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Match Preview – Valour FC vs Pacific FC
June 21, 2023
Ed Tait
by
Ed Tait

Match #11

 

PACIFIC FC (6-3-1) vs VALOUR FC (2-6-2)

When: Wednesday, June 21st, 9 p.m. CDT

Where: Starlight Stadium, Victoria, B.C.

How to watch: OneSoccer is broadcasting all Canadian Premier League games live https://onesoccer.ca/

MATCH PREVIEW:

Fresh from an important 2-nil home win over Forge FC last Friday, Valour now heads west to Victoria to face the CPL’s first-place squad, Pacific FC. The Tridents have won three straight and are unbeaten in seven with five wins and two draws since their lone setback – a 1-nil loss to Forge back on April 30th.

Valour’s massive win over Forge allowed them to keep pace in the tightly congested CPL standings and with 12 points there are in a three-way tie for fourth place in the standings along with Cavalry FC and HFX Wanderers FC – just one win ahead of Atlético Ottawa.

Valour is in the middle of a busy stretch with Friday’s win, leading into this match on the coast and then a home date on Sunday against Vancouver FC.

THE GAFFER SAYS:

GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos on Pacific FC:

“Top of the table right now. They’ve scored 20 goals and they’re a team that doesn’t concede very much. It’s a very balanced team in the way they attack and has scored a lot in quick break, or quick transition attacks. They’re very patient in the way they defend, and they don’t change the way they play at home or on the road. It’s a team that has a lot of quality and when you play them you know you need to be at your best. And when you play them on the road, your levels of focus and concentration need to be to the max because your margin of error is very small.”

VALOUR FC SPOTLIGHT:

#9, Walter Poncé, F: The scrappy Chilean scored a sensational goal in the win over Forge FC last Friday which is worth looking at again:

Poncé was one of four Valour players, along with goalkeeper Rayane Yesli, centre back Guillaume Pianelli and midfielder Dante Campbell who was named to the CPL’s Team of the Week. He was also named CPL Player of the Week:

CRITICAL NUMBER

8/19

Valour goalkeeper Rayane Yesli has four clean sheets this season, which leads the CPL. He now has eight clean sheets in 19 appearances over 2022-23 for Valour FC, a total which ranks second all-time to the 14 Jonathan Sirois posted in 2021-22.

All-Time: Valour FC vs. Pacific FC

Overall (win-draw-loss): 2-3-11

Last meeting: May 20, 2023, at IG Field — Valour FC 1 Pacific FC 1