Pacific FC will begin the 2020 Canadian Premier League pro soccer season, four months later than planned, when it kicks off against the HFX Wanderers of Halifax on Saturday at noon PDT in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
The CPL announced its schedule Monday. All games will be played on the University of Prince Edward Island鈥檚 FIFA-standard Alumni Field turf facility sans fans amid the league鈥檚 鈥渂ubble鈥� after the Charlottetown beat out Langford and Moncton, N.B., to host the season tournament.
鈥淭his nation is huge, man,鈥� said PFC head coach Pa-Modou Kah, after his team arrived in Charlottetown on the weekend after a cross-country WestJet charter flight.
The charter left Victoria and stopped in Calgary to pick up the Cavalry FC and FC Edmonton teams.
鈥淓ach team was respectful to the others and everybody stuck to their space,鈥� said the capped Norwegian international Kah.
All eight CPL teams quarantined for 14 days before leaving their cities and must quarantine an additional five days in Charlottetown, where each club is occupying a separate floor in the city鈥檚 waterfront Delta hotel. Each player was tested for COVID in their home communities and again upon landing in Charlottetown.
鈥淭he set-up is very good. The CPL and P.E.I. have done a great job,鈥� said Kah.
鈥淥ur boys are happy.鈥�
But this trip is not for sightseeing on the picturesque island.
鈥淥ur guys are on a mission here to win games,鈥� said Kah, by phone.
Each of the eight teams will play the other once in the round-robin portion of the made-for-TV tournament. PFC鈥檚 other games are against York9 next next Tuesday at 10 a.m., Forge FC of Hamilton on Aug. 22 at 1 p.m., Valour FC of Winnipeg on Aug. 25 at 11 a.m., Cavalry FC on Aug. 30 at 9 a.m., Atletico Ottawa on Sept. 2 at 5 p.m. and FC Edmonton on Sept. 6 at noon. All times are PDT.
All games will be broadcast live over the Web on OneSoccer, beginning with the opener Thursday as defending-champion Forge FC meets Cavalry FC in a rematch of the 2019 CPL championship final.
The top-four teams will advance to a playoff-round robin. The top team from that will go directly into the league championship game while the second- and third-place teams will meet in a semifinal with the winner advancing to the championship final.
鈥淥ur mindset upon arrival is to get into that top-four,鈥� said Kah.
This is the second year for the long-awaited Canadian domestic pro soccer league, mandated by FIFA, as part of sa国际传媒 hosting the 2026 World Cup with the U.S. and Mexico. Nobody could have anticipated the sophomore CPL being played in this abbreviated fashion amid a pandemic.
鈥淭he games will come fast and dense,鈥� said Kah.
There is little room to recover from losses. Kah said the teams that 鈥渟tick together best鈥� amid the whirlwind will do best.
