Pacific FC is returning at long last to its namesake Pacific on July 30. PFC takes on Cavalry FC of Calgary at 6:30 p.m. that evening in what will be the first Canadian Premier League home soccer game at Starlight Stadium since the fall of 2019.
Brad Norris-Jones, Pacific FC vice-president of operations, said that according to current provincial outdoor gathering guidelines, PFC will be able to host up to 5,000 fans in the Langford-situated stadium.
“It’s been a long wait,” he said.
PFC follows with home dates at Starlight Stadium on Aug. 4 against Valour FC of Winnipeg and Aug. 7 against FC Edmonton before hitting the road to Calgary to play Cavalry on Aug. 11.
PFC (3-1-1) has three more games in the eight-game bubble portion of the season at IG Stadium in Winnipeg, including today against the HFX Wanderers of Halifax, before the return to something more regular for its final 20 games from July 30 to Nov. 6.
“Returning to normal life is important,” said PFC star player Marco Bustos.
“I’m sure fans are growing tired of watching the games [online].”
The PFC brain trust can’t wait to return to the Island.
“It’s going to be great to be enjoying soccer again in our communities,” said PFC head coach Pa-Modou Kah.
“It’s been tough on everybody. It’s a credit to our [league] players and staff the way they have handled this and been able to put a product on the pitch during the pandemic.”
That continues today at 5 p.m. PT in the Winnipeg bubble as PFC is up against the HFX Wanderers, who were the darlings of the CPL last season, going from last in 2019 to the championship game in the 2020 bubble in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Pacific FC appears to have inherited that mantle this season and sits second in the table while HFX is near the foot at 1-2-1.
PFC, winner of its last two games, opened the 2021 Winnipeg bubble portion of the season with a 2-0 victory over HFX on June 26. But PFC should be wary that HFX is coming off its lone victory of the season, 2-1 over FC Edmonton, as Brazilian Joao Morelli’s brace accounted for the Wanderers first two goals of the year. That was despite being without head coach Stephen Hart, away until the end of the month dealing with a medical issue, and key player Jems Geffrard, with Haiti for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“We keep focused on ourselves and the way we play and improving every day and focusing on the little details,” said PFC bench-boss Kah.
The six-time Canada-capped Bustos, who has been labelled the Messi of the CPL, has provided some truly magical moments this season in leading Pacific FC, but it is the Island club’s depth that has been the other lead storyline as Kah has dipped into his bench often this year.
“We have an open-door policy and all the players are hungry and have stepped up,” said Kah.
“We have a lot of choices and tough choices. I’ve often said the players, and how they train, pick the team. Give me a reason to pick you. The starting 11 on opening day is not always the starting 11 when you finish the season.”
Meanwhile, it didn’t take long for Kah’s media Zoom call on Monday to swivel to a top subject in soccer and one that won’t go away.
“The greatest pandemic in humankind is still racism and it’s important to shed a light on it,” said Kah.
Kah, who is Black, admitted to feeling a sense of dread as three Black players in a row stepped to the penalty spot for England in its shootout loss to Italy on Sunday in the 2020 Euro final at Wembley. Kah admits he was wishing it hadn’t been configured that way. He knew all too well what failure would bring. And it did with vicious online racial invective directed at England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.
“I am very saddened by this,” said Kah.
“People should not be receiving abuse for who they are [racially]. It’s really not nice. The online platforms need to find a way to stop this.”
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
