Pacific FC earned the first ever victory in the Canadian Premier League and go top of the table thanks to a fantastic display from their midfield and a lack of ambition from HFX Wanderers FC.

Mirroring formations cancel each other, but host’s midfield more industrious

Michael Silberbauer started his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Stephen Hart played a 4-1-4-1/4-3-3 shape which meant each player had a natural geographic opponent.

Most of the intrigue came when Pacific FC had possession. Noah Verhoeven and Matthew Baldisimo took turns coming deep and sometimes wide to get the ball. Verhoeven, the game’s standout player, was the one coming deep more often of the two central midfielders, and he did a good job of keeping possession and keeping the home side ticking. HFX seemed content to let Pacific FC have the ball deep, and this made it difficult for Terran Campbell to get into the match.

However, Pacific FC had multiple outlets. Their full backs got forward at will, their wingers got on the ball, and when forced into a long ball they could knock it into wide areas for them or into captain Marcus Haber to reset possession. Haber had a few flick ons but didn’t impact the game as much as many would have assumed, although his presence as a plan B gives Pacific FC another option.

HFX, meanwhile, had no obvious outball. Their full backs were much more conservative, and their wingers failed to impact the game. Their two central midfielders, Juan Gutierrez and Andre Rampersad, failed to get beyond Verhoeven and Baldisimo, while Campbell’s positioning meant Elton John usually had a man on him in deep positions and could not play incisive balls forward.

The meta game of the first half often boiled down to Verhoeven versus Gutierrez, with the Canadian youth international coming out on top more often than not.

Big moments do little to change the of the match

The game had two big moments: the goal by Pacific FC and the second half red card. Neither one changed much. While HFX pressed briefly after conceding, they quickly reverted to their conservative shell. Pacific FC were content to keep the ball and probe when they wanted. Ben Fisk was pushed into central midfield when Baldisimo came off, but immediately Pacific FC were a man down. The Wanderers’ most dangerous player, substitute Kodai Iida, earned the foul that led to the sending off, but no one seemed on his wave length. Iida attempted to push forward and link up with quick combination play, but his teammates showed a perplexing lack of urgency.

Pacific FC fell into a 4-4-1 shape after the red card and were troubled by a few set pieces, but managed to hang on for the victory.

Looking ahead

Pacific FC got a relatively early goal and were never asked any questions by their visitors, so they were content to ride out the win. Verhoeven was the best player on the park, and his ability to dictate from deep with Baldisimo seems like it will be the key for a successful season. However, there are reasons for concern despite the positive performance. The hosts did not create many chances despite their variety in attack, and Haber has historically never scored in volume. It is fair to ask where the goals are going to come from. They also looked suspect on set pieces, and probably need a better center back partner beside Hendrik Starostzik.

Still, it is HFK Wanderers FC who have more questions to answer. They pressed sporadically and often dropped into a 4-1-4-1 shape, however they lacked incisiveness on the counter. Their central midfield three was outplayed for the entire match, and they had no idea how to take advantage when they were a man up. Stephen Hart needs to figure out how he wants his team to play; are they a team with a deep line who burns you on the counter, or a high pressing team that dominates space? Right now, they are neither.