Pacific FC – Jaikan Sport

On CanPL: Losses pile up for Pacific FC

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

On CanPL: Early season woes continue

After a handful of home matches, the novelty of attending Pacific FC matches at Westhills Stadium this season remains intriguing. The club has put in considerable effort towards creating a festival environment, with local DJs blaring the usual mindless dance hits from the past decade while patrons swill local craft beer at the vast beer garden which overlooks the pitch. The two local supporters’ groups have been consistently bringing a constant din of noise, energy and flag waving, both before and during the entire match.

Yet there continues to be a stark contrast between the energy of the swaying stands, and the relatively static and uninspiring performances from the team on the pitch.

Pacific dropped the first leg of the Canadian Championship on 15 May at Westhills to Cavalry FC of Calgary, 2-0 on a wet, windy and overall dreary Wednesday night. Cavalry came into the match as the clear cut top team in the Canadian Premier League, reeling off three wins in their first three matches, all in convincing style.

After being held scoreless in its two previous matches (a 3-0 loss at Forge FC, and a 0-0 draw in Edmonton), Pacific were bolstered by the return of striker Marcus Haber, who had missed both matches with a foot injury. Despite whatever lift that Haber was meant to provide, Cavalry quickly trampled on Pacific’s will early in the match and played at a completely different octave for the opening half hour, much like Forge had done a week earlier.

In the ninth minute, Cavalry’s Dominick Zator headed in a Nico Pasquotti long throw past Pacific keeper Nolan Wirth to put the visitors ahead. In the 16th minute, Brazilian Oliver Minatel completed an audacious diving header on a precise cross delivered by Pasquotti, and it was very quickly a 2-0 lead. Two away goals. The damage was done. Pacific looked completely listless and out of ideas as the match petered out with little inspiration.

Having a tall target, like the one that Marcus Haber provides, causes Pacific FC to play a simple route-one football that becomes incredibly easy and predictable for opponents to defend. Against Cavalry, in spite of his towering height, Haber not only lost the aerial battles, but flat out lost second ball situations as well. Pacific were unable to mount any sustained attack, and due to the youth and inexperience of its central midfielders (21 year old Matthew Baldisimo and 19 year old Alessandro Hojabrpour), Cavalry ran completely roughshod in the midfield battle. It was a comprehensive destruction which left little hope that Pacific FC could overturn the tie in the second leg.

Pacific were provided an opportunity to improve its self esteem and positive vibes three days later, as York 9 arrived to Westhills for a Canadian Premier League match. Michael Silberbauer opted to play Jose Hernandez up front with Haber (whereas Issey Nakajima-Farran, who is demonstrating his age at times this season, started against Cavalry), perhaps as an attempt to help mop up second balls with his pace and energy.

Facing a growing crowd of critics and dissenters, Haber finally scored his first goal of the season, placing his head on a well placed in-swinging corner from Ben Fisk in the 28th minute. It seemed to fill him with energy and wiped away feelings of self doubt, as he pressed York 9’s back three early in the match with a renewed sense of vigour and purpose. Fisk’s terrific first half continued as he elegantly placed a shot from outside the penalty area and through a slight deflection, found the top corner of the net, in the 42nd minute to also open his account for the season. The deflection may preclude the goal from being a goal-of-the-season candidate, but there is no doubt of the quality of Fisk’s strike. It was the perfect postage stamp moment of the first half, one in which Pacific were finally playing the high energy, high tempo, possession based football that its supporters had dreamed of at the start of the season.

That quickly came to halt within the first 15 minutes of the second half. York 9 manager Jimmy Brennan, shifted his back three to a flat back four, made Pacific’s press less effective, which enabled York to hold more possession. They also benefited from a debatable penalty decision, as Pacific centreback Ryan McCurdy was deemed to have pushed down York forward Simon Adjei in a challenge over a corner in the 50th minute. Rodrigo Gattas would convert the penalty, and York 9’s players were suddenly teeming with confidence.

In the 62nd minute, another York 9 corner caused chaos for McCurdy, as an aerial battle with Adjei resulted in McCurdy deflecting the ball past Pacific keeper, Mark Village. The excellent work of the first half was completely undone, and by the end of 90 minutes, York indeed looked the better side.

