Six of the seven CPL clubs played on Super Saturday to close out the first two weeks of the season. Every club has now played at least one match, and every club has at least one point. Here are three interesting tidbits from each match, followed by my Team of the Weeks.

HFX Wanderers FC 2 – 1 Forge FC

1. Kodai Iida starts and Wanderers start to press

Stephen Hart was understandably upset after their week one loss to Pacific FC. His side didn’t press or counter at pace. Against Forge FC, he deployed Iida from the start in a 4-2-3-1 and the hosts were much more aggressive. Iida was the lone bright spot in the opener for HFX and he continued his sharp play against Forge. He won, and took, the free kick that led to the goal and his constant motor allowed him not only to find spots to pick up the ball but also to press effectively. He and Luis Perea injected much needed life into the Wanderers attack, and Hart must now decide if he can effectively utilize Iida, Perea, and Juan Gutierrez in the same line up.

2. Giuliano Frano once again takes up midfield spot in possession

Frano started as a centre back against York9 FC in week one, but an early injury to Jonathan Grant pushed him to right back. In that position, he moved inside when his team had to ball to create an extra man in midfield, allowing Kyle Bekker to stay higher up the pitch. While it was effective against York9, against HFX the lane to Frano was often blocked by either Iida or Perea. This often led to congestion in the middle and Forge lost an obvious out ball. It will be interesting to see if Frano continues at right back when Grant returns, and what Bobby Smyrniotis does with his full backs going forward.

3. Triston Henry looks uncomfortable, unless he has the ball at his feet

Modern goalkeepers are asked to be comfortable on the ball, and Henry certainly has been through the first two weeks. Smyrniotis asks his team to keep the ball and the play out from the back, and Henry has been very good at doing so. However, he hasn’t appeared confident when defending his box, particularly on crosses. The Hamilton based side have a more than capable back up in Quillan Roberts, so it will be interesting to see what happens to that competition as the season progresses.

Cavalry FC 2 – 1 York9 FC

1. Both sides line up in a 3-4-3, but the similarities end there

The first half of this match was completely one sided, with the home team simply doing everything better than their visitors. Their centre backs were progressive in possession, their wing backs pinned York’s backwards, their midfielders won the ball and recycled possession, and their front three effectively pressed York’s back line while running the channels and providing an outlet. On the other side, York9 were poor in many aspects of the game, most notably with their three forwards refusing the pick up either the centre backs of the Cavs or their wing backs when the Calgary team had the ball. Caught in that no man’s land between the outside centre backs and the wing backs, Cavalry FC easily dominated the first period.

2. Jim Brennan must decide what his best central midfield grouping is

Due to a number of reasons, Brennan changed his entire central midfield grouping from week one to week two. The pairing of Ryan Telfer and Emilio Estevez was, to put it bluntly, a failure. Wataru Murofushi came on at half time and York9 looked much better as Telfer was pushed into a wide position. Manny Aparicio is Brennan’s captain and will almost certainly start every time he is available, but the rest of the grouping is up in the air. Telfer has never played as a central midfielder as a professional and doesn’t possess any of the obvious attributes required for the position. Estevez grew into the game as it wore on and York9 were able to press and possess the ball, and he provided a fine assist for their only goal. A Jekyll & Hyde performance from York9 FC leaves Brennan with questions on who he wants to play in the middle of the park, and with that what style he wants his team to play.

3. Nathan Ingham looks comfortable, except with the ball at his feet

Ingham once again made numerous saves to keep his team in the game, and looks especially confident coming out and closing down attackers. But for all his shot stopping virtues, Ingham constantly puts his side under pressure by either mis-kicking balls into touch or making ill-advised throws to defenders who have an opposition player nearby. Compounding this problem is the fact that none of the York9 centre backs are comfortable on the ball, so Brennan’s side are at a constant disadvantage. This was especially obvious against Cavalry FC whose defenders were confident not only in passing the ball forwards, but also in stepping to midfield when needed.

Valour FC 1 – 2 FC Edmonton

1. Rob Gale continues with his 3-5-2/lopsided 4-4-2, but switches Skylar Thomas and Jordan Murrell

Gale continued his interesting shape and made one personnel change, bring Dylan Carreiro in for Nicolas Galvis, which pushed Dylan Sacramento wide left. However, his most interesting change was playing captain Murrell in the middle of the back three and Thomas on the right. The most obvious reason for this change was to match up a certain player against the opposition’s lone striker. Pacific FC started Marcus Haber up front, whose tall and immobile physical profile matches up ideally with that of Thomas’. FC Edmonton started the small and quick Randy Edwini-Bonsu who is a better match up for the more agile Murrell. It will be interesting to keep tabs on how Gale matches up against certain lone strikers, and who becomes the spare man against Cavalry FC in their next match.

