Though it has been just 49 days since York United was eliminated in the play-in game of the 2023 Playoffs, those days have been some of the most anxious and worrisome for supporters in club history. There were innumerable tweets and posts, however legit, about who York’s new owners were. Meanwhile, president and sporting director Angus McNab left his position to continue growing his sports consulting business. Uncertainty was high, with some desperately attempting to connect the many dots.

The first rumour was 777 Partners. According to Northern Tribune, they had passed on FC Edmonton, the league’s first defunct team, yet at least looked at York. It was quite plausible, but 777 passed again on the Canadian Premier League to align their focus to Everton in the Premier League. There is another set of problems with that alone, as 777 is still gathering funds to buy the Toffees, despite announcing an agreement months ago.

So, the Americans weren’t the answer.

Then, OneSoccer’s Oliver Platt reported that the owners weren’t Canadian, but rather a group from elsewhere in North America. John Jacques from Northern Tribune was quick to point out that he had heard it was Mexican ownership. The latter proved to be true. Rifling through all the potential groups, originally it was speculation around Orlegi, who owns Atlas and Santos Laguna in Liga MX. Shortly later I learned from them that they “didn’t have interest.”

Today, the saga came to its conclusion: The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke published a story which declared brothers Ricardo, Eduardo, and Miguel Pasquel, from a newly-formed group called Game Plan Sports, bought the club. While an official league press release is pending, Kloke is by far one of the most trusted in the business, and tweets from another relative, Maico, and Ricardo’s profile getting a blue and green makeover confirm this.

The Pasquel family has far-reaching experience in Mexican football. A family tree littered with former players, owners, and executives at the club and national level of football in Mexico continues with what appears to be the first foreign club that the Pasquels have branched out to. The family also owns FEMSA, a beverage company that operates the largest Coca-Cola factory in Mexico. More importantly, perhaps, they run CF Monterrey, a decorated club with five CONCACAF Champions Cup titles. A family with winning DNA combined with York fresh off their most successful season seems to be a good pairing.

Of course, there are still a myriad of questions still to be answered regarding the purchase. For now, a crucial front office position has been filled, in the form of Ricardo stepping into the role of sporting director/general manager. He is packing his bags and moving to Toronto, something that McNab never did. A positive like that right out of the gate already has the Pasquels on good terms with supporters.

It remains to be seen what the next few months will bring. York has a decently-sized cohort of players on two-year pacts that carry over from 2023 to 2024. The new personnel will likely bring a new vision, looking for a new style of play. A Mexican manager and Mexican players, potentially even from Monterrey, could be frequent sightings.

Pre-season training in Mexico is very much on the table, as Kloke reports and the players at York would welcome a trip south with open arms: the current set-up for February pre-season is indoors at Ontario Soccer Centre, where the turf has been a culprit for early-season injuries in the York camp.

Luckily, the elephant in the room has been addressed. Feelings have been put at ease, and stability has returned to York Lions Stadium.

Top photo by John Jacques

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