McCurdy had a difficult match as evidenced by the pair of gaffes early in the second half. But perhaps that criticism is slightly unfair to him. Pacific had been counting on Marcel de Jong and Hendrik Starostzik to provide the bulk of the service at centre back, however unexpected injuries to both have caused McCurdy to play more than intended. The 27 year old has indeed played a full 90 minutes for the third time in under a week, a fierce workload for even the most elite players.

Pacific also has appeared relatively lightweight in the middle of the park, with both Baldisimo and Hojabrpour showing occasional glimpses of quality, but who have both been overwhelmed by the pressure of the opposition midfields. Prior to the York 9 match, the club announced the signing of 24 year old Panamanian midfielder Alexander Gonzalez from Playa Amador of Panama, who has been touted as a Claude Makelele box-to-box midfielder (would that not be great?), who can help solidify an area of the club’s weakness.

After five matches, Pacific FC are well off being title challenges for the CanPL Spring season, having claimed only 5 points in their first 5 matches (the Spring season consists of 10 matches total). Undoubtedly, the club has suffered from a thin squad, injuries to veteran players and thrusting young and inexperienced players into prominent roles. Although much of the talk from owners Rob Friend and Josh Simpson before the season was to bring a title challenger and Canadian Championship threat to Vancouver Island, it appears as though the priority may have shifted for this season to that of player development, as Silberbauer continues to rely on largely young, although promising, players in his lineup.

Though the result was disappointing, the match against York 9 did provide a slight peek into the energy and excitement that Pacific FC can provide on the pitch, if and when those young players blossom. There remains no doubt however that much work remains in the coming months for the on-pitch product to match the youthful, energetic and fun one found off the pitch.

Jaideep Kanungo

On CanPL: Early Impressions of Pacific FC

Like the opening to any good novel, the first few pages provide an introduction to the key characters and their lot in life. Three weeks in, and the key characters in the inaugural Canadian Premier League season have been introduced, but it remains far too early to draw any wide sweeping conclusions about any team, manager or player.

Yet, as Pacific FC has played its first four matches, it is hard not to look at some of the storylines that have emerged and wonder about some potentially worrisome trends that have developed.

Pacific successfully opened their season at home at Westhills Stadium in Langford on 28 April with a 1-0 victory against HFX Wanderers. It was a sun drenched, festive occasion, and the workman like performance on the pitch was largely overshadowed by the overall positive, carnival-like atmosphere that introduced the club to Vancouver Island locals.

The swelling crowd and raucous enthusiasm of the opening match was slightly dimmed when Pacific lost at home on 1 May, 2-1 to Valour FC from Winnipeg. The visitors took an early 1-0 lead from a nice strike from Stephen Hoyle, who was arguably slightly offside in the buildup. 19 year old Jose Hernandez equalized for Pacific at the stroke of half-time, but Valour’s Dylan Carreiro put Valour up for good in the 78th minute, as his shot from outside the box took the most unfortunate bounce off Pacific defender, Ryan McCurdy’s hanging leg and dribbled past Pacific keeper, Mark Village.

The match proved to be a frustrating occasion for Pacific, who by the end of 90 minutes held a 57-43 advantage in possession, showed some skillful ingenuity from Noah Verhoeven and Kadin Chung, but could not capitalize on a series of crosses put into the Valour penalty area. Perhaps most calamitous was Marcus Haber missing two absolute sitters in front of goal, earning early consideration for blooper of the year and ample derision on CanPL social media.

You all thought Salah’s miss was bad yesterday?

How about this from Marcus Haber? Unlucky! pic.twitter.com/z3v3VxHcS0— Nine Stripes Podcast (@9stripespodcast) May 2, 2019

Haber, who was brought in from Dundee FC of the Scottish Premiership, was touted upon signing with Pacific to be a potential goal merchant and a respected leadership figure for the young players that are littered throughout the lineup. Unfortunately, the ignominy of that Valour match has proven to be the lasting image of the striker thus far this season, as he has missed the last two matches with an infected blister on one of his toes.

