Regular-season championships hold a mythic place in soccer throughout much of the world, and are considered the true championship, because playoffs are not held. It’s less so in playoff-defined North American sports but is still considered a notable achievement.
The race for the Canadian Premier League regular-season championship has come down to second-place Pacific FC and leading Atletico Ottawa. Island-based PFC (13-7-7) can capture the regular-season crown, and yet-to-be-named new trophy that will go with it, if the Tridents beat Cavalry FC (13-9-5 in wins-losses-draws) in Calgary Saturday at 3 p.m. PT in their final game and Atletico Ottawa loses or draws against York United (9-12-6) on Sunday in its closing game. Atletico Ottawa (13-5-9) leads PFC by two points and will be crowned with a victory Sunday at home versus York, or a PFC loss or draw Saturday in Calgary.
“It [regular-season title] has always been a priority for us. It’s a goal that we set at the beginning of the season. We’re right there and able to potentially achieve it, but a couple of things depend on it,” said PFC head coach James Merriman.
“You always want to finish as high as possible. That is an extra motivation and drive and push for us right now.”
A cash purse, yet to be decided, will also come with the yet-to-be-named CPL regular-championship trophy.
“It’s really hard to be the top team over 28 games. Any team can get on a run in the playoffs and become the champions. So we are going to reward the regular-season champions as well as the playoff champions,” CPL commissioner Mark Noonan told the sa国际传媒, when he visited Victoria in September.
“We are going to name it and brand it and have the hardware in the off-season. And we will retroactively recognize the winners from our past regular seasons, too. I can see in the future the regular-season championship being one of the qualification criteria [to advance to CONCACAF play]. In the past, playoff-qualified teams might have taken their foot off the gas. Now it makes late-season games more meaningful.”
Defending league playoff-champion PFC is on a three-game winning streak and unbeaten in five heading into Saturday's regular-season finale in Calgary.
“We are a difficult team to play when we are working for each other and everybody is doing their job, on and off the ball,” said Merriman.
“Everybody is putting in the work and running to cover spaces for each other. The team is coming together right now at an important part of the season.”
The consecutive victories have all come with clean sheets.
“Our back four, regardless of who steps in, has been very solid. And [goalkeeper] Callum Irving is in good form and confidence behind them.”
Cavalry FC and Forge FC are tied for third place and have qualified for the CPL playoffs, along with PFC and Atletico Ottawa, with the four clubs to play in the two-legged semifinals, matching the first versus fourth seeds and second versus third seeds on Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, with a game guaranteed at Starlight Stadium. The semifinal matchups will be decided over this final weekend of the regular season. The single-game CPL championship final will be played Oct. 29 at the home of the higher remaining seed.
CORNER KICKS: PFC forward Djenairo Daniels and attacking-midfielder Gianni Dos Santos have remained in Victoria with minor knocks but Merriman indicated both would be ready for the playoffs.
