Pacific FC was unable to reach its second Canadian Premier League final in three years after the Tridents fell to a rival during SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 (Oct. 21) playoff semifinal.
The 2-1 loss to the Calgary Cavalry brought the Langford teamB次元官网网址檚 season to a close, while the Alberta squad moves on to face the Hamilton Forge in the CPL final on Oct. 28.
The teams traded chances early at ATCO Field in Calgary, but the Cavalry would soon take control of the game as it posted nine shots in the opening 30 minutes. The home team took a 1-0 lead into halftime after owning most of the scoring chances in the first half.
The Cavalry built on their lead in the second half after the ball found Ali Musse high in the box. His shot took a deflection en route to the back of the net, making it 2-0.
Kekuta Manneh cut the lead to one with a goal for PFC in the 66th minute, but the Island team would be unable to complete the comeback.
Despite the Pacific being one of the CPLB次元官网网址檚 top two teams for all but four weeks during the seven-month season, head coach James Merriman said theyB次元官网网址檒l need to improve for the 2024 campaign.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been difficult for us this season, but I think overall we can take a lot of positives. Of course we need to look at the things we need to do better in the second half of the season when we start to drop,B次元官网网址� he said during a postgame news conference. B次元官网网址淣ow in the off-season, weB次元官网网址檙e not going to waste time. WeB次元官网网址檒l take a small break and get back to work, continue to learn, continue to improve, continue to grow and come back and fight for more next season.B次元官网网址�
It was announced on Friday (Oct. 20) that Pacific FCB次元官网网址檚 Manny Aparicio made the five-player shortlist for the Canadian Premier LeagueB次元官网网址檚 player of the year. The winner will be revealed on Oct. 26 as part of the weekend festivities for the CPL Final.
The 28-year-old donned the captainB次元官网网址檚 armband for the Tridents multiple times throughout the season and the team was winless in the four matches he missed.
AparicioB次元官网网址檚 four goals and five assists made him one of PFCB次元官网网址檚 top scorers, while on the other side of the ball, he had 49 tackles and 21 interceptions. Aparicio also led his team with 55 shots and 15 shots on target and finished second on PFC with 133 duels won.
The Pacific said Aparicio was a game-changer in the midfield all season long as he often covered more ground than any other player on the pitch, led the teamB次元官网网址檚 press off the ball and pushed the team forward in attack.
The CPL on Monday (Oct. 23) announced the 10 footballers in contention for the leagueB次元官网网址檚 best player, as voted by their peers. Aparicio also cracked that list, as did PFCB次元官网网址檚 Ayman Sellouf.
READ:
