Pacific FC is flying high at the moment and showing no signs of slowing down. Currently top of the table with a five point lead and two games in hand, the Tridents head into Friday night’s match against Atlético Ottawa looking to extend their club-record win streak to five games and their club-record unbeaten run in the Canadian Premier League to nine.

Spirits are incredibly high in the group and the momentum built up over the past few weeks is carrying the team forward. While everything is definitely firing on all cylinders are the moment, James Merriman and his team aren’t satisfied and continue to enter each match with motivation and without complacency.

Friday’s match also kicks off the Canada Day long weekend with an interesting battle against last season’s regular season champions. There aren’t many better ways to start your long weekend than watching the top-of-the-table Tridents fight for an even larger first place lead over the rest of the CPL. Oh, and watching the match before heading out for your long weekend getaway will also give you a bit of respite when it comes to the insane traffic out of the city on Friday evening!

Trends and Stats

Well first off, three straight 1-0 wins is almost unprecedented for Pacific. This is only the third time in club history that the team has recorded three straight clean sheets, and is the first time the Tridents have ever won four league matches in a row. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that Pacific FC has never played better than they are right now, especially considering this streak continues to lengthen the club-record unbeaten run in CPL action, currently at eight games.

On the other side, Ottawa continues to struggle for consistency. Their last five matches have gone: lose, win, lose, win, lose. Every time it seems as though the team has turned a corner this season, another loss sends them back to the drawing board. Currently second-bottom, Ottawa has won back-to-back home matches but lost three straight on the road. A trip to the Island at this stage of the season and the differing form of the teams could spell trouble for the visitors on Friday night if they aren’t switched on.

History

Although only a few years old, Atlético Ottawa has still become an interesting matchup for Pacific due to previous matches and players swapping sides. Most recently, the Tridents travelled to Ottawa at the beginning of May for their first road match of the season and came back home with a convincing 4-1 victory. This scoreline was somewhat of an anomaly in this fixture as only three times (including that one) has a match between these two seen more than two goals scored combined. All-time, the head-to-head record stands at five wins for Pacific, three for Ottawa, and three draws.

On the player side of things, many former Tridents are now plying their trade for Atlético Ottawa. Ollie Bassett, Gianni Dos Santos, Noah Verhoeven, and Zachary Verhoven are all former Pacific players now donning the red and white. Another tie-in comes in the form of Victoria-born goalkeeper Sean Melvin who is a part of the Ottawa squad.

Quote

“I think it’s the best opportunity this country has ever had at being a true footballing nation. It’s created more interest and awareness across the country, you see the fans and we feel it here at Starlight Stadium. It’s only been five years but the growth has been incredible. It’s been an amazing story and we’re only just getting started so the future is bright.” — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman on the Canadian Premier League

Keys to Victory

In a reverse of last season’s Atlético Ottawa team, this year’s squad has been a bit more leaky at the back when it comes to conceding goals. Last weekend’s 4-3 loss to Forge FC highlighted the kind of defensive lapses that have been more prevalent this season than last. It wasn’t even that Forge pressed their backline like crazy, it was just simple mistakes and easy giveaway that gifted goals to Forge. For Pacific, the Trident should take note of the lack of defensive solidity and look to put the Ottawa backline under as much pressure as possible – as opposed to trying to draw them out with sustained possession in deep areas. If Pacific looks to run at Ottawa’s defenders or stretch them out of shape with quick, sharp ball movement in attacking areas, goals will come for the league’s best attack.

Additionally, we saw in Pacific’s 4-1 victory over Ottawa in May how effective the Tridents’ coordinated press can be against this opponent’s backline. Pacific also experienced success when pushing numbers forward in transitional moments.

Match Facts to Know

• Although still a ways away, Pacific FC can look at Forge FC’s Canadian Premier League record unbeaten run of 14 matches as a marker to beat. The Hammers set the record in the inaugural 2019 season.
• After the third straight 1-0 victory for Pacific FC last Wednesday, the most common scoreline in club history is now a 1-0 win for the Tridents. A 1-0 win had previously been in a tie for the record with a 1-2 loss and a 1-1 draw.
• Friday’s match will be James Merriman’s 50th match in charge of Pacific FC. Already the winningest Head Coach in club history, Merriman continues to hit milestones as the man in charge.