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PREVIEW: Valour FC vs. Pacific FC — Match #66 (ComeOn! Match of the Week)
2022-07-29
by
Benedict Rhodes, CanPL.ca Contributor (@BTFR17)

2022 CPL Regular Season — Match #66 (ComeOn! Match of the Week)
Valour FC vs. Pacific FC
July 30, 2022 at 2:00 pm CT/12:00 pm PT
IG Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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A busy long weekend in the Canadian Premier League begins in Winnipeg on Saturday, as Valour FC hosts Pacific FC at IG Field in the ComeOn! Match of the Week.

Valour is top of the chasing pack of teams just outside the playoff picture, in fifth place with 20 points from 15 matches. They’re eight points back of Cavalry FC for the final playoff spot, but with half the season still to play and two games in hand over the Cavs, there’s a real opportunity for them to climb into that top four.

They’re on a decent run of form at the moment, picking up three wins and a draw in their last five matches, including a road victory against current league leaders Forge FC. Last time out, however, they lost to Forge in a second meeting in Hamilton, three goals to one. Top scorer Moses Dyer gave the Winnipeggers the lead, before Woobens Pacius and Terran Campbell (twice) won the match for their side.

Pacific, meanwhile, have won three CPL matches in a row after snapping a lengthy winless run, and are scoring a lot of goals. In their last three matches, they’ve found the back of the net ten times, with a 3-2 win over FC Edmonton, a 4-2 win over York United and a 3-0 win over Cavalry FC in their last league match.

Marco Bustos scored his first of the season and Alejandro Diaz extended his lead in the Golden Boot race on either side of an own goal from Cavalry’s Jose Escalante.

Pacific also began their journey in the 2022 Concacaf League on Tuesday night, with a 0-0 draw in Kingston, Jamaica against Waterhouse FC. The second leg takes place in Langford on this coming Tuesday, with both sides looking to make it to the next round of the competition.

For now, though, Pacific needs to focus on this CPL match as clubs jockey for position at the top of the table, and the race for the four playoff places heats up. A win would put them back into the top spot, and extend their lead over fifth-place Valour to 12 points, a margin that would be difficult to beat, even with so much of the season still to be played.

Make your match picks prior to kickoff at canpl.ca/predictor for a chance to win prizes, including the grand prize of a trip to the 2022 CPL Final! To learn more about ComeOn!

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

3 THINGS TO WATCH:

  • Valour need to take advantage of large number of home games: With eight of their next ten matches at home, including Saturday’s tilt with Pacific, it’s crucial that Valour FC make the most of their home field advantage. They have a 2-2-2 record at home this season, beating both York United and HFX Wanderers, drawing HFX and FC Edmonton, and losing to Atlético Ottawa and Cavalry FC. The 1-0 loss to Ottawa came on an 84th minute winner from Zach Verhoven and the 4-2 Cavalry loss was one of just two times this year they’ve lost by more than one goal all season long (the other was last weekend away to Forge FC). They haven’t had a perfect record by any means, and one that they’ll want to better over the coming stretch of matches at home, but it shows that they’ve at least been there or thereabouts every time they take the field, especially in front of their own fans. The crowds have also been growing, and with every team but HFX Wanderers again needing to visit IG Field — Forge and Pacific twice — they’ll need any boosts they can get as they look to climb over those teams and surge toward a first-ever playoff berth.
  • Pacific return to CPL action between Concacaf matches: Pacific FC headed to Winnipeg after spending the last several days down in Kingston, Jamaica — the site of the first leg of their Concacaf League Preliminary Round clash with Jamaica National Premier League side Waterhouse FC. They played out a 0-0 draw at the famous Sabina Park, and will head back to Langford next Tuesday for leg two. Considering how they were the more dominant team on the day, The Tridents will be disappointed not to have won the match, or at least score an all-important away goal, but should be confident heading into the second leg at home in a few days. For now, though, the focus is very much on Valour, and Saturday’s match. “We keep taking experience as a group and as a team,” said Pacific boss James Merriman on Friday. “Keep learning from every match, especially the travel and competition in the first game, but our group has recovered very well. They’re in a good way, they’re in good spirits, and we know it’s an important game for us and our league. The guys are here, they’re ready to play the match tomorrow.” Merriman also hinted on Friday that he may be rotating his squad a bit for Saturday’s match, both to keep people fit and healthy for the second leg against Waterhouse, but also to give other players a chance to get some minutes that they’ve deserved but maybe not had the best opportunities to get.
  • Valour looks to inch closer to top four, while Pacific look to jump to the top of the table: Saturday’s match, as many are becoming at this point in the season, could be an important one for the playoff race. Valour currently sits in fifth place, eight points back of Cavalry FC for the fourth and final playoff spot, and nine points back of Forge FC, Atlético Ottawa and Pacific FC — who all have 29. With Cavalry playing on Saturday as well, against eighth-place FC Edmonton, and Forge and Ottawa facing each other on Sunday, this weekend could go one of two ways for Valour. If they win, and Cavalry lose or draw, they’re right back in contention again, just a few points back ahead of a crucial match against the Cavs on Wednesday. If the reigning champions are victorious, however, they will climb into first place, and 12 points clear of Valour. If Cavalry win as well, Valour will be at best nine points off a playoff spot, ten if Forge and Atletico Ottawa draw. This match is hardly “must-win”, but things will be a lot more difficult going forward if they don’t.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Pacific FC wins: 10 || Valour FC wins: 1 || Draws: 2

Previous match:

May 28, 2022 – Pacific FC 2-2 Valour FC

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