteed a starting position. That’s the kind of depth of talent and internal competition that perhaps the Nine Stripes have been lacking in recent seasons.
“It’s a battle every day and we are trying different formations with different players,” Pasquel said.
report by Maria Ocampo
