Pacific FC head coach James Merriman uttered perhaps the understatement of the Canadian Premier League soccer season when he said: “It’s nice to be home. That was a long trip for us.”
It was only the longest in CPL history, that’s all, taking the Tridents across the country from Victoria to Halifax for a 1-0 loss to HFX, followed by a jaunt from Nova Scotia down to Central America for a CONCACAF League Round of 16 leg and narrow ouster on penalty kicks by regional power C.S. Herediano, with six players on Costa Rica’s 2022 World Cup team to Qatar.
The Tridents then flew from Costa Rica to Winnipeg for last weekend’s 1-0 CPL loss against Valour FC at IG Field.
“The guys are enjoying being back in their own beds and training in our own environment and back to our daily routines and normalcy,” said Merriman.
PFC meets York United of the Greater Toronto Region today at 2 p.m. at Starlight Stadium.
“It’s important that we’re home and we’ve been very good here,” said Merriman.
“It was been a season of swings for PFC in league play. A strong start was followed by a fallow period, followed by five consecutive league victories in an unbeaten in six stretch, and now followed by two consecutive league losses.”
It has left defending CPL-champion PFC (10-6-5 in wins-losses-draws) hanging on to the fourth and final playoff position by just two points ahead of surging fifth-place Valour FC but with a game in hand.
Looking the other way, there are just four points separating first-place Atletico Ottawa and the fourth-place PFC with second-place Cavalry FC two points ahead of the Tridents and third-place Forge FC just one. PFC holds a game in hand on Ottawa and Calgary’s Cavalry FC.
“The league is competitive has been all season long,” said Merriman. “We knew it was going to come down to the very end. It’s exciting. It’s when teams and players want to play. Our guys are motivated and there’s a good energy.”
PFC will again be without midfield engine Manny Aparicio, sitting out the second game of a three-game league suspension for a straight red card incurred in the HFX match.
“It’s a big loss but we’ve had this in the past and need other players to step up and fill that void and players are excited for that opportunity,” said Merriman.
“It is next man up.”
HFX, FC Edmonton and today’s PFC opponent, York United, look to be out of it in terms of the playoffs.
York United is 6-11-5 under first-year head coach Martin Nash of Victoria, who as a player was 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup-champion and a 38-time sa国际传媒-capped former Whitecaps pro.
York United is not officially eliminated from the CPL playoff hunt, but that moment is looming, with York 12 points adrift of the final playoff berth.
“Draws don’t get us anywhere at this point,” said Nash.
“We want to get this group to being in the mindset going forward and into next year of being on the front foot and looking to win games.
“If we’re in a position where we’re needing to take a risk, we’ll be more than willing to do so and go for it rather than sitting back and accepting a draw.
“Earlier in the season, you might take the draw get out of there. But now it doesn’t really help us, so you have to go for the win.”
So look for York United to be pedal to the floor today. The Nine Stripes have played PFC tough this season, including a win on penalty kicks in the Canadian Championship quarter-finals to deny the Tridents a semifinal date with the Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS. In league play this seaon, the Nine Stripes have held PFC to two scoreless draws but the Tridents won the last meeting between the clubs 4-2 in a come-from-behind scorefest in Toronto.
