Alliance United to face Sigma FC in L1O-CPL doubleheader

League1 Ontario Men’s Premier Division teams Sigma and Alliance United will face each other on Sunday, July 9 as part of a doubleheader with Canadian Premier League sides York United and Forge FC.

The action kicks off with Sigma and Alliance taking to the field at 4:30pm ET before York and Forge do battle at 7:30pm ET.

Tickets must be purchased online prior to the event and costs start at $15 for adults – with some youth tickets being sold for $10 – and grant admission to both games. Fans will receive free entry by donating soccer equipment on entry as part of the Telus donation program.

Please click here to get your tickets for this weekend’s doubleheader: l1o.ca/dh0723tix

Sigma started the season looking like one of the strongest teams in the division, but two wins in their last six games – including back-to-back losses in their last two – have seen them drop from the playoffs to 10th in the table. Yet going into Week 13, they are still just one point from the top six.

Also in that congested top-half pack are eighth-placed Alliance United, currently on the same points as Sigma but ahead on goal difference. They have won their last two games and play against fellow playoff contenders Burlington on Thursday, where another three points would see them fly into second.

Alliance narrowly beat Sigma 1-0 in last year’s Men’s Premier Division regular season before going on to reach the playoff semifinals. But this weekend’s designated home team have extra incentive this year, building on their nine-point gap ahead of the dotted line in the Road to 2024.

Ones to watch

Sigma striker Miles Green was drafted by Forge in the CPL-U SPORTS Draft back in December after winning the Men’s Premier Division Forward of the Year award. He’s in different colours in L1O this year and netted four in five games; meanwhile, forward Ryan Khedoo and goalkeeper Dino Bontis have also shone at times this season.

Atchu Sivananthan was the goalscorer when these sides met in 2022, and he’s played in 11 of Alliance’s 12 games this year and will aim to be the difference maker again. Alliance’s captain and midfield talisman, Nikola Stakic, has six goals from nine games this year, while Dusan Kovacevic is another threat up top.

York United vs Forge

York and Forge sit second and third in the table respectively; the former have lost once in their last nine while the latter fell narrowly to HFX Wanderers last time out following a thrilling 4-3 win against Atlético Ottawa.

Both York and Forge have played 14 games, more than any other team in the league so far this season, so victory for either side is crucial if they want to hold on to their top-three positions.

Telus donation program

Free entry will be given to fans who donate gently used soccer equipment on entry, and they will also be entered into a prize draw to win an Apple Watch and soccer merchandise. Fans who have already bought a ticket but would still like to take part in the Telus donation program can redeem their ticket for another York United game in the future.

Tickets for York Lions Stadium this weekend grant access to both the CPL and L1O game, and you can purchase them online here.

Originally published on League1Ontario.com