Pacific FC returns to the more natural rhythms of the regular Canadian Premier League soccer season after the most intense period of competition in the club’s history, earning praise in high places in the process.
“Great work from James Merriman and his boys, very tough place to go and get a result, but did the West Coast and Canada proud,” tweeted Canadian World Cup team head coach John Herdman.
Herdman was referring to PFC head coach Merriman and his Tridents’ run to the CONCACAF League round of 16 and narrow ouster on penalty kicks by regional power C.S. Herediano, with six players on Costa Rica’s 2022 World Cup team to Qatar, in San Jose on Tuesday.
The Tridents flew from Central America to Winnipeg for Sunday’s CPL game at noon PT against Valour FC at IG Field.
“Representing our club and the CPL [through two rounds of CONCACAF League] took high focus and concentration because representing our club and league was important to us to show how far our league has come,” said Merriman.
But that can’t let up, especially with fifth-place Valour FC looking to join the top four CPL teams, which includes PFC, that currently hold playoff positions. Valour FC (7–7-6 in wins-losses-draws) is on 27 points and the Tridents (10-5-5) on 35 points after 20 games, making Sunday a potential six-point swing game. With a victory, and seven games remaining after Sunday, PFC could pretty much put enough distance between itself and Valour. But if the Manitoba club wins, it will climb very much into the playoff hunt.
“We have to bring the same level of concentration and focus to the league as we gave to CONCACAF League play. Our full focus is now on the league,” said Merriman.
“Valour is doing well and fighting to get into the playoffs and this is a big game for both teams.”
PFC is in the midst of the longest road trip in CPL history, leaving Victoria for the cross-country flight to Halifax for last weekend’s 1-0 CPL loss to HFX Wanderers, followed by the flight down to Costa Rica and from there up to Winnipeg.
“It is big, big travel, and a lot of ground we are making up, but the group is OK,” said Merriman.
“They have been taking care of themselves and doing all the little things off the field to recover.”
The Tridents will be without key midfield engine Manny Aparicio Sunday for his straight red card in PFC’s last league game in Halifax.
“I don’t agree with the decision but there’s nothing we can do about it,” said Merriman, who didn’t deny it was a hard challenge, but disputed it deserved a red card.
Making his PFC debut Sunday will be recently signed six-foot-one forward Jordan Brown, 25, who in his previous CPL tenure scored for Cavalry FC in the Calgary club’s historic victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer in the 2019 Canadian Championship tournament. The native of London was most recently with Electric City FC of League1 Ontario in a well-traveled career which began in the Arsenal and West Ham youth academies. Brown represented England at Under-16 and U-17 levels, scoring three times in the latter in seven appearances.
Brown played two seasons with Hannover 96 in Germany before playing for Znojmo in the Czech Republic. He came to North America and scored seven goals in 33 CPL games for Cavalry FC in 2019 before signing in Germany with Regionalliga club VfR Aalen in 2020 and later with Fylkir in Reykjavik, Iceland. He returned to Canada this year and had 11 goals in 17 games with Electric City of Peterborough, Ont. Brown has 29 goals in 135 professional games.
“I’m over the moon to join this great group that I’ve heard so many good things about and now I get to be a part of it,” Brown said in a statement. “It’s been a long time coming being able to put on the purple jersey and I will give everything I can.”
PFC is looking to replace some of the attacking prowess lost when CPL leading scorer and former Mexico U-20 and U-23 international Alejandro Diaz, who had 13 goals, departed this month to Sogndal of the Norwegian First Division for a Sogndal club record transfer fee, and the second-highest in CPL history. The transfer fee for Diaz, from Sogndal to PFC, is listed by Transfermarkt as $165,000 US, which lists Diaz’s current market value at $495,000 US per season.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
