PREVIEW: Valour FC vs. Pacific FC – Match #26

The road swing continues for Pacific FC this week, as they travel to Manitoba for a date with Winnipeg side Valour FC, as the clubs reprise an early-season clash that saw Pacific fall 2-1 at home on May 1.

Valour, currently third in the league, has nine points from their 3-4-0 start to the season. Their last test was on Saturday at Forge FC, a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in which their first-minute goal was erased by two Forge goals within the last ten minutes. The result eliminated Valour from both CONCACAF League qualification and Spring season title contention.

Things have been even tougher recently for Pacific, who missed an early penalty in Saturday's 1-0 loss to York9 FC. Prior to that, they had two weeks off while other CPL clubs played in the Canadian Championship, preceded by a 2-1 road loss to HFX Wanderers FC.

So, PFC heads into this one-sixth in the league table with just one win and five points from seven games.

After this rare Thursday tilt, the grind continues for Pacific, who host FC Edmonton on Sunday, June 23 (6:00 p.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. PT, on OneSoccer). Valour gets a break until next Wednesday, June 26, when they'll take on HFX Wanderers FC out east in Halifax (6:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. AT, on OneSoccer).

• Give it to Bustos: Enough digital ink has by now been spilled about Marco Bustos' jaw-dropping goal 30 seconds into the game against Forge. Not just for that moment, though, is Bustos Valour's most dangerous attacking player. He's started to come out of his shell in a major way this month, and with Michael Petrasso injured and Stephen Hoyle struggling, Bustos has performed. If Pacific should worry about one player, it's him.
• Focus in front of goal: Call it bad luck, call it miscommunication. However you slice it, though, Pacific has allowed three own goals this year. While it's unfair to call it a major issue, this is perhaps symptomatic of Pacific's larger problem with staying focused in their own 18-yard box. PFC has conceded the most goals in the CPL with 10; Michael Silberbauer's team must tighten things up at the back to stand a chance.
• Get crosses in: One reason Pacific's attack hasn't been as dangerous as one might've hoped is an inability to get Marcus Haber touches in dangerous areas. The towering striker could start producing if Pacific can play balls in over the top of Valour's backline, or send in crosses from the wings for Haber to finish with his head. Michael Silberbauer chose not to start Haber on Saturday to shake things up, but he should play a larger role in this one.

Valour FC: Mathias Janssens; Martin Arguinarena, Jordan Murrell, Adam Mitter, Diego Gutierrez; Raphael Ohin, Louis Béland-Goyette; Ali Musse, Dylan Carreiro, Nicolas Galvis; Marco Bustos

Pacific FC: Mark Village; Émile Legault, Lukas MacNaughton, Ryan McCurdy, Kadin Chung; Matthew Baldisimo, Alexander Gonzalez; Terran Campbell, Noah Verhoeven, Ben Fisk; Marcus Haber



Q: Will all goals that are scored be assisted? A: So far, there have been 32 goals scored in the Canadian Premier League. Of those 32, 26 (or 81%) were assisted by another player. It would be a smart bet to believe that in any given game, all goals will be assisted. Q: How many total saves will there be in the match? A: By taking a similar approach to this question as the previous one, you'll see that goalkeepers have collectively made 125 saves across 23 league games. That's 10.8 saves per game between both goalies. Q: Will a Canadian-born player score? A: Easy answer: yes. A majority of the league is Canadian, and a majority of the starting XIs for clubs are Canadian as well. Believe in the power of maple syrup and mounties, and believe in the Canadian CanPL players.

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