CLEVE DHEENSAW
sa国际传媒
Pacific FC president Josh Simpson and chief executive officer and general manager Rob Friend, who have 65 caps for sa国际传媒 between them from their playing days, watched Wednesday鈥檚 sa国际传媒-Mexico Gold Cup game at Broncos Stadium in mile-high Denver.
Canadian soccer is a 鈥渢ight-knit community,鈥� Simpson said. 鈥淓verybody in the Canadian contingent in Denver was excited about the Canadian Premier League.鈥�
It鈥檚 back to sea level today at Westhills Stadium for the CPL fixture between PFC and FC Edmonton at 3 p.m. It is the penultimate fixture for PFC (2-4-2) and third-to-last for FC Edmonton (1-4-2) before closing out their spring seasons. Neither can overtake leading Cavalry FC, which can clinch the 10-game spring title with two points from its final two games. The remaining games are still important, however, because should Cavalry also win the 18-game second half, the team with the next best overall record over the season鈥檚 two parts season will get the second berth into the league final.
Simpson and Friend have taken to heart the CPL鈥檚 mandate of developing young pro talent and being the bridge, which has been missing in Canadian soccer, that moves players up to Major League Soccer and Europe.
With the youngest roster in the CPL, the growing pains have been obvious for PFC. But this is a long-term project, Simpson said.
With FIFA mandating World Cup host nations to have a domestic pro league, the CPL is good through 2026. By then, the roots will have grown deep, Simpson predicted.
鈥淭he CPL is where the MLS was 20 years ago 鈥� no difference,鈥� he said.
Simpson also takes a holistic view about PFC鈥檚 on-field performance. 鈥淲e would have loved to have more results, 鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are looking to put a winning product on the pitch. We are going to be a powerhouse in developing young Canadian pro players. Two or three years down the road, this team will be something special. Even now, we have not been far off.鈥�
Pacific FC is coming off its first road victory in franchise history following Thursday鈥檚 2-1 win over Valour FC in Winnipeg, which ended an eight-game winless streak that included two Voyageurs Cup losses.
鈥淭hursday鈥檚 win was huge for us,鈥� said PFC midfielder Ben Fisk, a former sa国际传媒 under-20 and under-23 player. 鈥淲e got back to the style of football we want to play and [that] we can build off.鈥�
FC Edmonton is winless in six games.
鈥淎 wounded animal is the most dangerous,鈥� PFC coach Michael Silberbauer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a quick turnaround from Thursday and we need to keep our energy up.鈥�
