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Pacific FC looks to fend off Forge in Hamilton

There was no announcement Friday from Canada Soccer on whether Pacific FC will meet Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio and the rest of Toronto FC at Starlight Stadium in Langford or BMO Field in Toronto.
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Pacific FC striker Terran Campbell loos to stay hot Saturday in Hamilton. TRISHA LEES, PACIFIC FC

There was no announcement Friday from Canada Soccer on whether Pacific FC will meet Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio and the rest of Toronto FC at Starlight Stadium in Langford or BMO Field in Toronto.

Details of the Canadian Championship semifinal date and venue for PFC’s match-up against the Major League ­Soccer club were expected to be unveiled but have been delayed.

What PFC does know for sure is that it will play Forge FC in a marquee Canadian Premier League match-up today at 4 p.m. PT at Tim Hortons Field in ­Hamilton, Ont.

Forge FC (9-7-1) is the two-time defending CPL champion and current league-leading PFC (10-3-6) the hopeful and primed heir apparent. The former champions, however, still have much fight left in them. PFC has lost only three times this season with two of those defeats coming against Forge FC during the Winnipeg bubble portion of the season.

PFC head coach Pa-Modou Kah labeled Forge FC, along with Cavalry FC of Calgary, as the “models for consistency in the CPL.”

In fact, he might rate Cavalry FC even higher.

“Cavalry was the 2019 regular-season champion, and in the rest of the world in football, that is considered the league champion. Only in North America do they hold playoffs,” noted Kah.

But in North America is where CPL teams live and play and playoff races are a thing. The top-four of the eight CPL clubs will make the post-season with PFC leading the table on 36 points, Cavalry FC second on 32 with a game in hand, Forge FC third on 28 with two games in hand and York United fourth on 26 points.

Kah said the two earlier losses to Forge FC were due to missed opportunities.

“It was a matter of us not ­finishing our chances,” he said.

“But we are a different team now than we were in the bubble.”

Even with star player Marco Bustos down for much of the season to injury. Among the players who stepped up in ­Bustos’ absence has been striker Terran Campbell with eight goals in the past 12 games. Kah revealed Campbell has been through much emotionally with the recent death of his father.

“Terran is a strong-minded person,” said Kah.

“We call him the Hulk, even though he doesn’t get angry, but because you can feel the power he possess.”

That is both on and off the pitch.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com