PACIFIC FC 1 FORGE FC 0
Pacific FC forward Djenairo Daniels is always lurking, but so far had been unlucky around the opposition net.
He picked the most opportune time to get his first goal of the season, taking advantage of a chain reaction of Forge FC miscues, scoring at 85 minutes to give the Tridents a 1-0 Canadian Premier League victory at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont.
Forge FC defender Dom Samuel and veteran goalkeeper Triston Henry completely mis-handled a long through ball by Manny Aparicio to allow Daniels to score into a gaping net. Even though the net was open, a defender was closing from the far side and Daniels had to be quick to left-foot it home.
“I had to make a good decision and that’s what I did,” said the lanky and hard-charging Dutch import.
The Tridents are happy he did as the Island club vaulted into first place in the CPL with 18 points on five wins, one loss and three draws with a game in hand on both Forge FC and York United, tied for second on 16 points.
It was a marquee match-up with Forge FC having won three CPL titles with appearances in all four championship games to date. The only blemish was the 1-0 loss in the 2021 final to Pacific FC.
“[Forge] has set the standard in the CPL with their championships and their runs in CONCACAF,” said PFC head coach James Merriman.
“We knew this was a difficult place to play and that we had to be organized and compact defensively. In the second half, we opened it up and attacked more.”
Merriman didn’t hesitate to use the substitution trigger, pulling forwards Josh Heard and Adonijah Reid and midfielder Cedric Toussaint and sending in forwards Daniels and Ayman Sellouf and attacking midfielder Sean Young.
“The energy of our guys, from starters to non-starters, is our strength right now,” said Merriman. “The competition [for spots] is good.”
The Tridents avenged the 1-0 loss to the Hammers at Starlight Stadium on April 30, the only game this season in which PFC has not earned a point. It was also sweet to beat former Tridents Terran Campbell, who had 22 goals in 64 games for PFC from 2019 to 2021, and Alessandro Hojabrpour, who scored the winner for the Tridents against Forge FC in the 2021 championship game. They both bailed and joined the Hammers in 2022.
Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis said his team “was in control over the first 65 minutes, but then it became a game of transition,” meaning chance and luck came more into play.
“We made unforced errors and that makes it easy for the game to swing,” said Smyrniotis.
PFC hosts Martin Nash’s York United side next Sunday at Starlight Stadium.
CORNER KICKS: Former Cavalry FC player Victor Loturi, now with Ross County in Scotland, and Dominick Zator out of Cavalry FC and York United, currently with Korona Kielce in Poland, are the two CPL alumni named to the final 23-player Canadian roster for the CONCACAF Nations League finals this month. Six CPL alumni, including former PFC defender Lukas MacNaughton of Nashville SC in MLS, were named to the 53-player sa国际传媒 selection long list. sa国际传媒 plays in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Panama on Thursday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. sa国际传媒 will meet either the U.S. or Mexico in the final or bronze-medal game next Sunday.
