Sunday April 10, 2022 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The action was non-stop, the stands were nearly full, and the rain held off for the Pacific FC opening game at Starlight Stadium in Langford this afternoon.
And it was a home team win! Pacific FC 2-1 against Hamilton’s Forge FC.
The official seating count was 4,038. The stadium officially holds 6,000 in the stands.
COVID is still something to deal with, but as of April 8, 2022 the BC Vaccine Card is no longer required for access to public venues.
A new jersey design was unveiled at today’s game, with a Coast Salish theme.
Post-game:
New Pacific FC head coach James Merriman held his first post-game press conference, with reporters in the room and on Zoom.
“We started right, there was good energy and there was a full house,” said Merriman, presenting that as a positive formula for a good game. He described the team as “bright and energetic”.
“We put on a performance we could be proud of,” said the 36-year-old in his first head coach position. “Our mentality is what we wanted.” Adding: “We did a lot of things that we’ve been thinking about.”
Merriman was assistant coach in the first three seasons (2019, 2020 and 2021), so he knows the inner workings of the team and has watched up close as players grew within the league.
“I’ve learned every season, as has everybody in this league,” said Merriman a few days ago, ahead of this first game.
The jerseys we’re wearing as a club, makes the result today a little m,ore secial.
The secret sauce:
Play on the field seemed cohesive today. Island Social Trends asked the head coach about his ‘secret sauce’ for the success of the team on the field today.
Coach Merriman said he has had a good relationship with the club since he’s been here.
“I’m not new to the club. I’m not new to building relationships with players that we’ve had. We have an excellent core group of returning players,” said Merriman.
He said the players are “very strong within their own leadership within the team”.
“That’s a massive help for myself. You could feel it and sense it in today’s performance. We can build from this and continue to build. I give full credit to the players,” said James Merriman.
They know Forge FC:
Today’s first game of the 2022 season sees PFC up against their long-time rivals Forge FC of Hamilton, a team know the team well.
“We know who we’re playing. This start date has been in our schedule for a while now,” Merriman said on Friday.
Reflecting back on the somewhat unexpected 2021 season win by PFC against Forge FC in December, Merriman says the #ForTheIsle PFC team did their final play “in a slightly different way”. He muses: “We did defend very well. We took a chance and the players executed it. We adapted and played a different way and got a different result.”
“We know who Forge is and how they play. We expect a good match. We have a group of players who are hungry as well. We want to prove ourselves again,” says Merriman.
In today’s game, it was the first time that Terran Campbell (Forward) and Alessandro Hojabrpour (Midfielder) — traded from PFC to Forge — were on the opposite team.
Special moment:
Coach Merriman’s family and friends were in the crowd today. “It was a special day. But it’s for the team, it’s for the players,” he said post-match.
===== RELATED:
New Coast Salish Pacific FC jersey for 2022 season (April 10, 2022)
New head coach James Merriman gears up for 2022 season (April 10, 2022)