Pacific FC’s recent resurgence in the Canadian Premier League of soccer has been powered by the four goals in four games by recent loan acquisition and 11-time New Zealand-capped striker Moses Dyer.
Doing his thing in the shadow of the Kiwi international’s offensive heroics has been an old standby. The two wins and two draws over the last quartet of games have been anchored by the box-to-box play of veteran right-side defender Kunle Dada-Luke, whose non-stop motor and signature headband imprinted “KDL 13,” have made him a fan favourite at Starlight Stadium. It’s almost a given he will be in the starting 11 every game for the Tridents.
“The impressive thing about Kunle is his consistency and reliability of always being available,” said PFC head coach James Merriman, in his media scrum ahead of Monday’s game against Valour FC at 5 p.m. PT at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
“Kunle puts 100 per cent into the match. He’s never somebody who doesn’t want to train or someone who puts his hand up and says he’s fatigued. Even if he is, he’s never going to say it.”
The idea behind the formation of the CPL in 2019, other than that a domestic Canadian pro league was a FIFA requirement to co-host the 2026 World Cup, is to help elevate Canadian players to Major League Soccer and Europe. Even though Dada-Luke is now 24 years old, Merriman sees that as a possibility for the former Canada Under-17 player: “Kunle has huge potential. He’s still growing as a player. He takes care of himself, especially mentally, and prepares himself every game. We travel across the country on two days rest, and he wants to play. That makes him who he is to the club and to the fans.”
Dada-Luke, Dyer and the rest of the Tridents head into Winnipeg on Monday for another game in which points are essential, as Island-based PFC, Vancouver FC, Valour FC and the HFX Wanderers of Halifax are in a pitched race for the fifth and final playoff berth in the CPL.
“We need to go there for three points in Winnipeg. You have two teams [PFC and Valour FC] who are absolutely fighting and giving everything to get into that playoff position,” said Merriman.
After a dry spell through August, the Tridents have had a fairly bountiful September harvest with two wins followed by two come-from-behind draws.
“I don’t know if a month ago we come out of those last two games with a point,” noted Merriman, of the two recent PFC rallies for draws.
“To show the fight and spirit to stay in the matches … it’s a mentality that shows that we are fully committed to the fight and the playoff push that we know we are now in.”
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