Pacific FC hosted Cavalry FC at Starlight Stadium on Sunday and opened the eighth CPL season with a 2–1 loss. The result extended their winless run to eleven matches, dating back to August 2025.

Cavalry, a CPL powerhouse that contested the North Star Cup in last year’s final, broke a bizarre streak on Sunday: Never before had they won a match in April.

Tobias Warschewski, Cavalry’s German marksman, opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 31st minute. Pacific were further punished early in the second half when their poor defending on a short corner led to Cavalry doubling the deficit.

In the 73rd minute, Pacific’s Joshua Belluz headed a free kick from teammate Taras Gomulka off the crossbar. Belluz’s centre-back partner, Diego Konincks, flew into the six-yard box and sent his own header into the back of the net. The debuting Dutchman’s goal was a rare bright spot in the 2–1 defeat.

Here are three takeaways.

1. The Tridents Lack Offensive Sharpness

Pacific’s lone goal had to come from a set piece because they did not generate good scoring opportunities in open play. Their striker, Wero Diaz, is a proven scorer but was not receiving the ball near Cavalry’s goal.

Cavalry won the midfield battle. Their centre-mid trio of Paton, Kobza, and Camargo thoroughly outplayed the trio of Daniels, Juhmi, and Baldisimo, allowing the Alberta side to hold 68% possession.

Pacific did not look threatening on counterattacks. When the game got stretched out in the late stages, the fresh legs of substitute Ronan Kratt did test Cavalry’s defence down the right flank, but the one-goal lead was never in real danger.

Pacific finished with just 0.72 expected goals. Cavalry had 2.02.

2. Plaudits for Paton

Harry Paton, a 27-year-old from Kitchener, Ontario, was at the heart of Cavalry’s midfield dominance. After playing eight years of pro soccer with Scottish clubs and four matches with Forge FC in 2025, he was making his Cavalry debut. At times, he looked like something of a Canadian Xavi — the metronome of his team’s tempo.

Paton has never been a notable goalscorer, but he wasted no time in opening his account for Cavalry. In the 48th minute, he received a pass from a short corner, charged into the box, and beat Pacific goalkeeper Sean Melvin with a near-post finish.

Cavalry’s attacks, many of them orchestrated by Paton, often poked holes in Pacific’s disorganized defence. “What the f— are we doing?!” a frustrated Melvin yelled at his outfield players after Warschewski was left open in front of goal and missed an easy chance to make it 3–0.

Paton is a player to keep an eye on in the 2026 CPL season. With 89 appearances for Ross County and 54 for Motherwell, both prominent Scottish clubs, he has ample experience competing at a high level.

3. FVS: Feels Very Slow

The CPL has introduced Football Video Support (FVS) this year, and it was already causing problems fifteen minutes into the first match of the season, a 2–0 Forge FC win over Atlético Ottawa on Friday.

When Forge were awarded a penalty kick in the 15th minute, Ottawa coach Diego Mejías challenged. (Unlike the more established Video Assistant Referee [VAR], FVS checks are initiated by coaches’ challenges.) The head referee and fourth official then engaged in a lengthy review before deciding that nothing needed to be overturned. The penalty awarded in the 15th minute was taken ages later, in the 21st minute.

In the Pacific–Cavalry clash, FVS once again took centre stage. A foul called on Cavalry’s Jay Herdman in Pacific’s penalty area made the Cavs’ coach, Tommy Wheeldon Jr., twirl his finger in the air and hand his FVS card over to the fourth official, triggering a review. It was the first successful challenge in the league’s history, as the officials determined the foul was committed not by Herdman but by Pacific defender Tristan Marshall. Warschewski grabbed the ball for the penalty kick, which he converted. Similar to the delay in the previous day’s match, the kick was taken five minutes after the foul.

Paton, a thorn in Pacific’s side, was taken down by reckless slide tackles by Baldisimo (81st minute) and Greco-Taylor (97th minute). Wheeldon, not satisfied with the yellow card shown to Greco-Taylor, challenged for a red card via FVS. After a long check, the yellow was deemed correct. The fourth official had allotted seven minutes of added time, but the match ended up dragging on for nearly twelve minutes of added time.

On top of these drawn-out challenges, the goals were automatically followed by checks that delayed the restart of play. Soccer is meant to be a free-flowing sport, so the CPL needs to work through these FVS growing pains to maintain a positive spectator experience. Right now, the use of technology is fragmenting matches, slowing them down, and draining the beautiful game of its rhythm.

What’s Next?

Pacific will host the CPL’s newest club, Laval-based Supra du Québec, on Saturday, April 11.

(Image: CanPL)