It’s playoff season in the Canadian Premier League and the top five finishers from the regular season are set to battle for the North Star Cup.
Starting on Wednesday, Oct. 23 and culminating in the CPL Final on Nov. 9, the CanPL.ca staff preview each team’s postseason hopes. Find all team previews by clicking here.
The Story
Pacific FC — 5th place, 34 points
Record (W-D-L): 9-7-12
Goals For/Against: 27/32
Top Scorer: Dario Zanatta (5)
Assists Leader: Steffen Yeates (3)
Pacific FC secured a postseason appearance for a fifth straight season on the final day of the 2024 campaign with a dramatic 1-0 win against Forge FC at Starlight Stadium.
It came after a pretty incredible run over the last quarter of the season. As recently as Week 21, the Tridents were at the bottom of the CPL table following a brutal stretch of form which saw them score just twice, and pick up just a single point, in a seven-game span between July 14 and August 30.
Scoring in general has been a significant issue for the Tridents this season, in fact, with just 27 in 28 games they had the fewest in the league in 2024, and at least eight fewer than any other playoff team. But it is worth pointing out that 13 of those goals came in their past eight games — with a midseason acquisition of Moses Dyer, and a strong run of form from Dario Zanatta making all the difference.
As the only team other than Forge to have won a CPL Final in league history, however, they know more than most that the playoffs are a new season entirely. To repeat as champs, they will have to win four matches in 17 days all on the road, an incredibly difficult task especially since they have won just three times on the road in all of 2024.
But after looking completely out of the running just a few months ago, this will be a challenge they will embrace wholeheartedly.
RELATED: PREVIEW: York United vs. Pacific FC — 2024 CPL Playoffs
The Stats
10 clean sheets
Pacific began the 2024 season with a league-record five straight clean sheets. They finished tied with Forge for the most in the CPL this season and remain a difficult team to score against.
1,551 duels won
No team won more duels during the 2024 season than Pacific FC, showing how tenacious and difficult they are to play against.
5 points gained from losing positions
The Tridents collected the fewest points in the league from losing positions this season — and just one victory after trailing. As such, taking leads will be imperative during the playoffs.
The Stars
Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, Defender
Pacific’s rock at the back became a key leader for them this season, especially with the club deploying an incredibly young backline for most of the season. He is one of the league’s most tenacious defenders with 138 clearances (second most in the league) and 72 aerial duels won (3rd). A threat from set pieces, he also contributed three goals this season.
Kunle Dada-Luke, Defender
Dada-Luke possesses a game-breaking ability both going forward and defending down the right flank. He finished second in the league in interceptions (49) and fifth in tackles won (48). He was also among the league leaders in dribbles completed, with 28, and is outstanding at quickly moving the ball up the wing.
Moses Dyer, Forward
Pacific’s attack instantly transformed after they acquired the New Zealand forward from rivals Vancouver FC. One of the most lethal goalscorers in CPL history, he added eight more in 2024, four of which came after joining Pacific. He also led the league in expected goals this season, with 10.19 showing how consistently he gets into dangerous positions on the pitch.
The Soundbites
“Now it’s a blank slate. Last year we finished higher, but we played here and then we had to travel to Halifax. So now we go to York, I think we played York very well all year long. We feel good going to York and if we can win that game and advance we can stay on the East Coast, so I think it works out maybe better for this season than last season for us this year in terms of postseason.”
— Pacific FC head coach James Merriman
“No one remembers what place you came in if you win the whole thing. So we’ve done our job to get into the situation and I feel as if we are probably one of the most in-form teams going into the playoffs, which is always a confidence booster for the boys. So we are looking forward to it now.”
— Pacific FC forward Dario Zanatta
The Scenario
What makes Pacific FC a dangerous playoff opponent is two-fold: the strong form with which they finished the 2024 regular season (just two losses in their final eight matches) and their history of winning knockout fixtures, including reaching last year’s CPL semifinal and this year’s Canadian Championship semifinals.
After finishing fifth place, they will spend their entire postseason on the road no matter how far they advance. They have unique experience in doing this, however, having hosted the 4th vs. 5th game last season, defeating York United, before heading on the road to Halifax and winning again that weekend. They were ultimately eliminated in Calgary in the semifinal.
However, they have struggled on the road in 2024 particularly when it comes to scoring goals, as they managed a league-low 11 goals in 14 road matches this season. With that being said, they scored twice in their most recent trip to York Lions Stadium, and will come into the 4th-5th matchup with plenty of confidence. Should they win that, they will be riding an incredible amount of momentum for the rest of the playoffs.
