From the first whistle to the last, you have supported Pacific FC through a tumultuous season filled with ups and downs. Our 2024 CPL season ended too soon this week in Toronto, and despite our short-lived playoff run, we want to turn our gratitude to our fans who stand with us today and have stood with us for our six seasons as the Island’s club.
Together this season, we experienced some beautiful moments on the pitch, and we worked collectively to continue to have a positive impact on our community through initiatives with Island-based Indigenous communities, our New Canadians match, and by using the power of sport to support local youth.
True to our mandate, Pacific FC continued to ‘trust the kids’ this season, tallying the highest number of minutes from under 21 players across the league. Our young players, including arguably the best goalkeeper in the CPL, Emil Gazdov, kept the energy on the pitch high and allowed us to showcase our Wave development program with the signings of Sami Keshavarz, Will Edgson and Mattias Vales. They were joined by fellow U-21 talent such as Christian Greco-Taylor, Paul Amedume and Eric Lajeunesse to showcase what fresh Canadian players are capable of, and we happily added a fiery Columbian import, Juan Quintana, to our youthful lineup.
This season was not without its challenges. We hold our heads high for what were able to accomplish, but player injuries, including the loss of our (beloved) centre-back Aly Ndom early in the season, a few too many cross-country trips and the odd call from the officials gave us pause. These were some of the parts of the season that challenged us as a club and made us remember our strength, resilience and how to lean on one another.
We tip our hats to our leaders on the pitch, Head Coach James Merriman, Assistant Coach Armando Sá and our Manager of Football and Player Development, Jamar Dixon, who continue to find and cultivate talent, and set the expectations of a high standard from all our footballers. They, along with our exceptional soccer operations support staff, conduct themselves with optimism, professionalism, and the desire to continue to improve.
As always, we thank the City of Langford for providing our venue of Starlight Stadium and for working alongside us to connect with our community members and support local causes. We are already looking forward to welcoming you to Starlight next spring for our opening day.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for continuing to support our club and for being part of the Pacific FC family. Your dedication to the work that we do both on and off the pitch keeps us moving forward. Collectively we Tridents have more brilliant matches in front of us at Starlight Stadium and a shared energy to put into promoting wellness and equity in our community for youth and beyond.
With respect and gratitude,
Josh Simpson