There’s a whole lot of country between Victoria and Nova Scotia. A lot of mountains, wheat fields, lakes and highrises have to be flown over for Pacific FC to play the HFX Wanderers in Canadian Premier League soccer action today (10 a.m. on CBC) in Halifax.
The game constitutes the third-longest trip in the world between domestic league Premiership pro soccer clubs.
But try making that trek by land, which is what Pacific FC super-fans Steve Hemphill and Ian Irving are doing by motorcycle. They will be at the Wanderers Ground decked in PFC jerseys and scarves and waving purple PFC flags.
“Pacific comes to Atlantic. We’re repping the Island in Halifax,” said Hemphill, a member of the Lake Side Buoys PFC supporters club.
En route, Hemphill and Irving attended Pacific FC’s game at Clarke Stadium against FC Edmonton on May 8, the Forge FC at Valour FC game in Winnipeg on May 16, the Forge FC at York9 game in Toronto on May 25 and the FC Edmonton at Forge FC game in Hamilton on May 29. They threw in the MLS game between San Jose and Toronto FC on May 26 for good measure and were sure to be in front of a TV somewhere for the Champions League final Friday.
In all, it has been an 8,000-kilometre trek from Victoria to Halifax.
“It’s gone well with no major mishaps,” Hemphill said, while en route and nearing Nova Scotia on Friday.
This is clearly a passion.
“The two things I love most are soccer and riding motorcycles,” Hemphill said.
“I am excited by this Canada-wide pro league [CPL] and was so pleased when an Island team was announced. The Island has the population base now to support it. All the CPL team supporters groups we’ve met across the country are so proud of their teams.”
Pacific FC will attempt to pay back that devotion.
Today’s fixture features the two CPL coastal bookend franchises who believe they haven’t lived up to expectations yet. PFC is 1-2-2 in league and 0-2 and eliminated in Voyageurs Cup, with its lone victory coming in its first game at Westhills Stadium against HFX. The Halifax club, captained by German-import and Victoria Highlanders USL 2 graduate Peter Schaale, is 1-3-1 in league.
“There’s no question HFX is talented, with good individual players who are fast and strong,” said PFC head coach Michael Silberbauer.
“They are like us — trying to fit the pieces together. We had such a [spate] of early games. It was good to get the last week off from games to work on things in training. You can see that the guys are working better together.”
Part of PFC’s learning curve is stemming from being the youngest team in the CPL as it stocked up its roster with former Canadian U-17, U-18 and U-20 national-team players who are now young pros. That list includes 19-year-olds Jose Hernandez, Emile Legault and Noah Verhoeven, 20-year-olds Kadin Chung and Terran Campbell, 21-year-olds Matthew Baldisimo and Zach Verhoven and even a 17-year-old in Ahmed Alghamdi.
Pacific FC believes it is the mandate of the CPL to develop young pro Canadian soccer talent. Each CPL team must give a combined minimum 1,000 minutes of playing time during the season to at least three U-21 players. PFC surpassed that after just the third game and now has given 2,351 minutes of field time to players in that U-21 category.
But when is young too young in the pro ranks and should PFC have looked for more immediate impact?
Consider, however, that Canada named seven debutants to its 2019 Gold Cup roster this week who are 22 or younger and that the overall Canadian roster has an average age of 25.5 years.
“Age is just a number,” said Silberbauer, a former Danish international and Danish and Dutch Premiership pro.
“We know our players are young, but it’s not an excuse. Because we also know they are talented guys. We have confidence in them. It’s a matter of getting them over that hill.”
Meanwhile, PFC made a roster change for today’s game in Halifax, replacing injured back-up goaltender Nolan Wirth of Comox with Highlanders USL 2 call-up Tyrone Venhola. Wirth is also a Highlanders graduate.
“The dream has always been to go pro and now I have an opportunity to help Pacific and work hard and, hopefully, see where it goes,” said Venhola, in a statement through the Highlanders.
“Right now, I’m supporting the team while Nolan [Wirth] gets fit and will take it day by day,” added the Abbotsford native, who played five seasons in U Sports for the UNBC Timberwolves.
Venhola will back up PFC regular-starter Mark Village today.
