Pacific FC has made significant moves ahead of the 2025 Canadian Premier League (CPL) season, bolstering both their attack and squad depth.

Most recently, they secured 23-year-old striker Emanuel Montejano from Celaya Futbol Club of Liga de Expansion MX, the second division in Mexico. Montejano has signed with Pacific through 2025, with an option for 2026.

Head coach James Merriman is excited about the addition, describing Montejano as a "dynamic striker" who will be a key piece for the team.

"We expect him to make an impact immediately," Merriman said, noting that MontejanoB次元官网网址檚 career path mirrors that of former Pacific FC striker Alejandro Diaz, the club's all-time leading scorer.

In addition to Montejano, Pacific FC brought back two important players from their 2021 championship-winning team: Marco Bustos and Kadin Chung.

Bustos, 28, returns after scoring 15 goals in 63 appearances for Pacific over his previous two years with the club.

"Marco carries the standard in his profession, day in, day out. What he brings to the environment is so valuable," Merriman said.

Chung, 26, was the club's inaugural signing in November 2018 and made 63 appearances across all competitions with PFC from 2019 to 2021.

These additions are part of a broader strategy to improve the squadB次元官网网址檚 experience and offensive capabilities.

"The two biggest things for us were, one, to have a more experienced locker room, and second, to add to our attack and find a way to be a bit more ruthless in the final third and score more goals again," said Merriman.

Pacific FC finished the 2024 campaign with a 9-7-12 record, placing them in fifth place in the CPL standings before being bounced by York United in the play-in portion of the playoffs.

The Tridents ended the season as the CPL's lowest-scoring club, accumulating just 27 goals in 28 matches. Merriman believes that the signings of Montejano and Bustos directly address these needs, ensuring a more clinical and high-energy attack heading into the new season.

The Langford side also bolstered their midfield with the additions of Aidan Daniels, Daniel de Pauli, Lukas Browning Lagerfeldt, and local talent, Sami Keshavarz.

However, the offseason also brought bittersweet news for Pacific FC. Emil Gazdov, the club's standout goalkeeper and the 2024 Golden Glove winner, has transferred to Major League Soccer (MLS) side CF Montreal for a club-record fee.

Gazdov had been a fixture for Pacific FC since 2020, appearing in 46 games and earning a reputation as one of the top keepers in the league.

"That was always the plan for Gazdov when he came here. We signed him as a 16-year-old, and he evolved since day one. He has the potential to be number-one keeper in MLS and could have a future with the Canadian national team," Merriman said.

With GazdovB次元官网网址檚 move, Sean Melvin is expected to step into the starting goalkeeper role.

Melvin, who appeared in seven games last season, now has the opportunity to take over as the primary keeper.

"Not that Sean Melvin wasnB次元官网网址檛 competitive with Emil last season, but we had two very good goalkeepers," said Merriman. "ItB次元官网网址檚 also a big opportunity for him to step up and state his claim and take that position."

As Pacific FC heads into their seventh season, Merriman is confident that the team has established itself as one of the leagueB次元官网网址檚 top contenders.

"WeB次元官网网址檝e built a winning culture here. ThereB次元官网网址檚 an expectation to be in playoffs. ThereB次元官网网址檚 an expectation to be fighting for trophies."

Pacific FC has been a regular playoff contender, making it in five of the six playoffs in league history, and reaching three Canadian Championship semifinals.

Looking ahead, MerrimanB次元官网网址檚 focus is also on success in the Canadian Championship.

Pacific FC will host Vancouver FC on May 6 in the quarter-finals, with a target of securing a berth in the later rounds of the tournament.

In years past, PFC has met with the MLS club from across the pond, the Vancouver Whitecaps during the domestic cup.

Merriman knows how important these matches are for the players and fans alike.

"Players want to play MLS oppositions. They want to test themselves and challenge themselves," said Merriman. "Plus, the fans want to see those David vs. Goliath matchups."

Merriman also stressed the importance of fan support in creating a strong home environment.

"We need 5,000+ people here, match in, match out," said Merriman. "That has to be the goal for the community to really establish ourselves here and be that environment that teams donB次元官网网址檛 want to come to."

Pacific FC will open their regular season on April 5 with a home match against Valour FC.