Don’t look now, but it’s getting crowded at the top of the table in the Canadian Premier League. Only four points separate first and sixth place as teams chase five playoff positions.
A race that seemed Pacific FC’s to lose through much of the season has turned into a muddle, with any number of scenarios possible.
Every point is precious down the stretch drive, with many eyes on Calgary today at 2 p.m. PT when enigmatic and bafflingly inconsistent PFC will look to halt a two-game losing spiral when it plays Cavalry FC, which is currently top by a point on PFC and the HFX Wanderers of Halifax.
Regular-season championships are not academic in soccer as in mainstream North American sports. Both the 2023 CPL regular-season and playoff champions will earn berths into the 2024 CONCACAF Champions League.
PFC head coach James Merriman last week mused that those two CPL teams advancing would be a heartbeat away from potentially playing Inter Miami and Lionel Messi next year. That is the organic nature of extra-league soccer competitions.
But it’s not Messi the Tridents (9-6-5 in wins-losses-draws) will be messing with today but a Cavalry team that is 9-5-6.
Merriman, in his pre-match media conference, noted the rest of the regular season will essentially have a playoff-type vibe and that his club needs to be more “ruthless” over its final eight games.
That is an attribute that has been lacking this season as albeit talented PFC too often looks to want to attack with stiletto-like precision rather than a more brawny and straightforward approach.
The cross-Rockies PFC-Cavalry rivalry is one of the most intense in the CPL with the Calgary club holding the all-time series lead at 11-8-4, including a 2-1 victory at Starlight Stadium in the lone previous league meeting of the season.
The Tridents, however, outlasted Cavalry FC on penalties at Starlight in the Canadian Championship Voyageurs Cup competition this season.
