CLEVE DHEENSAW
Times Colonist
Country calls and it trumps club play, so five players will be missing when Pacific FC and the HFX Wanderers meet in a Canadian Premier League soccer game tonight at 7 at Starlight Stadium.
On opposite sides of the ball in the CPL, 28-time capped striker Reon Moore and once-capped midfielder Steffen Yeates of PFC were in common cause with 29-time capped forward Ryan Telfer and 13-time capped midfielder Andre Rampersad of HFX for Trinidad and Tobago when the Soca Warriors played Honduras Friday night in the CONCACAF Nations League ahead of meeting French Guiana on Tuesday.
As well, 16-time capped midfielder Marco Domínguez of PFC was called up by Guatemala for its 3-1 victory over Martinique on Thursday and its upcoming game Monday against Costa Rica.
They are among 10 CPL players representing their nations during the current FIFA international window, in which club teams are required to release players for national teams.
Garven Metusala of Hamilton’s Forge FC and Mikael Cantave of Vancouver FC are playing for Haiti in the CONCACAF Nations competition this weekend against Martinique and Costa Rica. Former PFC player Matthew Baldisimo, now with York United, and Gabriel Bitar of Vancouver FC are representing the Philippines and Lebanon, respectively, against Malaysia and Tajikistan in an Asian tournament. Grady McDonnell of Vancouver FC will suit up for Ireland in two Under-17 friendlies against Denmark.
Two former CPL players now in Major League Soccer with CF Montreal — Jonathan Sirois out of Winnipeg’s Valour FC and Joel Waterman out of Calgary’s Cavalry FC – have been called up for Canada’s friendlies against the U.S. today and Mexico on Tuesday.
PFC and HFX come from opposite sides of the nation but with one thing in common in terms of common ground. The Island-based Tridents and Wanderers, from Halifax, occupy the final rung on the Canadian Premier League ladder, tied for last place on 20 points each.
PFC head coach James Merriman described tonight as basically a playoff-type game. That is an accurate assessment as time is growing short for the Tridents to avoid missing the playoffs for only the second time in the six seasons of league history.
PFC leads the season series over HFX with a win and a draw in two games before closing out their season account tonight at Starlight Stadium, then Sept. 18 in the Nova Scotia capital.
PFC leads the all-time series 9-5-7 in wins-losses-draws.