Pacific FC - 2023 Season Thread

[jordan]

More on who’s trialing, just came out 

https://northerntribune.ca/pacific-fc-trialists-2023/

[Pottsy3]

22 minutes ago, jordan said:

More on who’s trialing, just came out 

https://northerntribune.ca/pacific-fc-trialists-2023/

This is a very interesting list.

- Lajeunese was arguably the most interesting prospect in the USPORTS draft due to being a standout CB at his age.

- Karajovanic is someone that I really enjoyed watching in HFX, even though he couldn't buy goals. However, I think that this team will require a creator with his ability now that Bustos is gone.

- It's clear the GK position is the most unsettled. Interesting that Maan is specifically expecting to compete for a starting position. Preseason may be as much of a test for Gazdov as it is for the two unsigned keepers. Weir is the type of story you'd love to root for as well.

[davey_twelve]

I can't see them adding too many more players but by the looks of it they've got a decent number of options to choose from to fill out the team. This will be a good indicator of the coaches' ability to assess and integrate new players. 

If one of the new wingers turns out to be an above average CPLer than the starting 11 is pretty solid. Heard can play on either side so that provides some flexibility.

 

[EnigMattic1]

I like the fact that both Torresan brothers are there.  They both have a lot of promise.

[shorty]

If they potentially aren’t going to use Gazdov as their consistent #1 then they will need to pick up a couple of U21s who will be first of the bench/occasional starter material.  Ottawa flirted with disqualification last season for not enough U21 minutes. (Whether the league would have found a sneaky way to avoid disqualification is another question).
 

CPL rules aside, I liked that PFC traditionally has gone young (bad pun) — there is the potential for long term chemistry and developing a club identity not to mention more potential revenue for selling on. 

[Aird25]

Pretty nice little gig for Jamar. I like this development

https://pacificfc.canpl.ca/article/pacific-fc-and-st-johns-academy-launch-youth-soccer-academy

[Unnamed Trialist]

2 hours ago, Aird25 said:

Pretty nice little gig for Jamar. I like this development

https://pacificfc.canpl.ca/article/pacific-fc-and-st-johns-academy-launch-youth-soccer-academy

Mirrors the model of Brentwood and Shawnigan Lake with rowing.

[davey_twelve]

These high school academies are starting to add up. Almost time for a daytime south island league.

[Pottsy3]

12 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Mirrors the model of Brentwood and Shawnigan Lake with rowing.

If they come anywhere near the levels of Brentwood and Shawnigan's rowing programs, they'll be turning out multiple NCAA players a year. Worth noting that although BC-centric, both of those schools recruit from across the country (at least for rowing).

[Aird25]

Yikes - I hope Gazdov is good...

 

[Dominic94]

35 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

Yikes - I hope Gazdov is good...

 

They have rated Gazdov very highly for over 2 year now.

The isle has developed quite a few players that have move up or become important players in the can pl. They’ll be ok. 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Guess the positive thing you could say from a Pacific standpoint is that it isn't Christian Oxner:

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

5 hours ago, Pottsy3 said:

If they come anywhere near the levels of Brentwood and Shawnigan's rowing programs, they'll be turning out multiple NCAA players a year. Worth noting that although BC-centric, both of those schools recruit from across the country (at least for rowing).

I'm aware of them well, a friend's son went, rowed, and now teaches and coaches at Brentwood. But I don't think they can replicate that sort of success in football. You can't replace a competitive league, and there isn't one in BC high schools, let alone on the Island.

In rowing you can race against the clock.

[Pottsy3]

33 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I'm aware of them well, a friend's son went, rowed, and now teaches and coaches at Brentwood. But I don't think they can replicate that sort of success in football. You can't replace a competitive league, and there isn't one in BC high schools, let alone on the Island.

In rowing you can race against the clock.

I come from the rowing community myself, and competing against the clock is a bit of simplification. A 6:00 minute 2km in a tail wind can be a 7:00 minute 2km in different weather. Head-to-head competition is just as important in developing rowers, and time trialling is usually only a preliminary measure. There is a reason that schools like Brentwood send their athletes to compete in regattas in Washington State, to CSSRA Champs in Ontario and to the Charles in Boston (although the last is more of a race against the clock as you stated). 

The more anomolous thing about rowing on the island is the fact that the national team trains out of Victoria, that surely contributes to the level of coaching and competition.

