Pacific FC hosted Forge FC on Sunday at Victoria’s Royal Athletic Park, a 25-minute drive from their regular ground at Langford’s Starlight Stadium. A 76th-minute header from Forge striker Brian Wright, who took advantage of the new “daylight offside” rule, was the difference in the 1–0 contest. Pacific are now winless in their last 14 matches.

Here are three takeaways.

1. The Impregnable Steeltown Press

The visitors from Hamilton pressed high and were particularly relentless in the first half, pinning Pacific in their own end. The home side’s key attackers Marco Bustos and Wero Díaz often had to drop deep to get involved in the build-up and seldom received the ball in dangerous areas. Pacific’s only shot in the first half was a long-range, off-target effort by Bustos.

In addition to pressing effectively, coach Bobby Smyrniotis’s well-drilled team stayed organized on the rare occasions they were forced to defend deep. Their clean sheet means they have yet to concede a goal in 2026, and they are two points clear of their biggest rivals, Cavalry FC, atop the CPL standings.

2. The Idle Islander Offence

Pacific’s lack of offensive productivity has to be a concern for coach James Merriman. The second of their four matches this season, against league debutants Supra du Québec, is the only one in which they have generated more than 0.99 expected goals. Against Forge, Merriman’s team finished the match with only three shot attempts, none of which were on target.

After missing the season opener because of a one-match suspension, captain Josh Heard did the team a big disservice by getting a red card and a three-match suspension for petulantly kicking an opponent in the gut a week ago. On Sunday, Merriman slotted in Ivorian-born Yann Toualy as Heard’s replacement on the left wing, but Toualy was a bit quiet, failing to influence the attack as much as Heard typically would.

Ronan Kratt subbed in for Toualy in the 56th minute and once again energized the team’s offence. Pacific will benefit when Kratt, who suffered an ACL rupture a year ago, is given the green light to start matches again. In the 70th minute, Pacific’s best scoring chance fell to Kratt, but his volley from eight yards out flew disappointingly wide.

3. Desperate Teams in the Salish Sea Derby

For West Coast soccer fans, the highs of the Whitecaps’ recent successes and of Vancouver Rise FC winning the Diana B. Matheson Cup in 2025 have been counterbalanced by the lows of Pacific FC and Vancouver FC. The Tridents and the Eagles are currently tied with one point apiece at the bottom of the CPL table.

On Sunday, May 3, Pacific and Vancouver will face each other in the Salish Sea Derby. For both of these struggling sides, it is a big opportunity to earn a first victory in 2026. However, because Pacific’s winless streak stretches deeper into the past, the Salish Sea’s stench of desperation seems to waft predominantly to the island. Pacific’s last win was a 3–2 defeat of the Eagles in Langley, BC, on August 10, 2025.

This time, Pacific will host, and they will be back at Royal Athletic Park. A win would give their fans a thrill not felt on Vancouver Island since August 4, 2025, when they defeated Cavalry at Starlight Stadium some 267 days ago.

(Image: CanPL)