James Merriman lays down clear expectations for Pacific: 'We need players ready and focused'
For but a moment on Wednesday evening in a crucial opening playoff match-up, visitors York United seemed to have Pacific FC on the ropes.
The Nine Stripes, billed as villains on the day, were looking the likelier team to emerge victorious in the qualifier between the fourth and fifth-place teams in the league.
Despite being on the road at Pacific’s Starlight Stadium, and the underdogs by most metrics, York seemed to be unfazed by that, as they were doing well to push the Tridents back with their early pressure.
As a result, it looked like an upset could be on the cards to open the CPL Playoffs, allowing York to continue their unlikely journey towards a North Star Cup. Based on their flurry of early chances, which included an Osaze De Rosario breakaway that forced a goalline clearance from Pacific’s Georges Mukumbilwa, and a Brem Soumaoro rocket from distance that hit the crossbar, York had lots to be excited about.
Of course, Pacific continued to lurk, and they reminded them of that when they scored a goal off a set piece that was narrowly ruled off after an offside flag, but from open play, York was having all of the fun.
For Pacific, that was a big worry, as it was worth noting that while they were the favourites on paper, their form certainly wasn’t indicating that, as they’d entered these playoffs having lost three games in a row, sitting with only one win in their last six.
To be fair, that one win had been a dominant 4-1 showing against this same York side, in which Pacific showed their title-winning pedigree, but after spending most of the first half of the season putting up showings like that with regularity, those sorts of performances had been few-and-far-between for this Pacific side.
Because of that, as this playoff game drifted on, with York seeming to grow in confidence by the minute, it had seemed likely that it was indeed going to be another night of frustration for Pacific, adding to the long list of them that they’ve had in the second half of the campaign.
But then, out of nothing, Pacific were able to find their *moment* in the 91st minute. Having grown into the game after some key substitutions, two of those subs, Kekuta Manneh and Adonijah Reid, linked up, as Manneh found Reid with a perfect cross into the box.
GOAL 🔱
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) October 12, 2023
IT'S @PACIFICFCCPL AT THE DEATH 🤯
Adonijah Reid scores in the 92nd minute to give the Tridents a late 1-0 lead over @YorkUtdFC to try and send his team to the next round of the #CanPL PLAYOFFS ✨
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/G53FeYaoUc
From there, Reid made no mistake with the finish, slotting home what stood to be the winner (despite Paris Gee’s best efforts to nearly score the goal of the season on the last kick of the game).
POST-GAME SHOW 🚨@YorkUtdFC's Paris Gee gives us an INCREDIBLE bicycle-kick goal in the last second of this match... but it's OFFSIDE 🥲@PacificFCCPL takes the opening round of the #CanPL playoffs!
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) October 12, 2023
Join us as we break it all down, LIVE on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/LBQfCS7fxK
It was far from Pacific’s most dominant showing of the year, no doubt, but it was a big one, as they found a way to grind out a result despite not being at their best in a must-win game, which is sometimes more impressive than a multi-goal thumping, something that isn’t lost on them.
“These games are different, stakes are different, our focus is different, and so is the mentality,” Pacific’s head coach, James Merriman, proudly stated after the game. “These games can be tight, you don't want to concede, and neither team wants to concede, so it’s a challenge as players, but this is playoff football, and in football, you need to be able to manage those moments and keep your emotions in control.”
“Sometimes, things go your way, and sometimes, things don't go your way, but you always need to keep focused, so overall, I thought that we did a good job of not losing our way and not losing our heads.”
“Even though we were fighting it a bit, we stuck together.”
Yet, it was also a reminder of why Pacific continues to be regarded as one of the favourites to win the North Star Cup, even though they entered the playoffs as the fourth-seeded team.
They have this knack of showing up in key moments, especially when their backs are against the wall, and this game was another example of that.
Based on their recent form, and how York was playing, it would’ve not been a surprise to see them fall, but instead, they found a way to respond to the pressure when it mattered most.
And that’s when they’re at their best. Of course, some may suggest that the multi-goal thumpings they had earlier in the year against the likes of Atlético Ottawa, Vancouver and York may have been their best football, but those sorts of one-sided games just don’t happen in the playoffs.
It’s easy to forget, but Pacific won a North Star Cup this way back in 2021, defeating Cavalry and Forge on the road with similar performances to this one, so this mentality exists within the group.
So although their journey towards another North Star Cup will be far more difficult than that one, as they’ll have to beat the top three teams in the CPL this year, Cavalry, Forge and Halifax, all away from home, they’ll use this York win as proof that they’re in the right mindset to tackle that challenge.
Starting with their next game, a clash in Halifax this weekend, they’ll try to bring that same mentality once again, and then go from there.
“Yeah, this is a different type of game, so for these players, it’s about how they manage the big moments and how they take their opportunities, right?” Merriman noted. “That’s what we need right now, we need players who are ready and focused and ready to step up, but we also need to understand that it's a big moment for players and they'll all manage it differently.”
“So we stand behind our players, we believe in our players, and now we need to figure out a plan with a quick turnaround and the heavy travel to go to Halifax, but we believe in the group and the 11 that we’ll pick, as well as the players that will come in and make a difference like they did tonight.”
