York United FC has been on a roll since Benjamin Mora took charge in early June.
The Toronto-based CPL team has lost just once in eight games (5-1-2) under the Mexican coach, with the lone defeat a 1-0 decision at Valour FC on June 27. The run has moved York (8-5-3, 27 points) into second place in the eight-team Canadian Premier League behind Atletico Ottawa (8-3-5, 29 points).
And York defeated Ottawa 4-1 when the teams met last Friday at York Lions Stadium, scoring four straight goals after falling behind in the sixth minute in an entertaining match that saw Ottawa hit the woodwork twice.
In the locker-room after the match, Mora praised his team for its response to conceding early and called the performance "one of the best" in his short time with the group. But he also had a message to his players.
"We have not won anything. Nothing at all. Nothing at all," he said. "We need to work a lot in many many ways. But winning gives us the calmness to work in a better way."
Next up for York is a game Friday at Pacific FC, which stands sixth in the standings at 5-6-4.
In other CPL action this week, Ottawa hosts Cavalry FC on Saturday, Valour FC entertains Forge on Sunday and Vancouver FC visits Halifax Wanderers FC on Monday.
While York is headed in the right direction, Pacific has won just twice in its last 11 league outings (2-6-3) since a 2-0 victory over visiting York on May 4. And Pacific is winless in its last five games (0-3-2) at Starlight Stadium since that triumph over York.
Mora calls York "a small team with big dreams." With emphasis on the word team.
"We don't rely on one specific player. We don't rely on one specific talented guy that can help us win games," Mora explained. "We rely on teamwork."
Mora is quick to credit his players for the turnaround.
"It's not really me. I'm the channel. I'm the conductor of the ideas and I transmit the ideas and (the players) execute (them)," he said. "They are the same players from last year, they are the same players from the last four or five months and now they're playing in a different way. It's them, it's not me playing."
York has added some talent, however.
Winger Jorge Guzman is the latest Mexican player to join York, following in the footsteps of compatriots Orlando Botello, Oswaldo Leon and Josue Martinez. The 20-year-old Guzman helped set up two of York's four goals against Ottawa.
"A good weapon for us," said Mora.
Mora calls his team's recent run "an amazing start" but cautions that the positive results don't mean everything is hunky-dory.
"We are having a lot of mistakes, in many ways … we have a lot to improve," he said.
Mora acknowledged the progress York has made usually takes more time, "but the players have been very disciplined and very focused in trying to understanding what we want — this collective game, this collective type of football."
York's new Mexican ownership group fired former Canadian international Martin Nash as coach May 21 with the club sitting fifth at 2-3-1. Assistant coach Mauro Eustaquio took the helm until Mora was put in charge, making his debut on sidelines June 9 in a 2-2 tie with visiting Vancouver FC.
The 45-year-old spent a year in charge of Mexico’s Atlas FC, taking over the Guadalajara-based team in October 2022 after winning a title in Malaysia with Johor Darul Ta'zim FC. He was fired by Atlas last October with the club 13th in the Liga MX standings.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2024
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
