MIAMI, Florida – There are seven teams debuting in the Scotiabank Concacaf League in 2022, yet the one that seems to have taken the tournament by storm thus far is Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League.
The reigning Canadian Premier League champions rolled to a 6-0 victory in the second leg of their Preliminary Round series with Waterhouse of Jamaica to earn a 6-0 win on aggregate and a spot in the Round of 16 versus Herediano of Costa Rica.
One of the stars of that second leg performance was MF Josh Heard, who had two goals and two assists on the night to highlight what was arguably the finest display by any Pacific team ever.
“I think this year we’ve seen flashes of it, but that was a full team performance. Our back line, our midfield, our attack, it all came together,” said Heard in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com. “I can say that it was one of our top performances, 100 percent. It helps when we have a sold-out crowd behind our backs, we feed off of it, it keeps us moving forward.”
Heard has had many memorable games already in a Pacific shirt since arriving to the club in 2020, but it is safe to say that last week’s emphatic victory will be one he’ll always remember.
“You have those days where things just seem to bounce your way and balls just bounced my way in that game. I’m very grateful. I’m happy with my performance, but it really was a team performance. It was everybody, the subs that came in, the staff, the crowd. It was a special night and a night I won’t ever forget it,” said Heard.
What makes this SCL run even more special for Heard is the fact that he is doing it in front of family and friends. Born in Wales, Heard’s family moved to Victoria, British Columbia when he was a young boy, so his entire upbringing was in the Victoria area. With Pacific located in Greater Victoria, the fact that Heard is experiencing playing in his hometown is a dream come true.
“It’s very rare to play football in your hometown where you grew up. It’s not a thing that happens very often. To be able to come out each weekend and play in front of a crowd where I look up and I see my friends, I see my family, I see old school teachers, it’s very special to me,” said Heard.
Pacific’s journey to the 2022 SCL was an arduous one. It was no small feat breaking Forge FC’s three-year title stranglehold on the CPL, with Pacific winning 1-0 away at Forge to claim the title last fall and qualify for the 2022 SCL.
“It was huge, it was everything. Teams go the whole year and they want to win the championship, and winning a championship is so rare. It was a lot of work, a lot of commitment, a lot of time and it all came to fruition. We were happy to win the championship and of course because of that we are now in continental football and that is huge for the club,” said Heard.
The first Concacaf match in Pacific history was the first leg contest in Jamaica against Waterhouse, and it served up some valuable lessons for Heard and his teammates going forward.
“It’s different when you have to travel like that. It’s tough. The humidity is different, the weather is different, the pitch is different, everything is different. You have to be able to adapt and stay flexible. We dealt with some setbacks and I think the boys did great. They reacted well because they’re great professionals,” said Heard.
More travel will be on the docket for Pacific when they head to Costa Rica for the second leg of their Round of 16 series versus 2018 SCL champions Herediano. Heard acknowledges that a difficult tie awaits, but that it is also an opportunity to make more history for the club.
“We realize how special of a moment this is for the club, so we want to take advantage of these moments. We fought all year last year to be where we are right now in this tournament. We don’t just want to be a passenger in this tournament, we want to go out and win it, that’s our objective as we go into these two legs,” said Heard.
With a series win against Herediano, Pacific would put themselves into position for a chance to qualify for the 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League in the quarterfinals. In 2021, Forge FC became the first CPL team to qualify for the SCCL out of the SCL and now Pacific are keen to do it themselves.
“It would be massive to qualify for the Champions League. It would be historic for Canada soccer as well. I would be so proud to represent Canada and Pacific FC in the Champions League. That’s the goal, to qualify. That would be fantastic,” concluded Heard.