Speaking of that Halifax game, however, it’s important to note the scope of the challenge that awaits them on the East Coast this weekend.
After securing their victory over York on Wednesday night, Pacific will have to get onto a plane to complete a full day of travel, crossing four time zones to get to Halifax. From there, they’ll only have Friday to train and prepare, before hopping straight into the next game on Saturday.
One of the longest trips in any domestic league globally, it’s going to be quite the journey, one where Pacific is going to need to dig deep, as they try to not get caught up in the fatigue that this sort of turnaround might offer.
Yet, fittingly, this is also something that they’ve dealt with before, so they’ll be prepared for this.
POST-GAME ANALYSIS 🔎@PacificFCCPL advance to the next round of the #CanPL PLAYOFFS, but do they have a shot at the North Star Cup? 🏆
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) October 12, 2023
Best lineup, big-game players and more after-90 reaction from @GarethWheeler, @jwilsonxviii and @KristianJack 👇 pic.twitter.com/mWzxHbMVb2
As Merriman noted post-game, they had to endure a similar turnaround last year when they were in Concacaf League, in which they had one stretch where they travelled from Vancouver Island to Halifax, before going down to Costa Rica and then back up to Winnipeg, all in a stretch of 12 days.
It’s not easy, as they showed by dropping three of those games by a 1-0 scoreline, emerging with a 1-0 win in their game in Costa Rica (in which they lost on penalties after tying on aggregate), but that they were even competitive across those four games shows their ability to tackle these sorts of challenges like the one that awaits them in Halifax now.
“Yeah, this is a different type of game, so for these players, it’s about how they manage the big moments and how they take their opportunities, right?” Merriman said of the Halifax challenge. “That’s what we need right now, we need players who are ready and focused and ready to step up, but we also need to understand that it's a big moment for players and they'll all manage it differently.”
“So we stand behind our players, we believe in our players, and now we need to figure out a plan with a quick turnaround and the heavy travel to go to Halifax, but we believe in the group and the 11 that we’ll pick, as well as the players that will come in and make a difference like they did tonight.”
But for what it’s worth, the key to their ability to do that lies in one key factor - their depth.
Because of that, it’s fitting that Manneh and Reid were the architects of this York victory for Pacific, as it was also a reminder of how deep this Pacific team is.
Manneh and Reid could be starters on a lot of teams in the CPL, but instead, they had to settle for a role on the bench in this game, as Pacific started a pretty potent front three in Ayman Sellouf, Easton Ongaro and Josh Heard.
Yet, with Sellouf unable to influence the game from the start, and with Heard picking up a small knock, Manneh and Reid were called upon, and they took full advantage of the opportunity presented to them.
No doubt, they would’ve loved to start the game, but instead of letting that weigh on them, they channelled their focus into making the most of their chance when it came.
“Yeah, anytime you're on the bench, obviously you want to play more, but you can’t do anything about it other than stay focused, and keep your mind right because anything can happen,” Reid said afterwards. “So if you get a chance like this, you’ve got to take it and that's what I did. So going forward, that’s my mentality when I'm starting or if I’m not starting, as I want to try and take every chance I can to try and help the team.”
And that’s the exact sort of mentality that Pacific will need for this Halifax game. It might be Manneh and Reid earning starts, it could be someone like Djenairo Daniels stepping up after not seeing the field, or it could be something else; they’re going to need that depth to step up either way.
They’ve done a good job of doing that this season, to be fair, as they’ve had a knack of players coming off the bench to score, almost to the frustration of Merriman, with his team often struggling to replicate that from the start of games.
But while the inability to find that balance may have cost them points in the regular season, that depth can only pay off this time of year, and Merriman knows that quite well, with the 2021 North Star Cup run being a great example of that.
“For sure, and that’s what you saw at the beginning of the season, we were there for each other as a team, always supporting each other, always ready to come in and make an impact and make a difference,” Merriman stated. “And you could feel that energy and spirit in the group in the players that were starting, and then for those who weren’t, you knew that they were going to come in and finish the game.”
“Everybody was there today as a collective, and when we have that togetherness, that’s when we play our best football, that's where we get results, and that’s where our best wins this season have come from.”
Because of that, look for Pacific to now push into this Halifax team brimming with confidence.
Here is the updated CPL Playoff bracket! Only four teams remain standing 👀#CanPL pic.twitter.com/gKoSIdG7iu
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) October 12, 2023
Given their record against the top three teams this season, in which they’ve won two, drawn three and lost seven of 12 meetings, they’ll need it, but there’s a reason why they feel that they can go up against anyone in the league, something that the advanced numbers have certainly shown.
All they needed was a shot of confidence, and Reid’s goal looks to have provided them with that, so now they’ll look to use that as fuel to push them towards what’s next.
“100 percent, (we needed that).” Reid confidently stated. “As a team, we haven't been playing the best football as of late, so I feel something like this is just what we needed, as it’s going give us the right push for the next game, and hopefully for the rest of the playoffs.”
