May 11, 2025...Late Montejano winner helps Pacific get back on track vs. York | Match Analysis (from canpl.ca)

Late Montejano winner helps Pacific get back on track vs. York | MATCH ANALYSIS
11/05/2025
Written by: Alexandre Gangue-Ruzic

Final Score: Pacific FC 2-1 York United FC
Goalscorers: Zanatta 44' (pen.), Montejano 90+2'; Bitar 25'
Game of the 2025 season: 22
CPL Match: 618

Match in a minute or less

Pacific FC capped off an entertaining CPL Saturday tripleheader in dramatic fashion at Starlight Stadium, as they defeated York United 2-1 thanks to a late 92nd-minute winner from Emanuel Montejano.

York opened the scoring in the 25th minute, as Gabriel Bitar spun and fired a shot inside the box, finding the bottom corner with a perfectly calculated strike to put his team ahead. Then, Pacific responded in the 44th minute, as Marco Bustos won a penalty, one that Dario Zanattta stepped up and converted to make it 1-1.

From there, that set up a dramatic end to the match, one that saw Pacific's Montejano emerge as the hero, as he scored from his backside just moments after being denied of a fantastic goal, doing well to stay alert and finish a headed assist from Pedro Machado to secure the win for his team.

Three Observations

Pacific shows great resilience in late victory

After a tough loss in midweek, one that saw Pacific bow out of the preliminary round of the Canadian Championship in a penalty shootout defeat to rivals Vancouver, it was always going to be interesting to see their response in this game.

Having also lost some key players to injury, this was going to be a good test of their mental strength, as those aforementioned factors put a lot of pressure on them to regroup as a collective, which is never easy to do at the end of such a tough and busy week.

Because of that, it'll make the victory they eventually got feel that much sweeter. It's always special to pick up a late win in front of your fans, but especially so for a group whose backs were up against the ropes, and were facing a pivotal moment in their season.

For a Pacific team that just seemed stuck in their own heads in recent games, as they were unable to turn moments of good play into results as missed opportunities in front of goal and defensive mistakes haunted them, this performance will feel like it was coming after dropping points in four straight matches (0W-1D-3L).

As Pacific themselves said heading into this one, they feel the biggest thing that they need to find in their game right now is consistency, which they'll hope then brings more execution.

In this game, they found that execution, as they scored two goals in a game for just a second time all season - fittingly, the last time they did so was in their lone win back on opening day.

Not only that, but they did well to ride the waves of early adversity, too, something that they've also struggled to do as of late, as they've often struggled to pull themselves back into matches when they've trailed, even if it's only by a goal.

This time, there seemed to be an air of determination about them, even when they trailed, and that ultimately allowed them to achieve the result that they got.

No doubt, there was a hint of fortune with the victory, as they did score their first goal from a penalty, and their second goal came off a lucky bounce from Montejano. Yet, given that Pacific held more of the ball (51.5%-48.5%), had more non-penalty xG (1.77-0.51), and had a significant advantage in big chances created (5-0), they'll feel that they certainly earned their luck in this one.

That's a credit to their group, as it wasn't going to be easy to bounce back the way they did, but they managed to do so, and that allowed them to pick up a crucial victory, one that temporarily vaults them into a playoff spot, leapfrogging past York and Vancouver ahead of them to do so.

York fails to capitalize on another strong start

York have made a habit of starting games strongly in 2025, and that continued in this one, as Bitar's early goal marked the fourth time in six CPL games that York had scored the first goal in a match.

That's a credit to their approach, as they've done a good job of bringing energy from the first whistle, using that pressure to create chances and put their opponents under pressure.

This game was no exception, as they immediately put Pacific under duress, and that immediately allowed York to tilt the field in their favour.

In particular, they did a great job of pressing high up the pitch, with their midfielders doing well to play right on top of Pacific. As a result, Pacific struggled to play out of the back early, which led to some turnovers that allowed York to keep possession and keep building rhythm, which eventually led to the goal.

With how they were playing, it felt like another goal was coming, but they weren't able to capitalize on that momentum, as Pacific started to grow, and then eventually took control of the game.

Yet, that's been the story of York's season. As seen by their ability to score those early goals, they're doing a good job of coming out of the gates well, but then they haven't been able to maintain that energy.

This Pacific game is another example of that, as it was the third time out of four that they conceded the next goal after scoring that first marker. The lone time they scored that second goal, which came against Vancouver FC in week #1, they found a comfortable victory, instead of being made to work for the result.

Now, that's left them in a frustrating position after six matches, down in seventh in the table with just four points. It's always tough to lose matches, but to do so while dropping 11 points from winning positions will sting twice as much, as they will look at those games and imagine where they'd be in the table had they captured even just half of those points.

That just shows the challenge that faces this group, however. They've done a great job of finding an identity under new head coach Mauro Eustáquio, as they play on the front foot, press high, and throw their wing backs forward, doing well to play a fun style of soccer.

