The Gatorade Team of the Week for the first week of Canadian Premier League action in 2024, brought to you by Kristian Jack and Oliver Platt.
Goalkeeper
Emil Gazdov (Pacific FC)
The only goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet during the opening weekend, 20-year-old Emil Gazdov had a strong start to the year against Halifax. He made a pair of saves, including a brilliant diving stop on Zachary Fernandez to preserve three points for the Tridents. One of the lesser-known CPL prospects, teammates and Trident fans are well aware of his impact on winning and ability to take this team deep into the playoffs.
The @AllstateCanada Save of the Match belongs to @Pacificfccpl netminder Emil Gazdov for this stop 🧤#CanPL I 📺 @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/5OYoxnvg0W
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) April 14, 2024
Defender
Thomas Meilleur-Giguère (Pacific FC)
Tridents’ longest-serving player led an outstanding defensive performance at home, as Meilleur-Giguère put in a strong shift on Saturday. He made four clearances, and won three of four aerial duels to help Pacific keep a clean sheet. Captaining the team to it’s fifth straight home opener victory is no small feat, and Pacific stingy defence was bolstered by the presence of Meilleur-Giguère on the backline.
Midfielders
Ayman Sellouf (Pacific FC)
Sellouf remains one of the most dynamic players in the Canadian Premier League to start 2024. He got his campaign off to a brilliant start by scoring the match-winner from the spot for Pacific on Saturday. Sellouf is aiming to take his game to another level in his second season, after recording a team-high seven goals and eight assists in 2023. He finished that season in fifth for CPL Player of the Year honours.