It was a friendly in name only.
The closed Canadian Premier League soccer exhibition game Wednesday afternoon at Starlight Stadium, won 2-0 by Pacific FC over Valour FC of Winnipeg, got testy with a second-half skirmish with pushing, shoving and players tossed to the pitch.
Going into the fifth season of the Canadian Premier League, it is clear that rivalries have developed and carried over.
“We’ve been caged up for four months so, friendly or not, it was intense,” said PFC darting-midfielder Manny Aparicio.
The emotions of the moment spilled over as the friendly became un-friendly, although any hard feelings were mended after the game with handshakes and back-pats.
“Everyone knows the season is coming, so this was a highly competitive outing, against an opponent with which we have some familiarity,” said PFC head coach James Merriman.
Pacific FC made the playoffs last season while Valour FC’s late-season rally to overtake the fourth-place Tridents fell short.
“We wanted to make this game as competitive as possible and it had an edge, which is good,” said Valour FC head coach Phillip Dos Santos, whose club concluded a week-long training session on the Island.
“We have to be in the playoffs this season. Anything short of that will be a disappointment for us.”
The Tridents, the 2021 league champions, want to remain post-season regulars.
“Friendly or not, we were looking to make a statement and let them know we’re here,” said PFC right-back and former MLS-signed Vancouver Whitecaps prospect George Mukumbilwa.
The Tridents have outscored the opposition 8-0 in their three friendlies to date, including 3-0 results over the University of Victoria Vikes of Canada West and Vancouver Whitecaps-2 of MLS Next Pro. The preseason ends with a final closed exhibition game April 1 at Starlight Stadium against the NCAA Pac-12 University of Washington Huskies.
“We love to play attacking football but the clean sheets so far have been the thing most satisfying to us,” said Mukumbilwa, the 22-year-old returnee and former Canada U-18 player, who got in one MLS game for the Whitecaps against Real Salt Lake.
“It’s about unity and everybody working together and attacking and defending as a team. The guys have been looking decent.”
Newly-acquired striker Easton Ongaro, who also scored last week against Whitecaps-2, opened the scoring for the Tridents against Valour FC and captain Josh Heard closed the account by converting a penalty kick from the spot.
The six-foot-six Ongaro, 24, scored 25 goals in 55 games for FC Edmonton in three CPL seasons between 2019 and 2021 before joining Whitecaps-2 last season, with an MLS call-up to the parent Whitecaps on Aug. 13 against Los Angeles Galaxy.
The long-striding Ongaro is the replacement for 2022 CPL Golden Boot winner Alejandro Diaz, the former PFC striker and Mexico U-20 and U-23 international, who went to Sogndal of the Norwegian First Division for the second-highest transfer fee in CPL history, which Transfermarkt listed as $165,000 US.
“We have brought in the pieces,” said Aparicio.
“We were looking to replace the offence that Diaz provided and Easton [Ongaro] does that for us. He allows us to continue pressing high and making teams uncomfortable.”
The Tridents open the 2023 CPL regular season April 15 at Starlight Stadium against expansion franchise Vancouver FC to inaugurate the CPL’s B.C. derby.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
