Photo Source: CanPL.ca (Kurt Larson/Pacific FC)

With training camps officially started across the Canadian Premier League, coaches will finally get a chance to see their squads come together for the first time. On the west-coast, players have been arriving in Victoria daily. Needless to say, the players and staff are eager to start training as a squad. Some Pacific FC players have made the effort to train together before pre-season including winger Ben Fisk, striker Marcus Haber, inaugural signing Kadin Chung, and even assistant coach James Merriman. Every CPL squad is also travelling to the Dominican Republic on April 5th for pre-season friendlies vs Dominican/Carribean clubs and training sessions. Coaches and players will be working diligently to be ready. That being said, who are the men leading Pacific FC into their inagural season?

Video by: @UrbanSoccerCntr (Give them a follow!)

I’m loving how many PFC players are documenting their training on Instagram! @benfisk with the cheeky nutmeg at the end 🔥👀 pic.twitter.com/Y6vnR3XzYj — PacificFC Ontario (@PFCOntario) February 28, 2019

Back in August 2018, Michael Silberbauer was named head coach of Pacific FC. Silberbauer is a unique face in the Canadian Premier League as he is the only international head coach. Born in 1981 in Støvring, Denmark, Silberbauer played 15 years of pro football in Denmark, Netherlands, and Switzerland. In fact, he was once teammates with future Pacific FC president Josh Simpson during his time in Switzerland. Primarily deployed as a central midfielder, he made 402 club appearances and was a Denmark U17, U19, U20, U21, and Senior international. Making his international debut in 2002 vs Scotland, he represented Denmark 25 times before retiring from international football in 2012.

After retiring in 2015, Silberbauer became an assistant manager at former club FC Biel-Bienne in Switzerland. He then worked as a video analyst at FC Luzern for a little under two years before being promoted to assistant manager of the club. Pacific FC is Michael’s first head coaching position and he holds a UEFA Pro Licence. The UEFA Pro Licence is a qualification that coaches need in order to manage at the top-flight of European football. The extensive program teaches analysis, business management, club structure, training, and much more. Silberbauer is in fact the only CPL manager to hold the UEFA Pro Licence, with fellow CPL Managers Bobby Smyrniotis and Rob Gale holding UEFA A Licences. Needless to say, with an analytics background and UEFA training, it will be interesting to see what this Danish tactician brings to the Canadian Premier League.

New @Pacificfccpl coach Michael Silberbauer being welcomed to the #westshore sport community by Langford Mayor Stew Young, dozens of young #soccer players and parents. Full article: https://t.co/C1jSQFs4qK pic.twitter.com/wUGPsevU5G — West Shore VOICE (@WestShoreVOICE) August 21, 2018

Alongside Michael Silberbauer on the touchline will be BC-born James Merriman. Born in 1985 in Nanaimo, BC, Merriman holds a Canada Soccer Coaching B Licence and has over ten years of Canadian coaching experience. From 2003-2007, Merriman was an NCAA Divison 1 player at the University of Denver. He then held assistant coaching positions at Vancouver Island University where he won a CCAA national championship and at Simon Fraser University where he made it to the NCAA Final 4 twice and held a 35-5-3 record. Most recently, he was a residency coach for the Vancouver Whitecaps, a position he held for almost six years. Merriman was also a guest coach for the Canada U15 team and worked with future CPL coach Rob Gale.

Merriman was announced as Pacific FC assistant manager in August and was heavily involved in the country-wide CPL Got Game Open Trials. The Merriman family is no stranger to BC football. His father was head coach of the Vancouver Island University football team for nine seasons and won PACWEST coach of the year three times. Pacific FC fans might also make the connection that Pacific FC midfielder Victor Blasco, played for Merriman at VIU where he had an explosive tenure winning PACWEST Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and a CCAA National Championship.

"I've enjoyed the Open Trials, players are showing an excellent attitude and approach to the opportunity…Players are taking their chance!" – #PacificFC assistant coach @JMerrimanFooty



Sign up for #CanPL Open Trials in #yyj: https://t.co/ZOL6s4eXKq pic.twitter.com/goDDrYXzCx — Pacific FC (@Pacificfccpl) October 4, 2018

Silberbauer will bring a European trained, tactical background that will be unique to the CPL. Despite being young, Merriman has 10+ years of coaching experience and a vast background in BC football which will be valuable to Pacific FC.

Thanks for reading and as always #ForTheIsle

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Maxwell Mowbray Maxwell is a University of Guelph alumni who started watching football in his first year of university. Though his undergrad was in music, sports journalism has always been one of his interests. Max decided to support Pacific FC due to family past on the west coast, leading him to create his Twitter page, @PFCOntario. Though he is 3300 km away from Westhills Stadium, Maxwell is a dedicated PFC fan and member of the Lake Side Buoys. You can often find Maxwell scouring through the lower leagues of Football Manager games.

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