Where they've let themselves down is that inability to create a clear separation in these games where they're starting well due to mistakes in both boxes, and more specifically, their defence is something they'll want to tidy up, having now conceded 11 times in six matches.

In fact, that latter point appears to be the big factor behind all of this. Given that York has scored in every game they've played, scoring two goals in three of those six matches, it's not as if they're struggling offensively, even if they're leaving some goals on the table.

With their defensive struggles, however, it's making those missed goals feel more costly, as it feels like they need to score a boatload of goals to make things comfortable for their defenders. Because of that, it feels like York can be tighter at the back, which is something that they'll hope will come as they continue to work together with a back line that is still getting to know each other.

They do that, and it feels like the goals will eventually come, so look for them to find that defensively, which will help them solve their woes in both boxes.

Montejano's late entry offers a potential solution up front for Pacific

For 88 minutes, it was looking to be another tough offensive performance for Pacific in open play, as they managed to get on the ball more as the game went on, but struggled to turn that territorial advantage into any dangerous chances.

Despite having several opportunities to get the ball into the box, they struggled to find that final ball, as their attacking movements seemed out of sync, especially in central areas.

Because of that, head coach James Merriman decided to make some slight tweaks as the match went on, as they moved Marco Bustos to play more centrally, helping shore up that area of the pitch.

That ended up benefiting Bustos, too, who ended up having another strong game, continuing what has been a solid start to the season for him.

Yet, at the same time, as has been the case in a lot of Pacific's early games, it doesn't matter how well Bustos plays if he doesn't have targets to aim for, as Pacific once again struggled to find striker Josh Heard in dangerous areas, given that he finished with just three touches in the box.

Because of that, it felt like Pacific might rue not having more of a presence in the box, leading to a frustrating draw, but then, up stepped Montejano. Making just his third appearance off the bench as he continues to work his way up to full fitness after missing preseason, this game showed why Pacific will be hoping he can get up to speed sooner rather than later.

A true striker, one who has scored at a solid rate for Pumas UNAM's youth teams, he immediately gave Pacific the presence they were lacking in the box when he came onto the pitch, which led to his late goal.

Of Pacific's 10 shots they took, Montejano had three of them, with two of them being Pacific's best non-penalty chances in terms of xG. He wasn't busy, as he had just 10 touches in 23 minutes on the field, but four of them were in the box, showing that he immediately went to the important areas you want your striker to be in.

That's huge, because while Heard has been a bright spot for Pacific to start the season in terms of his work rate and presence up front, he's not a natural striker, as Merriman said after the match. He can work hard, press from the front and stretch defences as a striker, but he doesn't have the frame or movements of a natural #9, and he knows that.

By having a striker like Montejano, however, Pacific finally had that natural presence up front, and that allowed them to craft this late comeback.

Now, that could prove to be huge for them going forward. Not only does Montejano emerging as a potential option give Pacific someone to get on the end of the chances they're creating in the box, but it will also free up Heard to go back onto the wing, where Pacific have sorely missed his ability to score and create along with his defensive work rate.

That could have a knock-on effect, as it'll allow Bustos to play centrally more often, which is not a bad thing given his aforementioned positive performances to start the year.

Because of that, look for Montejano to build off this goal. He's still far from his best, as he's yet to reach peak physical condition and match sharpness, but Pacific are counting on him to keep on growing, and a performance like this shows why.

Perhaps, this goal and win can help unlock that next level for him, however, which in turn could finally help Pacific solve their offensive woes.

What They Said

“We spoke about it before the game. We've had such good energy in the team, and we have such good character in the group - we could feel it all preseason, but then at the beginning of the season, some things didn't go our way, we didn't get the start that we wanted, and that can challenge things. Today, we needed a team performance, and we absolutely got that.” — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman

"It's been a really tough week, mentally and physically for a lot of us, and the injuries don't help. But we've stuck together, we've worked hard, and today we got a reward for that." — Pacific FC midfielder Lukas Lagerfeldt Browning

"I almost want to say we get too comfortable. We go out with the game plan quite clear in our minds, and we stick to it, we stay with it, but then at times, we run away from it. That consistency of our concentration, that consistency of our play, that's something we need, and quickly." — York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio

CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Marco Bustos, Pacific FC
Bustos was a constant threat for Pacific in this game, as he won the penalty for their first goal and was otherwise dangerous all night.

His offensive stats show that, too, as he finished with two chances created, one shot (which hit the woodwork), six dribbles, three passes into the final third and won two fouls. Along with a solid defensive showing, as he also had two tackles, one interception, five recoveries, and won 12 out of 19 duels, it was a strong day at the office for Pacific's #10.

What’s next?
Pacific will head out on the road for their next match, as a date with Cavalry FC awaits at ATCO Field on Saturday, May 17 (2:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. MT). Meanwhile, York will head to Winnipeg, as they get set to face Valour at Princess Auto Stadium on Friday, May 16 (7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET).

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