2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #23
Valour FC vs. Pacific FC
May 20, 2023 at 4 p.m. CT/ 2 p.m. PT
IG Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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The second match of the Canadian Premier League’s Saturday doubleheader will be an early season clash between two teams near the top of the table, as Valour FC welcome Pacific FC to IG Field.

Last weekend, Valour lost a CPL match for the first time this season, falling 3-2 to Forge FC in Hamilton in a wild back-and-forth game. Kian Williams gave the visitors the lead in the 30th minute, but the Hammers responded quickly through Jordan Hamilton three minutes later. Kyle Bekker gave Forge their first lead five minutes after time, as a big deflection from his shot bounced into the back of Rayane Yesli’s net. Abdou Samaké made it 2-2 as Valour again tried to pick up a big point on the road, but they conceded quickly again, as Kwasi Poku headed home the match-winner in the 77th minute, three minutes after Samaké’s strike.

Pacific, meanwhile, won 4-1 for the second league match in a row, the first club in CPL history to do so. They beat York United comfortably in the end, taking a 2-0 lead into halftime after goals from Amer Đidić and Manny Aparicio and not looking back. A goal from Kevin Dos Santos gave York some hope ten minutes into the second half, but David Brazão and Easton Ongaro put the game to bed with tallies in the 82nd and 92nd minutes, respectively.

It was the second 4-1 defeat in a row for the Nine Stripes, who fell by the same scoreline midweek to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship. Pacific were more successful in their quarter-final, beating League1 BC club TSS Rovers 2-0.

The Tridents will be back in Canadian Championship action on Wednesday, as they host the Whitecaps at Starlight Stadium in an intriguing semifinal, after Forge FC take on CF Montréal at Stade Saputo on the other side of the bracket.

Valour FC vs Pacific FC is a fixture that has historically been dominated by the BC club, who have won eleven of the fifteen all-time meetings between the two sides. Valour have won twice, with the remaining two meetings ending in draws. Valour won the most recent meeting, however — a crucial 1-0 victory at IG Field as they (unsuccessfully) attempted to hunt down the Tridents for the fourth and final playoff spot.

While Pacific have a healthy, deep squad at the moment, Valour are still struggling a bit with injuries and absences. They are expecting to have Marcello Polisi and Andy Baquero back in the mix for this game after welcoming Jaime Siaj, Eskander Mzoughi, and Jordan Haynes back recently — but Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Raphael Ohin are still at least a few weeks away. Dante Campbell, one of Valour’s standouts this season, will also miss out thanks to a one-game suspension after already picking up four yellow cards this season.

All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Valour’s U21 Canadians taking advantage of their opportunities: Just five weeks into the season, Valour FC have already completed more than half of the 2,000-minute quota that Canadian Premier League clubs are required to give to domestic players aged 21 or below. Head coach Phil Dos Santos has shown faith in young players, with Matteo de Brienne playing every single minute at left back, Juan Pablo Sánchez getting significant minutes in midfield and Jared Ulloa being used off the bench in all five matches. After dealing with an injury at the start of the season, Eskander Mzoughi made his first appearance for the club recently as well, playing all 90 minutes against the Halifax Wanderers. In total, Valour have already totalled 1,009 minutes, 462 more than the next-closest club, Saturday’s opponents Pacific FC on 547 minutes. These players, while they may be benefitting from some injuries to others in the squad, aren’t just playing to make up the numbers and meet the quota — they’re playing well and challenging for regular starting minutes. “These are opportunities that are great for them, and great for the club, because now they’ve played themselves in, and when the other guys come in, now there’s a real competition and the confidence we have in them that they can play in any game,” Dos Santos said to CanPL.ca on Thursday.
• Pacific scoring for fun with free-flowing football: Pacific FC sit second place in the CPL standings heading into the sixth weekend of the season with ten points from five matches, and are in scorching form. Last weekend they became the first club in league history to win back-to-back matches by a score of 4-1, doing so against York United in the latter game on Sunday. Importantly, those four goals against York included the first CPL goals of the season for David Brazão and Easton Ongaro, two players who will be hoping to continue to build momentum and really kickstart their campaigns. “Players are enjoying playing with each other in training, you can see a good spirit in our locker room,” head coach James Merriman said after his team’s 4-1 win over York United on the weekend. “We’ve got really good team chemistry, players are quickly learning how to understand each other on the ball, which is beautiful, and you can see their relationships growing because of their quality.”
• How much will the Tridents rotate their squad ahead of CanChamp semifinal?: Ahead of a huge Canadian Championship match for Pacific FC on Wednesday, with the Tridents hosting provincial rivals (and reigning champions) Vancouver Whitecaps FC in a semifinal clash, how much rotation James Merriman does on Saturday remains to be seen. There are obvious advantages to keeping certain players out of Saturday’s match at IG Field, like the prevention of injuries or fatigue, but Pacific are also wise enough to know not to underestimate a Valour team that has been playing well to start the season. Luckily for Merriman, he has quite a bit of depth, with any player he brings into the lineup capable of making a big contribution. If he is to rotate the team, Amer Đidić seems like a potential candidate having played every single minute of the season thus far, while Sean Young and Cedric Toussaint have also played a lot of minutes in central midfield. After being rested last week, Ayman Sellouf coming back into the team for one of the latter two players seems like a possibility. It will be interesting as well to see who Merriman starts in goal — Emil Gazdov has made a handful of mistakes that have led to goals this season already, so Saturday’s match could either be used to give him a chance to play his way back into better form, or he could be rested for Kieran Baskett before Merriman decides who will get the nod midweek.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Valour FC (4-2-3-1): Yesli; Baquero, Cela, Samaké, de Brienne; Polisi, Gutiérrez; Niyongabire, Ponce, Williams; Novak

Pacific FC (4-3-3): Baskett; Dada-Luke, Amedume, Meilleur-Giguère, Mukumbilwa; Toussaint, Sellouf, Young; Brazão, Daniels, Heard

ALL-TIME SERIES

Valour FC wins: 2 || Pacific FC wins: 11 || Draws: 2

Last meeting:

August 28, 2022 — Valour FC 1-0 Pacific FC

KEY QUOTES

“They’ve got a lot of depth in attack. It’s a team that can hurt you through spells of possession, but I think they’re at their best when in transition moments. They know how to defend patiently and wait for that moment. It’s a game where you’re playing a team that comes off two very good results, and is motivated by the fact that they’ll play a Canadian Championship semifinal.” — Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos ahead of Saturday’s match

“I think there’s so much more to come for the group. We can change players in games, we’re very versatile and growing in confidence in each match. So it’s exciting, and I still think there’s a long long way for us to go and that’s how the group feels as well, so I think we’re just getting started.” — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman after his team’s 4-1 win over York United last weekend