Comical finishing in front of goal or not, Haber’s absence has been undoubtedly felt, as Pacific dropped a 3-0 decision to Forge in Hamilton on 8 May, and also failed to score despite playing 11 v 10 for an hour in Edmonton on 12 May.

In what was their first ever away match, the club looked completely bamboozled in the first 20 minutes in Hamilton. Forge FC, led by a surprisingly springy and skillful David Choiniere and a dizzying Emery Welshmen, pinged the ball around standstill Pacific defenders and buzzed around the Pacific penalty area. They took a 2-0 lead in the first 14 minutes, well before Pacific could manage a worthy touch of the ball. By the time Pacific had found its bearings, the game was well out of reach, and even then, they continued to appear bereft of ideas. 20 year old Terran Campbell replaced Haber to lead Pacific’s attack for the evening, and despite the obvious difference in skillset and size between the two players, Pacific continued to play a direct game, with largely unmet crosses into the box. It proved to be a completely impotent performance, and raised questions about Pacific’s lack of depth.

The club appears to have invested much of their salary cap space (which remains a league wide state secret) on experienced defender Marcel de Jong, who tore his Achilles tendon in preseason training. In addition to missing de Jong and Haber, Pacific has also been without central defender, Hendik Starostzik, who scored the club’s first goal in its first match, and has not played since, purportedly nursing a foot injury. These three players represent Pacific’s best and most experienced options, and without them, the club has had a roster of only 17 players, many of whom are young and inexperienced at the professional level.

Manager Michael Silberbauer has been forced to play young players by necessity, not necessarily by choice. Outside of Issey Nakajima-Farran, the club does not have another player over 30, and relies on midfielders largely in their early 20s. Silberbauer has also fielded the youngest player in the league, Ahmed Alghamdi, a 17 year high school student, in two substitute appearance. Pacific FC has already eclipsed the league required 1,000 minutes from U21 players in its first three matches (York 9 is second, with 401 minutes in two matches) and will likely continue to rely on these players as no further signings are anticipated anytime soon.

Pacific traveled cross country to Edmonton, playing FC Edmonton in their home opener four days after the Forge match. Silberbauer made only two changes from the disaster in Hamilton, starting Jose Hernandez (who is from Edmonton) and starting Ryan McCurdy ahead of Blake Smith. After a nervy start for both clubs, the 27th minute brought a flashpoint as Edmonton’s Phillipe Lincourt-Joseph was sent off for a two footed lunge on McCurdy.

📰 #CanPLxOneSoccer | #CanPL

🚨 Contentious RED CARD given to @FCEdmontonNow’s Philippe Lincourt-Joseph in the 27th minute of play

@FCEdmontonNow 🆚 @Pacificfccpl

🐇 FCE 0 – 0 PFC 🌊 pic.twitter.com/r5qiMExfxc— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 12, 2019

Whether the straight red was justified or not, it provided Silberbauer’s road weary side a well timed opportunity to play on the front foot. Yet, despite over an hour of playing 11 v 10, it appeared as though Edmonton was the better team, as they defended resolutely, countered with pace and generated the better chances. Pacific appeared leggy in the second half (Terran Campbell was seen huffing and puffing throughout), fired a series of meagre shot attempts at Edmonton keeper Connor James, and were probably lucky to leave with a point.

With only four matches played, of course there is much left to be written about Pacific FC’s inaugural season. No doubt the schedule to start the season has been cruel, as it has had four matches in 13 days, with grueling cross country travel. It has been a turbulent ride until now, with the incredible high of the first victory in the first match, tempered with injuries to its most well known and most experienced players, forcing a series of unheralded and unproven players to take the stage.

Like with any great novel however, the conditions are now set for an unexpected hero to emerge. For that, we await.

Jaideep Kanungo

On CanPL: Football is here

While football culture has long been a passion of mine, it has been largely viewed from afar and has a somewhat distant and exotic feeling associated with it.

Sure, I wake up early every weekend to watch Spurs matches, often go to pubs to meet fellow local supporters, purchase kits and scarves from the official team store, play FIFA, listen to a half dozen podcasts and engage in many online communities to discuss the latest stories. However, perhaps the greatest expression of fandom, that of partaking in match day rituals and attending matches in person, has been largely elusive.

