Pacific FC players appear like a purple rash over the first 颅Canadian Premier League team of the week with four of the 11 selections, indicating how emphatic the opening 2-0 victory was over HFX Wanderers of Halifax.
Goal scorers Marco 颅Bustos and Ollie Bassett got the nod along with PFC striker 颅Alejandro Diaz and defender Kadin Chung. But it was a 颅thorough team effort.
鈥淲e won playing the type of football we want to play,鈥� said midfielder Josh Heard, another PFC standout in the opener.
鈥淲e were a unit, a collective,鈥� added the Victoria product, who played in the Pac-12 for the 颅University of Washington Huskies, and was selected by the Vancouver Whitecaps in the 2016 MLS draft.
鈥淵ou could see it in the joy on our faces when we celebrated the two goals. We鈥檝e been starved for games.鈥�
But PFC head coach Pa-Modou Kah is not one to rest on laurels as he looks to 颅Thursday鈥檚 game against York United of Toronto at 2 p.m. PT in the CPL bubble portion of the season at IG Stadium in 颅Winnipeg.
鈥淲e started well on the front foot but it鈥檚 only one of eight games we will play in the 颅bubble,鈥� said Kah.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to keep pushing. There is more in this group and they can feel it themselves.鈥�
That is such a driving focus for Kah, that when the 10-time Norway capped international was asked during an interview Tuesday morning if he was watching the Euro championship games, he replied no: 鈥淚 am preparing with my staff for York United.鈥�
York United, hampered during training camp by stringent Ontario lockdown restrictions, began with a 2-1 loss to Cavalry FC of Calgary.
鈥淭hey did not have the same opportunities in training but we can not under-rate them,鈥� warned Kah.
鈥淲e have to be ready to go.鈥�
Kah said it鈥檚 important not to squander the opportunity 颅provided by the bubble portion of the season, which is expected to be followed by a closing 20 games in home-market 颅stadiums with fans in 颅attendance.
鈥淚t was nine months between games for us because of the strict restrictions in sa国际传媒,鈥� said Kah.
鈥淲e kept our focus through the long pre-season of training. So, we are grateful to be playing now. From the hotel to the food to the training pitch, the set-up here has been fantastic. We want to pile up as many points as we can in the bubble and head back to the Island hopefully to play later in the season in front of our fans. We need that in each city. We need the country behind this league.鈥�
Meanwhile, as the hot weather moves east over the Winnipeg CPL bubble, the league has altered some start times for the coming weekend. Those will affect Saturday games but, as of now, not PFC鈥檚 game Sunday at 4 p.m. PT against two-time league champion Forge FC of Hamilton, Ont.