High level competition is definitely going to be harder to regularly access in the PNW soccer scene, but I'd imagine a soccer program would operate more similarly to that of the OBSA basketball schools in Ontario that travel stateside to frequently expose their players to higher level competition beyond their local leagues.

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, Pottsy3 said:

I come from the rowing community myself, and competing against the clock is a bit of simplification. A 6:00 minute 2km in a tail wind can be a 7:00 minute 2km in different weather. Head-to-head competition is just as important in developing rowers, and time trialling is usually only a preliminary measure. There is a reason that schools like Brentwood send their athletes to compete in regattas in Washington State, to CSSRA Champs in Ontario and to the Charles in Boston (although the last is more of a race against the clock as you stated). 

The more anomolous thing about rowing on the island is the fact that the national team trains out of Victoria, that surely contributes to the level of coaching and competition.

High level competition is definitely going to be harder to regularly access in the PNW soccer scene, but I'd imagine a soccer program would operate more similarly to that of the OBSA basketball schools in Ontario that travel stateside to frequently expose their players to higher level competition beyond their local leagues.

I think the rowing program is moving up Island, have you seen? 

https://www.northcowichan.ca/EN/main/community/current-topics/rowing-canada.html

What I am saying is that you can have a reasonable idea if you're training right in both the tank and in the lakes or bays. In football it is not at all the case, it's totally unreliable what you do in the bubble of a single school or academy. However much you've recruited talent.

Edited March 2, 2023 by Unnamed Trialist

[Pottsy3]

26 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I think the rowing program is moving up Island, have you seen? 

https://www.northcowichan.ca/EN/main/community/current-topics/rowing-canada.html

What I am saying is that you can have a reasonable idea if you're training right in both the tank and in the lakes or bays. In football it is not at all the case, it's totally unreliable what you do in the bubble of a single school or academy. However much you've recruited talent.

I enjoyed the Cowichan area when I visited, so that's kinda cool. The woman's program was in Ontario still until a few years ago.

I think I get what you're saying now as far as the value of training versus competition in football being different. Let's hope the new program has the travel budget to churn out decent development but not holding my breath.

[Aird25]

It seems as if the poll is finally gone.

 

[nolando]

5 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I'm aware of them well, a friend's son went, rowed, and now teaches and coaches at Brentwood. But I don't think they can replicate that sort of success in football. You can't replace a competitive league, and there isn't one in BC high schools, let alone on the Island.

In rowing you can race against the clock.

Fwiw, I was chatting about the competitive level of football on the island with one of the upstart Nanaimo FC BCSPL (top tier youth soccer here in BC) coaches and he said they were just so overwhelmed by the pace, strength, and overall ability of the same-aged boys in the Lower Mainland, that they had nothing comparable where they were.

[Aird25]

15 minutes ago, nolando said:

Fwiw, I was chatting about the competitive level of football on the island with one of the upstart Nanaimo FC BCSPL (top tier youth soccer here in BC) coaches and he said they were just so overwhelmed by the pace, strength, and overall ability of the same-aged boys in the Lower Mainland, that they had nothing comparable where they were.

Didn't Vancouver Island Wave compete in the finals/semifinals in most premier age groups last year?

[nolando]

32 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

Didn't Vancouver Island Wave compete in the finals/semifinals in most premier age groups last year?

Class organization with a lot of talent, imo.

[Boominbooty]

I think it depends on the age group. The 2008 wave team won the provincials last year whereas the 2007s were not as strong (though they have a few very good individual talents). 
when Island kids go the  Lower Mainland they are usually in for a tough fight but there are a handful of years that compete well or are possibly stronger. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

If you look around the world it's true higher population and richer demographics benefit their youth teams, it's more competitive. Big cities don't, urban environments don't help, but urban suburbs do. Large mid sized cities.

Then you'll see niche regions that are smaller but compete well, often because they have longstanding pro teams, or a strong character in how they train. So you could develop a strong culture in Vancouver Island, with the clubs as an incentive for kids, more competition, better training methods, the ideal weather. Demographics aren't too diverse, then a lot of new population is retirees.

In Spain the Basques traditionally produced pros far beyond the population would warrant. Now you have very special talent out of the Canary Islands, often from modest and farm working families. But the dominant regions are clearly those with most population.

[narduch]

 

 

[toontownman]

Interesting add and great credentials. They needed another RW for balance. Just another LB and CB and this team is looking very strong. 

 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]