I have had the good fortune to travel throughout Europe to watch football, and lived in Toronto for a half dozen years and attended Toronto FC matches regularly. Since moving to Victoria nearly four years ago, those experiences seemed fleeting, of a bygone period of my life, and only to be relived as a tourist or transient.

On Sunday, 28 April, the intoxicating allure of attending a football match, of experiencing and participating in the supporter culture and of being fully invested in the team on the pitch finally came to Victoria.

Pacific FC played their first match in the new Canadian Premier League in front of 5,500 supporters at the newly fitted Westhills Stadium in Langford, and it was a full on experience that one would have expected elsewhere. On a day where much of the rest of the country was digging itself out of a snowstorm, or trying to deal with ongoing floodwaters, Pacific FC played their inaugural match on a sun drenched pitch against Hfx Wanderers, a team based 4,375 km away.

Members of Lakeside Buoys and TOP organizing for the pregame march to the stadium

Upon descending on the stadium, supporters from the Lakeside Buoys and local Brazilian supporter group, TOP, assembled in the makeshift parking lot and made a boisterous procession to the stadium, armed with drums, bagpipes, colourful flags and an army of supporters with song sheets. The swelling masses outside the stadium took notice, that this was the atmosphere to expect once inside the ground.

The stadium itself, which has been used by Rugby Canada in recent years, appeared rather unfinished, and featured a hodgepodge of different sections, all in different states of completion and purple paint cover. The main stand (the south end) featured completed purple plastic seats, emblazoned with white “PFC” text. The book ends of those stands remained incomplete, but consisted of a wooden frame and benches, and even in this state, gave the stadium a distinct West coast, forest vibe. The supporters’ end, in the stadium’s east end, also featured an incomplete wooden bleacher, while the opposite west end (dubbed the Family Zone) also featured a makeshift stand. The north area consisted of a beer garden, a VIP terrace and a congregation of food trucks. For those sitting in any of the standings, the stadium’s physical surrounds were stunning, featuring serene mountain, hill and lake views. This felt like football in British Columbia’s natural habitat. To viewers on television, surely the appearance of the stadium gave hints of a lower league ground in England. Yet, what the stadium lacked in terms of completion, it lent itself some charm, some unique character and helped enhance the atmosphere that was building inside of it.

Prior to the match, the supporters demonstrated their colourful tifos, and set off purple flares (despite the club stating before the match that these devices would not be permitted). CPL Commissioner David Clanachan was on hand at the proceedings, and did not appear to mind, and in fact seemed quite pleased by what was transpiring.

The carnival atmosphere of the pregame continued to build, and Pacific FC seemed to feed off the energy of their new home. Sitting in the main stands, the fervour in which winger Ben Fisk and fullback Kadin Chung pressed was remarkable. They hounded their opponents with vim and vigour and prevented Hfx from building up. Pacific FC dominated the early possesion.

The supporters end of the stadium continued to heave, and achieved full climax in the 23rd minute when a Noah Verhoeven corner kick met the head of Pacific FC defender Hendrik Starostzik and flew into the HFX Wanderers goal. The entire team huddled around the German defender, celebrated with an extra gusto, and gave outsiders an immediate sense of what this goal had meant. Pacific FC had its first goal in club history, and the team was off to a flying start.

Hendrik Starostzik fires up the crowd after Pacific FC’s first goal

Hfx Wanderers thought they scored a minute later off a corner themselves, however the offside flag ruled it out.

The next flash point took place in the 73rd minute when Pacific FC centreback Lukas MacNaughton took a second yellow card, on a heavy challenge on a streaking Halifax forward. MacNaughton was sent off, and for the rest of the match, Pacific were forced to defend carefully. There was one free kick in the 76th minute fired off the crossbar, and flubbed over the goal by Wanderers’ forward Gutierrez. The rest of the afternoon belonged to Mark Village who made two key stops, and kept the first clean sheet in league history.

In the end, Pacific walked away with a 1-0 victory, captured the first victory in CPL history and went straight to the top of the league table. The team on the pitch appeared so moved by the noise that was generated, that they went to each stand applauding the fans before rollicking with the supporter section to close off the afternoon.

