TFC will have to defeat Pacific FC in their bid to salvage some hardware this year

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Pacific FC will be in an ocean of trouble in the Canadian Championship semifinal against Toronto FC on Wednesday night, unless the West Coast warriors arrive at BMO Field in the force of a tidal wave.

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And remove all the advantages of TFC, including the fact that the game will be played at the home of the Reds.

Every time a Canadian Premier League team takes on a top-tier Major League Soccer team, the odds are against the CPL club. But PFC has already proven it is a team that could push TFC to its limits on Wednesday, having defeated another MLS club, the Vancouver Whitecaps, in preliminary action for the Canadian Championship (CC).

TFC will be missing assist leader Yeferson Soteldo for the match due to a hamstring strain, as well as goalkeeper Alex Bono and central defender Eriq Zavaleta, while PFC should be without top scorer Terran Campbell ( tied with Alejandro Díaz Liceága with 10). The Burnaby, BC native received two yellow cards in CC competition and is out.

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PFC coach Pa-Modou Kah made a legitimate point Tuesday on a Zoom call that CPL teams are often at a disadvantage in the Canadian Championship as they generally have to play in the preliminary round of the tournament. , which increases the chances of the players. collect yellow or red cards and then miss subsequent games. For this year’s Canadian Championship, CF Montréal and TFC, as well as CPL’s Forge FC, received a first-round goodbye due to their placements in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the competition.

“If you look at the bigger picture, it is unfair because we are losing a quality player,” Kah said.

In what seemed like a bit of head action, Kah asked the umpire team to make Wednesday’s game a fair one.

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“I just hope the referees have an even game,” he said. “Make it an even game.”

Kah said Wednesday’s CC semi-final was the biggest game in PFC history. But for TFC, the game is huge too, as the Reds have been through a disappointing MLS season and are looking to the Canadian Championship as a means of salvaging something from the 2021 campaign.

The CC champion wins the Voyageurs Cup and a trip to the 2022 Concacaf Champions League tournament. The winner of Wednesday’s semi-final meets CF Montreal in the final.

“Obviously it’s a great opportunity to get something out of this year,” said TFC fullback Richie Laryea. “It is a trophy at the end of the day. And it’s a trophy for the best team in Canada and that’s the way we see it and we do it. “

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TFC has one regular season MLS game left, this Sunday against DC United at BMO Field. And while the Reds have been officially knocked out of the MLS Cup playoffs for weeks, TFC has played well of late, posting draws in their last three games against clubs struggling to stay in the MLS playoffs image.

“I think now we would be in a good place to start the season. Unfortunately, it is the end of the season, ”said TFC coach Javier Pérez. “I think we’re in the best (shape) of the season (and) it’s sad because we wish we were so good a few months ago. But it is (also) good news because now is a critical moment and we have an opportunity in front of us, which is the Canadian Championship. We are in a good place. “

Pacific FC is also in a good place, as the CPL rivals really have nothing to lose in Wednesday’s game. A loss is expected. A victory would represent a great surprise and a great feather in the cap. The pressure is on TFC.

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“We can’t let the opportunity get to us,” said PFC captain Jamar Dixon. “It’s a different environment, but it’s still two goals, it’s still a normal-size field. If we focus on our normal style of play and things start to go the way we want, I think we can do well in this game. “

PFC sits at the top of the CPL table and leads the league with 47 goals in 27 games.

“It is a very interesting team. It is a team that plays 4-3-3. They like to be aggressive and we hope it is a team true to their style, ”said Pérez. “They’re good in transition, they have fast wingers, with (Josh) Heard on the left, with (Terran) Campbell on the right. Then they have No. 9 (Díaz Liceága), who makes runs behind the centrals very, very well. And they have two attacking midfielders, including Dixon, who has a lot of experience. They are always active, they are always looking for opportunities. They score quite a few goals: 17 goals in the last 10 games.

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“All in all, we are going to find a team that is very offensive and I think this is the game of the season for them. And this will also be the game of the season for us, “added Pérez. “So we are going to have to play the best we can if we want to eliminate them from the semi-finals.

“The lesson is that there is no small enemy and you have to take every game very seriously,” Pérez continued, pointing to the PFC’s victory over Vancouver and the fact that CPL’s Forge FC led Montreal into a shootout in the another semi-final from CC. on October 27, before losing to the MLS club 8-7 on penalties.

“We will be focused, we will be completely ready for the game (on Wednesday).”