Whether it turns out nasty or nice, November will be the most important month in Pacific FC history.
The Canadian Premier League has announced its playoff dates, and barring a complete collapse, current league-leading PFC should be involved. The top seed will host the fourth seed and second seed will host the third seed in the CPL semifinals on Nov. 20 or Nov. 21. The championship game will be played Nov. 27 or Nov. 28 at the home of the highest-remaining seed.
Meanwhile, Pacific FC will be playing Toronto FC of Major League Soccer in a Canadian Championship semifinal Nov. 3 at BMO Field. In the other semifinal, CF Montreal of MLS meets Forge FC of the CPL at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton. The Canadian champion will advance to the CONCACAF Champions League.
“Not only will some of our clubs be playing in some of the biggest matches in North American football over the next two months but all of our CPL clubs continue to push for the playoffs as our 2021 final draws nearer,” CPL commissioner David Clanachan said in a statement.
It’s getting closer to the moments of truth that will define the season but PFC head coach Pa-Modou Kah is very much a task-at-hand sort of guy. That immediacy involves tonight’s league game at 6 p.m. PT against FC Edmonton at Clarke Stadium in the Alberta capital.
“We will be ready for when the time comes in November but right now we have to focus on October,” he said.
Kah knows his club (11-4-6 in league and 13-4-6 overall) hasn’t clinched anything yet and that Cavalry FC and Forge FC also have designs on the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the CPL playoffs.
That’s not to mention seventh-place FC Edmonton (4-10-7) have played PFC tough. The Tridents have a victory and two draws in their three previous games against the Eddies this season.
“They have made life tough for us and provided a bit of drama in all our games against them,” said Kah.
As to be expected from an Eddies side which features Fraser Aird, a former Rangers and Whitecaps winger capped eight times for Canada, twice Canada-capped Amer Didic and Tobias Warschewski, who leads with CPL with five assists and is showing why he was a former Germany U-19 player and Dortmund prospect.
But the most potent FC Edmonton threat has been six-foot-six, hard-to-miss target Easton Ongaro, who has scored in all three games against PFC, and is tied with Alejandro Diaz of PFC for second in league scoring with nine goals.
“[Ongaro] is a fox in the box and always in the right place at the right time,” said Kah.
“He smells goals. You can’t give him the space.”
PFC’s Diaz is also on nine goals in league play.
“Diaz has been fantastic for us. You don’t get to play for Club America [Mexico’s Man U equivalent] if you’re not a good player,” said Kah.
“Both he and Terran Campbell [seven goals in league] have found their offensive groove for us.”
Meanwhile, injured star midfielder Marco Bustos appears close to a return. He hasn’t played since Aug. 16. Kah said Bustos is in full-pace training and could be brought back into the lineup as soon as tonight in Edmonton or Monday in Halifax against HFX.
“He is another weapon for us,” said Kah.
