Guelph United Off To Hot Start In League1 Ontario

Written by John Jacques for the Northern Tribune on 20/09/2021 - read the original article here.

Tomasz Skublack scores against ProStars FC Brampton on August 21st, 2021 - Michael Chisholm (@mik3)

Newly-formed League1 Ontario team Guelph United seems to be taking the semi-professional provincial league by storm.

The ambitious expansion side has become the ‘team to beat’, winning all six of its opening matches in the Ontario-based division and delivering an astounding 29 goals throughout those matches.

The club sits in at the top of the western division, with FC London the only other side there to remain undefeated. While other teams in the east have multiple games in hand, the scorelines from Guelph United’s fixtures certainly warrant attention: 6-0, 6-0, 5-4, 5-0, 6-2, and a sole 1-0 victory indicate a red-hot offense that has, on average, delivered 4.8 goals per match.

The dangerous attack can be directly linked to Canadian Premier League-related talents, with former Forge FC and York United forward Jace Kotsopoulos leading the club’s scoring charts with eleven goals in six appearances. He was the inaugural signing for Guelph United, with the former Gryphons phenom recording three hat tricks in six appearances so far.

Behind him is former Forge draft pick Alexander Zis with eight goals, which includes a hat trick against North Mississauga last week wherein he opened the scoring with a fifty-yard chip twenty seconds into the match. Behind him is former Halifax Wanderers striker Tomasz Skublak, who has contributed five goals thus far.

The resulting +29 goal difference is a significant reach higher than the nearest two clubs, Vaughan Azzurri and Blue Devils FC, who rest at +9. Still, anything can happen in the playoff stages, which will also determine who gets a ticket to the 2022 Canadian Championship.

Jace Kotsopoulos poses for the club’s 2021 kit reveal - Michael Chisholm (@mik3)

Guelph has also brought in former Valour FC midfielder Nicolas Galvis, though his gametime has been limited compared to the other additions from Canada’s top flight domestic league. Former Valour emergency goalkeeper Svyatik Artemenko has tended the net for the team, collecting four clean sheets in six appearances.

The defensive end has looked strong, barring a disastrous second half against the ProStars that saw Geulph concede four goals in a 5-4 home victory. The club has the second-lowest goals against in the league, with Vaughan Azzurri and Unionville Milliken tied for first at five against, while Guelph rests at six.

The new League1 Ontario club was announced as one of four expansion teams back in January, with 1812 FC also being added ahead of the 2021 League1 Ontario season. 

Guelph United is set to travel to London to take on FC London this Friday, with five games remaining for the regular season.