Travel-weary PFC, Forge ready for battle
GAME DAY: FORGE FC AT PACIFIC FC, 2 P.M.
In a country so large, travel is the omnipresent issue of the Canadian Premier League. It hangs over today’s marquee match-up at 2 p.m. at Starlight Stadium between undefeated teams Pacific FC and dynastic four-time league champion Forge FC of Hamilton, Ont.
Both teams come into the key contest after midweek games in the Canadian Championship tournament, PFC a scoreless draw Wednesday night in Ottawa against CPL-rival Atletico, and Forge FC a 1-1 draw Tuesday against CF Montreal of Major League Soccer before nearly 15,000 fans at Tim Hortons Field.
“It sets up a great match against Forge FC at home but I wish we had more time to recover and I’m sure they do as well,” said PFC head coach James Merriman.
“We travelled Thursday from Ottawa, [Friday] was a recovery day and Saturday we play. To have two top teams playing … I think we needed another day to see us at our best, and Forge as well, I’m sure. It’s a tough task and big ask of the players. But this is what we have in front of us and we need to be prepared to play the game. It is going to be a big test of our mentality.”
It is a quick learning curve for imports to the CPL who are used to an hour or two of travel by bus to away games in compact European pro domestic leagues.
“It is a shock for them here the first couple of trips,” said Merriman.
“But it’s the reality of the CPL and they have to adapt quickly to learn how to recover well when travelling and taking care of their bodies and getting the right amount of sleep with the time changes. You have to accept what it is and get on with it.”
Both the Tridents and Hammers are undefeated on the season. PFC is 3-0-1 in league and 4-0-2 overall and Forge FC is 3-0 in league and 4-0-1 overall. The Hammers lead the all-time series against the Tridents 12-4-2
Meanwhile, York United of the Greater Toronto Area and Valour FC of Winnipeg played the 500th game in CPL history Friday night.
“It’s incredible to see the growth. It goes by fast,” said Merriman.
The PFC gaffer has been part of the long-awaited Canadian pro soccer league, a requirement of Canada co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, as either PFC assistant or head coach since the CPL’s launch in 2019.
“You’ve seen great growth in the quality of the players and teams. The league is doing what it is supposed to be doing,” said Merriman.
Merriman used a rising young PFC midfielder to stress the latter point: “Sean Young is a homegrown player from Victoria. Without the CPL, does he have a professional opportunity or would he have had to leave? And now for him to have had 100 professional games and he’s only 22 years old. We don’t want him to be here for the next five10 years. He has ambition to experience more in football. Six seasons ago, that was the picture we envisioned [for PFC and the CPL]. And now we are bringing it alive. We are living it.”
Two of the best teams that have lived the CPL experience over six seasons will be battling today at Starlight Stadium, even if the legs are a bit rubbery, due to the vastness of the country.
CORNER KICKS: The CPL will play its first neutral-site game June 16 at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna when Vancouver FC meets Cavalry FC of Calgary. Kelowna mayor Tom Dyas, in a statement, said his city is “very interested in exploring the possibility of having a CPL franchise in the future … with the FIFA World Cup scheduled in Canada for 2026, this is a chance for us to test the waters and see how ready we are for this next step.” The game is part of the CPL’s new On Tour series, which plans to bring league games to more neutral sites in the future to gauge support in prospective new markets.