2. Valour’s shape allows them to pack numbers around the ball

Gale’s line up has a lot of moving parts, and one thing it does is that it always keeps a number of players around the ball. Numerous players end up playing multiple positions, and there always seems to be an extra Valour player in the active playing area. Moving forward, it will be interesting to keep an eye on whether they can continue to play this physically demanding system, especially in a league where depth appears to be at a premium.

3. FC Edmonton solid, if unspectacular

While Valour play a complicated system with many moving parts, the Eddies played a rigid 4-2-3-1 and relied on set pieces for both their goals. This isn’t to say they were poor, though they were outplayed for the first half of the game. Edmonton have many good, archetypal pieces: tall and strong centre backs, athletic full backs, pacy attackers, and a central midfield pairing that complements each other well with a destroyer and a passer. Every CPL manager seems to be preaching playing a proactive style, but solidity and cohesion can win a lot of matches, and Edmonton seem to have the personnel to sit a bit deeper and hit teams on the break.

Team of the Weeks

Goalkeeper: Connor James (FC Edmonton)

Made a number of saves in the first half against Valour FC, and was confident in all aspects. Rushed out well, was fine with crosses, and was comfortable in possession. Only beaten by a penalty kick. One of a number of U Sports players to play well.

Right back: Diego Gutierrez (Valour FC) *PLAYER OF THE WEEKS*

Extremely clever player who did well in both attack and defence. The only one tasked to provide genuine width for Valour FC, but he didn’t simply provide aimless cross after cross. Combined well with Josip Golubar and made dangerous runs of his own. Provided an assist in the opener and won the penalty in the second match.

Centre back: Hendrik Starostzik (Pacific FC)

The proverbial calming influence at the back. Deal well with the attacks of HFX, but to be fair the Haligonians did not seem in the mood to attack. Adept at defending the box and even popped up with a goal from a corner.

Honourable mention: Amer Didic (FC Edmonton)

Centre back: Joel Waterman (Cavalry FC)

Defended solidly with no obvious mistakes, but most impressive with the ball at his feet. Passed forward well, and confidently stepped forward with the ball and into midfield to give his team another dimension in possession. Both he and Dominick Zator will be key for Cavalry in their outside centre back positions.

Left back: Jose Escalante (Cavalry FC)

Athletic and clever going forward. Pinned back his opposite number on the wing and basically locked down the entire side for the first half. Had a number of crosses into the box, some of them dangerous. Provided a good delivery from a corner kick to set up the second goal.

Honourable mention: Blake Smith (Pacific FC)

Centre midfield: Noah Verhoeven (Pacfic FC)

Constantly demanding the ball with his movement in deep positions. Extremely confident on the ball, although he needs to be more pragmatic in specific situations. He always provided an outlet for his back line and solved numerous problems when in possession. Set up the only goal in their win from a corner kick.

Centre midfield: Josip Golubar (Valour FC)

Combined really well with Gutierrez and constantly moved his team forward. Always in and around the box, trying to be progressive with his variety. Adept at dribbling, passing, or shooting. Unlucky not to have more end product from his first two matches.

Honourable mention: Ramon Soria (FC Edmonton)

Right wing: Tristan Borges (Forge FC)

His performance against York9 FC was the most dynamic performance of the first two weeks. Extremely unlucky not to score in either match. Constantly moved to find space and even when his ideas didn’t come off he caused many problems with his movement and ambition. The best attacker of the first two weeks.

Attacking midfield: Kodai Iida (HFX Wanderers FC)

Mobile and clever in his two matches. The lone threat in their opener, and their best player in the second match. Not only the spark plug in attack with his lateral movement and confidence to drive forward, but the first line of defence with effective pressing.

Left wing: Kadell Thomas (Forge FC)

Two goals put him in the Team of the Weeks, although there wasn’t much competition for this position. Did ok overall, finding good positions to get into for his finishes. Forge FC desperately need a penalty box player to finish their intricate moves and he fit the profile in their first two matches.

Striker: Luis Perea (HFX Wanderers FC)

A good focal point for the Atlantic side who was obviously desperately missed in their visit to the Pacific coast. Decent movement and link up with Iida, and a calm finish put him in the Team of the Weeks. His physicality was also an asset in keeping the ball and when pressing

Honourable mention: Michael Petrasso (Valour FC)