Pacific FC’s playoff journey continues this weekend when they head to Calgary for a semifinal clash against Cavalry FC. After winning two postseason matches already, the Tridents are now just one win away from heading to Hamilton to play in the 2023 CPL Final against Forge FC.

Their head coach, James Merriman, as well as defender Amer Didić, spoke to media on Friday. Here’s what they had to say:

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James Merriman

On two clean sheets so far in the playoffs:

“Amer [Didić], Tommy [Meilleur-Giguère], our backline, of course Emil [Gazdov] — our whole team — the way we’ve bought in to defend, the way we’ve bought into understanding the situation, the moment, the playoffs, we know we conceded too many goals toward the end of the season and we wanted to change that. Full credit to the team, to the players for stepping up, we’ve been excellent without the ball the first two games.”

On adapting without Kunle Dada-Luke:

“We have to believe in our players, it’s next-man-up mentality. We’re okay with that, we adapt. We know [Dada-Luke] has played so many games for us, he’s one of the first names of the team sheet here, but we can adjust and we’ll be willing to adapt. At this point in the season, the mentality across the team, every player is ready for an opportunity.”

On adjusting and recovering after difficult travel schedule:

“We know where we were this season and what we could’ve done, and we let it pass. We put ourselves in a situation to have to play that game at home and then knew we were going to have to travel, but now we’ve done it and that’s all behind us. We’re right where we want to be. We wanted to be in a semifinal match to get to the final. Okay, we can’t host the final, but we know we win this game and we go to the final and give ourselves a chance to win another championship, so we’re right where we wanted to be, we’ve just taken a longer route. But we accepted that and now the rest is behind us.

“We’ve been [in Calgary] for a few days, we’ve been able to reset and we’re together, tight as a group. We’ve been together for too long on the road, and now we’re just here to play football. We’re just here to play this game and to win and to try to advance, that’s it. That’s all that’s on any of our minds and that’s why we’ve gone through what we’ve gone through, to get into this game.”

Amer Didić

On new belief after frustrating end to regular season:

“The last stretch of games were not ideal for us, and luckily you go into the playoffs with a clean slate as it always is; it’s pretty much a new season, that’s the best part about it for our group. Especially being able to come off that Calgary loss, 3-0, come in and regroup, we all know it’s a different task now. It’s to play cup soccer, and it’s knockout every single game. Coming into a new season essentially, the only thing on our mind is to lift the trophy. Obviously we have a harder path to get there, and that’s through our own fault ourselves, but the group is amazing. We’re in high spirit.

“It’s been a difficult couple weeks for us in terms of travel and I think we’ve been together too much, but it’s just how it is. Everyone has bought in, everyone who’s sitting here — no one’s complaining, all we have to look forward to is tomorrow.

“I wasn’t here or part of the group but they always talk about a couple years ago, coming into Calgary and the feeling of that, and I’m lucky to be a part of that [now], and hopefully be part of another big result like that tomorrow.”

On Pacific’s last loss vs. Cavalry:

“I don’t think it was a horrible game from us; we had a set game plan that we were all bought into that we rehearsed and trained and talked about, and we tried to execute it to the best of our ability. We conceded in the first half on a corner, which prior to that game we’d only conceded one goal — one, maybe two goals on corners. It wasn’t an image of ourselves there. So you go down 1-0 there and the result’s on the line, the standings, it became a completely different game where we had to go and chase the game, get a goal, and things become more open. It’s just how that game went and how most of those games end up going in the football world. That’s obviously in the back of our head now and it’s a new game, new season, cup on the line. We’ve just got to go out and play it.”

On the improvement of goalkeeper Emil Gazdov:

“There’s no doubt that we as a team, the collective with the coaching staff and the players, have always had full belief and always will have full belief in Emil, and that’s solely because of what we see every day in the training ground and in games, to be honest. He’s a young goalkeeper for sure, we were all young; I was young playing, we make mistakes we go through hardships, nothing’s ever easy, even at 28 years old for me, nothing’s ever easy. 

“When you add in the young age, and being put into a role where you’re starting every game, it can be overwhelming, for sure. Maybe you saw that early in the season, but from personal experience you have to go through those things, you will go through those things. It was an important decision right away in the beginning, to be named starter and to go with a team that’s ambitious and wants to win the league, win a trophy at the end of the season. Kudos to the kid, he went to train; the second goalie Kieran [Baskett] comes in and plays a few games, and you see Emil training very hard and you’re always going to come back and have a chance to come play again.

“When Emil comes back he plays, he knows what he has to do and knows that it’s a long season, he’s a young kid and these things are going to happen. You see the progression throughout the year and now ending off on a really good note, these first two games in the playoffs with clean sheets, what more can you ask for from your goalie? He’s a big guy, so looking back there it’s very assuring to see someone like that with his stature at his age. For me, the sky’s the limit for that kid, and he’s got a bright future.”

On taking the hard route through the playoffs:

“I’d rather have it this way to be honest. I’m not speaking for James or anything, but I know this way it’s more of a satisfying feeling. Especially when you win those games that people have written you off; we were off to a great start at the beginning of the season and teams were scared to play us and things happen, maybe teams are like, ‘Pacific’s not as intimidating and scary,’ but what goes around comes around.

“The new season, it’s Pacific coming back, and coming back to the basics which is defending, which is what we usually are good at and have been good at. We’ll find a way to score a goal, even if it’s an own goal, but that just comes through everything else. It’s not just luck, there’s always something for it. We’re all excited here to play. It’s been a long couple of weeks; I’m sick of seeing Josh Heard every day in my room but yeah, we’re excited.”