For those in attendance, it was a truly memorable sporting experience, and gave us a taste of what football culture is, and made us dream of what is possible for the team, the game and for all of us going forward.

Jaideep Kanungo

On CanPL: Pacific FC Kit Launch

It was a day long anticipated, ever since that sun drenched day in Vic West last July when Pacific FC was announced as one of the inaugural clubs to join the Canadian Premier League.

In unveiling the club’s intention to join the new league, Pacific FC also released its unique and eye catching colour scheme (officially titled Van-Isle purple and Blue Lagoon through a well written, corporate-speak press release) and introduced us to its sharp new emblem.

The release of the official kit however would have to wait. The kit has a special place amongst football fans. It is something that is immediately identifiable, one that we can touch, feel and proudly wear whether at a kick about or at the pub. It is the physical embodiment of our support for a club. Ever since the league was announced, speculation amongst kit nerds ran rampant over customary discussion points such as what the primary colour would be, would there be hoops or a sash, which manufacturer would provide them and who the shirt sponsor would be. Many fantasy iterations were dropped by the talented army of graphic designers that populate the nether regions of the Canadian Premier League online forums.

Then, finally (!) came the day of all days. Thursday, 4 April. The league and its kit supplier, the Italian company, Macron, held a league-wide simulcast to release the kits, to fervent fan fare in all seven CPL cities.

The sense of excitement was genuinely palpable at the Pacific FC’s club shop, which was impressively filled to the gills with supporters who purchased inaugural season memberships. Club owner Josh Simpson regaled the assembled mass about the design process, on how he traveled to Macron headquarters in Bologna over several days to design the kit, and on how he attempted to reflect the island’s colour palette and include elements that would allow his players to maximize style and comfort.

After a pep rally type address from the club’s Communication Director, Mira Laurence, the kits were finally unveiled. Simpson stood beaming like a proud father as players Marcus Haber and Issey Nakajima-Farran walked out onto a runway to model his shirts. The crowd at the shop gasped when the shirt was first shown on the screen, and continued its oooohhhs and aaahs once the kits were wheeled out in the shop for closer inspection.

Pacific FC home and away kits, 2019 season

The immediate sartorial reviews were quite positive. The home kit, features a majestic purple colour, and displays a two tone design, divided by a sublimated trident, an already established element of the club’s iconography. The kit also uses a modern, athletic neckline, which displays the clubs other colours, white and teal. Simpson himself said for him while he played, this style of collar provided the most comfort and function. The unique colour scheme of the kit was one of the standout features. Few clubs in the world wear deep purple as a primary kit colour, and for this reason alone, this kit feels like a must have item.

The away kit appears quite bold, showing off a bright teal colour as the base, with a deeper teal in wavy patterns, to represent the club’s link with the Pacific Ocean. In world football, few teams feature such prominent use of teal, and the design hearkens back to German National Team alternate kits at previous World Cups (1994 and 2018 come to mind).

Overall, as a keen observer of football culture and design, for me these initial kits seem to hit the mark, and will be part of my own personal summer wardrobe. The one critique that the shirt seemed to receive, particularly amongst members of the local supporters group, the Lake Side Buoys, was the presence of Volkswagen as the primary club sponsor.

Though VW has a long history of supporting football around the globe, its most recent emissions scandal has rankled residents of Vancouver Island, who have long been champions on raising environmental issues and being amongst the most progressive in this regard in all of Canada. For a club that is trying to ingratiate itself with the entire local community, and truly be #ForTheIsle (as their corporate designed hashtag suggests), this appears to be a misstep. Surely, this will also be a point of derision from opposing fans, and will undoubtedly prompt the club to find another shirt sponsor in year two.

However, for a brand new club in a brand new league, in year one, it just may have to do.

After the event, I had the opportunity to share my thoughts on the kits with fine fellow, Adam, from The (excellent) Young Gaffers podcast. Please have a listen to the episode, and subscribe to their show!

The Young Gaffers: Episode 171: The Kits Are Here!

Jaideep Kanungo