The next generation of a familiar name in Canadian soccer made an impact Saturday at Starlight Stadium. There is no equivalent in soccer of a Gordie Howe hat-trick but Jay Herdman of Calvary FC may have pulled off the closest thing to that with a goal, assist and yellow card in the 4-1 Canadian Premier League victory over Pacific FC.
Attacking-midfielder Herdman, the 20-year-old native of Invercagill who represented New Zealand at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was also instrumental in the play just three minutes in that swung the entire tone of the game. The son of John Herdman, who coached Canada to two Olympic medals in women’s soccer and the Canadian men to an appearance in the 2022 World Cup, chased down a bouncing ball that PFC goalkeeper Emil Gazdov was forced to come out and punch away. The trouble was Gazdov did it just outside the box and was red-carded, forcing the Tridents to play with 10 men for nearly the entire game. Reading the bounces clearly runs in the Herdman family.
“It’s not bad to have a dad who coached in the World Cup,” said the younger Herdman.
“I try not to let [his father’s reputation] affect me. I’m trying to make my own name.”
He certainly did that in Langford in his first start for Cavalry FC since being signed late in the season on loan from the Major League Soccer Vancouver Whitecaps: “It was the right move at the right time to see what the CPL is like. It’s a good level. I got my first goal and assist in a solid league.”
The loss, combined with Vancouver FC’s 1-1 draw in a goal at the death in injury time by the HFX Wanderers in Halifax, left PFC tied in the fifth and final playoff position with VFC holding the tie-breaker and each team having two games remaining.
“We always kill ourselves and we killed ourselves again,” said veteran PFC defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère.
“Now we have to dig deep down to find results in our final two games against two very good teams [playoffs-bound York United on Thursday in the GTA and against league-leading Forge FC of Hamilton on Oct. 19 at Starlight Stadium],” added the former Canada U-20 and U-23 player.
“We are no longer fully in control of our destiny [as PFC was heading into Saturday] and that was something we were trying to avoid being. But there it is. There are no excuses left. We have to win and get points.”
The Tridents’ slumped body language said it all late in the game.
“It’s only natural. This group is competitive and we are at home in front of our fans [3,187],” said PFC head coach James Merriman.
“It was a tall task being down a man for nearly the full 90 minutes. Cavalry is a very good team. They are going to find a way.”
That is exactly what Tommy Wheeldon Jr.’s play-off bound team from Calgary did in fully exploiting the 87-minute manpower-advantage with three second-half goals, after a Dario Zanatta penalty kick for PFC tied it 1-1 in the first half.
But PFC goalkeeper Gazdov’s mental lapse, that resulted in the early red card, pretty much sunk the game for the Tridents.
“This was a part of [Gazdov’s] learning, development and growth,” said Merriman, of his 21-year-old sophomore pro ‘keeper.
“It’s another moment for Emil to learn. He needs to move forward and be strong. He has a lot of football ahead of him [in his career].”
