After a hectic start to the season in which Pacific FC played seven matches in just over three weeks, there had been a lull in action and buzz around town. The club had not played a match since 1 June (a 2-1 loss in Halifax to HFX Wanderers) and have not appeared at Westhills Stadium in almost a month (18 May, v York 9).
Part of that gap can be explained as the club crashed out of the Canadian Championship with two dull performances against runaway CanPL leaders, Cavalry FC, in mid May. An international break also took place last week, which saw the club’s young stalwart attacking midfielder, Noah Verhoeven called up to the Canadian Men’s National Team training camp in Los Angeles (Verhoeven’s inclusion in the camp marked the first time that a player from a Canadian Premier League club was called up to the Canadian national team).
Pacific had a two week break from match action, which allowed manager Michael Silberbauer the opportunity to give his players a much needed rest, while further learning what he had at his disposal through intense tactical training sessions.
Yet, despite this break, and facing a York 9 side that had played three days earlier in Edmonton, Pacific FC looked clearly the second best side on the pitch at York University Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
In a stark departure from its previous route-one approach, Pacific started the match playing a 4-3-3 formation, which excluded the presence of mercurial target man, Marcus Haber. Instead, Silberbauer deployed a trio of Terran Campbell, Ben Fisk and Victor Blasco to put pressure on the young York 9 backline, a strategy which helped his club score two first half goals against York last month.
The match could easily have gone Silberbauer’s way in the first five minutes. Much like how a well placed (and perhaps deviously played) ball from Sadio Mane hit the errant hand of Moussa Sissoko in the box in the Champions League Final’s first minute, immediately altering the tone and tenor of the match, it was Blasco’s “well placed” ball hitting York’s Luca Gasparotto’s hand in the same position. It gave Pacific an early opportunity to do the same as Liverpool had done to Spurs.
Ben Fisk looked tentative enough at the penalty spot, and telegraphed a low penalty which was astutely tracked and stopped by York 9’s stellar goalkeeper, Nathan Ingram. From there on, York 9 gradually took control of the match. They pressed Pacific’s beleaguered back line, and too often dispossessed Pacific’s Michael Baldisimo in the middle of the park.
In the 12th minute, it was the normally reliable Kadin Chung who was harangued, creating a poor turnover and allowing York’s Kyle Porter an excellent opportunity on goal, which was diverted away by Mark Village. Pacific’s other standout this season, Noah Verhoeven, was also muscled off the ball in the 26th minute, resulting in a swift change in possession that culminated in an extremely dangerous Emilio Estevez dipping shot which nearly found the back of the goal.
Village would continue to be under the cosh for the remainder of the first half, as York generated chance after chance through excellent wing play and crosses. Finally, in the 36th minute, it was York’s impressive fullback Morey Doner who fed a cross to Estevez, which was played through a creative dummy. Estevez’s low shot took a deflection off Ryan McCurdy, and trickled behind Village to give York a 1-0 lead.
It was a cruel blow for McCurdy, who was also credited for an own goal against York 9 at Westhills on 18 May. McCurdy was also responsible for a goal awarded to Dylan Carreiro in Pacific’s match against Valour on 1 May, when Carreiro’s shot deflected off his leg and found the back of the net. The lumbering centreback has been calamitous this season, but it remains somewhat harsh to bury him under a tidal wave of criticism, considering that he is playing in a role and level that he may in fact be ill-suited for (as he is replacing the injured Hendrik Starostzik).
Pacific finished the first half utterly befuddled and confused. As the second half progressed, Silberbauer elected to make a double switch at the 60th minute, bringing on Marcus Haber for Blasco, and inserting Zac Verhoven for Ben Fisk.
The change forced Pacific to play a more familiar direct game, and it nearly paid off. Within 10 minutes of coming into the match, Haber made an excellent run down the right flank, delivering a fantastic cross to Verhoven, who tried a cheeky skill move which hit the side of the net. It was the first bit of positive play for Pacific all afternoon, and offered a brief glimpse of the rare creativity that does exist on the team.
In the 77th minute, Verhoven would reciprocate, playing a cross from the left wing, which found Haber in the box. Haber’s run was perfectly timed, and he made a crisp and tidy volley which was calmly stopped by Ingram. Had it been any other goalkeeper in the league, it would have been a surefire goal, and the narrative around the match would have changed. But alas, this is football, where stories and takes are written based on what happened, rather than on what did not.
As the game petered out, Pacific showed very little further attacking impetus. Both teams seemed to wind each other up, as the physical play escalated. Both Baldisimo and Alexander Gonzalez were booked for heavy challenges, and York’s Ryan Telfer gave a petulant shove to Verhoeven after the match, as the full time whistle was blown. It was a 1-0 victory for York 9.
In seven matches played, Pacific has registered a single win (1-0 on 28 April, in their first match, against HFX Wanderers) and have suffered four defeats. They have also managed to score only five goals (Haber 2, Starostzik, Fisk, Hernandez 1 each) and have conceded 10 (including the two McCurdy own goals).
Pacific FC’s weaknesses continue to be exposed on a weekly basis, namely a young and inexperienced squad with very little veteran depth (decimated by injuries to Marcel De Jong and Starostzik), lack of defensive organization and sturdiness, and the deficiency of quick, technical, explosive counter-attacking players, which appear to be present on most other CanPL clubs, including Manny Aparicio, Rodrigo Gattas and Emilio Estevez, who all demonstrated those abilities in this match. HFX, York and Cavalry, all recent opponents, have also shown tactical variability and flexibility, something that Silberbauer has been unable to demonstrate thus far, with limited pickings on the bench.
With the loss, Pacific are now eliminated from contention in the Spring season. In a season full of learning experiences for the players, management and owners, the only positive from this afternoon was that this was yet another one.
Perhaps all that learning will pay off some day.
Jaideep Kanungo
Jaikan Sport 