Final Score: Halifax Wanderers 1-2 Pacific FC
Goalscorers: Nimick 79′; Meilleur-Giguère 45+2′, Heard 54′
Game of the 2023 season: 73
CPL match: 440

Match in a minute or less

Pacific FC finished the long weekend of CPL action by retaining their position atop the table after an impressive 2-1 road victory against the Halifax Wanderers on Monday. They ended a five-game winning streak for the Wanderers, whose only home loss of the season prior to this came on May 20 against York United.

Thomas Meilleur-Giguère and Josh Heard provided the goals for Pacific, while a late headed goal from Dan Nimick made for a dramatic ending with Halifax just unable to find an equalizer despite multiple chances.

The Tridents are now two points up on Cavalry at the top of the table. Halifax, meanwhile, are part of an incredibly close middle of the table, as they are currently in sixth, tied on 25 points with York United and Atlético Ottawa.

Three Observations

Textbook road performance puts Pacific FC back at the top of the CPL table

Pacific FC are going to have to get used to this over the next few months. The long flights, the hotel rooms, the hostile environments, after a home-heavy start to the 2023 season, the Tridents have just four home matches in their remaining ten.

The difference in whether they win their first-ever regular season title, then, will come down to what they can do on the road. In front of a sold-out crowd at the Wanderers Grounds on Natal Day, they delivered a textbook away performance at one of the most difficult venues in the league.

The Tridents played an excellent defensive match, willing to concede possession but putting in work off the ball with constant pressing, especially when Halifax tried to build out to the back. That started with an outstanding effort up top from Easton Ongaro and Adonijah Reid to take away the space of the Wanderers’ central defenders and spread throughout the team.

In the end, despite conceding 62.8 per cent of the ball, Pacific limited Halifax to just three shots on target and 0.79 expected goals. It was the sixth time in eight matches played away from home this season that they have limited their hosts to a single goal or less.

“I think the effort, the mentality, the way that we approached the game from the start right to the finish,” said Pacific FC head coach James Merriman of what he liked from his side on Monday. “They put a lot of pressure on us at the end but we stayed solid, we stayed together, we defended well, we didn’t give up too much. Big, big, big performance and mentality from the group, absolutely.”

Given the travel and adjustment to playing on natural grass, the amount of effort that Pacific put in during the match was impressive. They won 53.3 per cent of the overall duels in the match, made 26 tackles and 10 interceptions as a team. After spending large periods of time working without the ball, they still had the energy to create opportunities in transition.

“We know these trips are never going to be easy,” said Ongaro. “It is a four-hour time difference, we play on a different surface, it is a heavy grass pitch and we know it is going to take a lot from everyone. We said before the game we know that it is going to require a team performance and everyone is going to need to come together and I think we did that today. We worked well together, we worked hard, and we came away with three points which is what we wanted.”

A fantastic battle in the middle plays out between two of the league’s best midfields

Space was certainly at a premium on the Wanderers Grounds pitch on Monday as two of the league’s most energetic midfields went head-to-head in what amounted to a game of speed chess in the middle of the park.

Changes in possession happened frequently, especially in the first half, as both sides tried to play quickly under pressure. When they did break through each other’s defensive lines, it was often from clever moments of play from each side’s midfield three.

” [Cédric] Toussaint and Sean [Young] and Manu [Aparicio] did great, and I thought our three with Callum [Watson] and Lorenzo [Callegari] and Andre [Rampersad] did great,” said Halifax head coach Patrice Gheisar, later adding, “none of the three goals were scored from more than three passes, so obviously it was a very tight, congested game.”

The chart below which shows players average positions shows just how tight things were in the middle for most of 90 minutes, as the circles representing the average placement of Manny Aparicio (#34, purple), Sean Young (#20), Andre Rampersad (#18), and Lorenzo Callegari (#6, behind Aparicio and Young’s circles).

The visitors, in particular, did a good job of one of the most difficult tasks in the CPL this season, trying to limit the influence of Callegari. Young often shadowed him early in the match, making sure he didn’t have time on the ball, which saw him move into less dangerous positions out wide to try to find space. He still had 105 passes attempted and three chances created, but Pacific feel they were able to take away his time and space to play those passes into dangerous areas with frequency.

“We just wanted to protect centrally,” said Merriman. “We wanted to take away central buildup for them, we know that [Callegari] likes to dictate the tempo of the game and we felt like we did that, we forced them wide most of the time.”

Late push from Halifax comes up short, as they learn a lesson in dealing with tough moments

What happened late in the first half at the Wanderers Grounds on Monday will be an important learning lesson for Halifax as they put in a valiant performance during the match, but ultimately came up just short.

After being incredibly frustrated with a call that didn’t go their way after Massimo Ferrin was not only brought down in the Pacific box, but shown a caution for simulation by the referee, the young group allowed their emotions to get the better of them. They switched off on a set piece in stoppage time moments later, and allowed multiple Pacific players in behind to score the opening goal.

As the games get even tighter and more important with tensions rising down the stretch, for Halifax these are the sorts of moments that they are going to have to manage better.

“The number one thing we needed to focus on when that call didn’t go our way was staying switched on and not letting that affect us,” said Halifax defender Dan Nimick. “I think that we didn’t show the experience to do that. We had chances to clear our lines on that set piece and we weren’t able to and we got punished for it. It is a learning curve, something that we will.”

Despite a strong impact from substitute striker Jordan Perruzza, making his CPL debut after his loan was announced this morning from Toronto FC, the Wanderers were never able to recover from the two-goal deficit they found themselves in after the 54th minute.

“I don’t think we manufactured enough to say we deserved a tie, given what happened in the first half,” said Gheisar. “They are a great team, you can’t take anything away from them. I thought that the most impressive thing is with the travel, for them to come in with that energy.”

With that being said there were some significant positives in the way that Halifax responded, especially after giving up the second goal. Nimick, who scored the Wanderers’ lone goal was fantastic, winning 12 of 13 duels, including all six in the air. So was the man who set the goal up, as Wes Timoteo’s assist came on one of three chances created, and 85 of his 89 successful passes.

For Halifax, their attention now turns toward learning this lesson quickly and making sure they are back to their best next week when they welcome the league’s other BC team to the Wanderers Grounds, with Vancouver FC coming to town on Saturday, August 12.

“We are still close to the top of the table, still pretty much everyone in the league is,” said Nimick. “We are still well in the title race, still believe we can do it. It is going to happen where not every game is going to go your way and today is one of those days. We regroup and we put out a good performance on Saturday and show this league that we are still very much in the running for that title.”

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Manny Aparicio, Pacific FC

In a match that was really won in many ways by the energy of the Pacific team, Aparicio was the engine. The midfielder had an assist with one of the best crosses of the season so far. Add to that four successful dribbles, 11 of 19 duels won and 18 passes in the final third and it was an outstanding afternoon for Aparicio.

Josh Heard doubles the lead for @Pacificfccpl on the road!

How about that cross from Manny Aparicio as well 🎯#CanPL I 📺 @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/gSOmcxJyXp

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) August 7, 2023

What’s next?

Pacific returns to Starlight Stadium for their only home match of the month as they host Atlético Ottawa on Sunday, August 13 (1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET). Halifax Wanderers, meanwhile, host the other BC side next week as Vancouver FC come to town on Saturday, August 12 (4:00 p.m. AT/3:00 p.m. ET).

Watch all CPL matches live on OneSoccer. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.