Pacific FC 2023: How James Merriman’s dynamic tactics have seen them have a fantastic start to the season – scout report

Pacific FC have enjoyed an impressive start to their 2023 Canadian Premier League campaign, only losing once so far and playing some entertaining football along the way. The Tridents are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2022 season that saw them finish fourth in the league table and be knocked out of the playoffs at the semi-final stage.

James Merriman, the current manager of Pacific FC, has been associated with the club since 2019 when he joined as an assistant coach. In that same year, he was given the chance to serve as the interim manager towards the end of the season, following the departure of Michael Silberbauer. However, the club later appointed Pa-Modou Kah as the head coach.

Kah, who had a successful playing career with over 180 appearances for Roda JC in the Eredivisie, was instrumental in Pacific FCs achievements. Under his guidance, the team clinched their first Canadian Premier League title in 2021. Additionally, they enjoyed a notable run to the semifinals of the Canadian Championship during the same year.

Following Kah’s departure in January 2022, Merriman was given the top job and has swiftly gone about implementing his style of play on the club. The players appear to be enjoying playing for him and fans have largely been impressed as the Tridents once again reached the semi-finals of the Canadian Championship this season. 

In this tactical analysis which will take the form of a scout report, we will look into Merriman’s tactics and analyse why they have been so effective as we dissect Pacific FC’s start to the current CPL campaign. 

Most used formations

As we can see from the graphic above, Merriman mostly favours a 4-3-3 or a 4-1-4-1 formation. The two are largely interchangeable and more often than not, Pacific will adopt the latter formation as their shape when in the defensive phase as it means the wide players track back and ensure there are fewer spaces for the opposition to exploit.

In terms of attacking play, a 4-3-3 formation is well-suited for quick transitions from defence to attack. With three forward players, Pacific FC are ready to initiate counter-attacks swiftly once possession is regained. The central midfielders provide support and link-up play, allowing for rapid progression through the midfield and exploiting any spaces left by the opposition during the transition.

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