Pacific FC head coach Michael Silberbauer is ready to upset the applecart.
Canadian Premier League clubs learned their path to the Voyageurs Cup on Thursday, with the Canadian Soccer Association revealing details about the 2019 Canadian Championship.
Pacific FC will meet one of Cavalry FC, York9 FC, HFX Wanderers, Vaughan Azzurri (League1 Ontario) or AS Blainville (Première Ligue de soccer du Québec) in Round 1 of the five-round tournament. A draw will be held at a later date to determine the pairings.
Pacific’s path to the final sets up the potential of meeting nearby rivals.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to meet teams you would not normally play,” Silberbauer told the Times Colonist. “Playing an MLS team, for instance, would be a big challenge for our players but an exciting one.”
If stars align, Pacific could host the Vancouver Whitecaps in Round 3 of the competition.
“Throughout Europe, people love seeing the upsets, and these are always tough games for the higher seeds,” the former Danish international told the west coast outlet, referencing a European career that included a Danish Cup victory with FC Copenhagen a decade ago. “That was a huge thing for me in my career.”
Valour FC coach Rob Gale and FC Edmonton’s Jeff Paulus have already stated their intentions entering the expanded competition.