It has been a blazing start for Vancouver Island’s professional soccer team, Pacific FC, and one player is getting some much-deserved recognition.
PFC attacker Marco Bustos has been named the Canadian Premier League’s Player of the Month for April.
Bustos has been a sparkplug for Pacific FC in the young 2022 season, helping lead the club to a 3-1-1 record after five matches, vaulting the Island club to first in the CPL standings.
The 26-year-old forward currently leads the league in both assists (4) and shots taken (10) and has been essential for the purple and teal as the team looks to defend its 2021 championship.
On April 17 — in a match against Valour FC at Starlight Stadium in Langford — Bustos recorded three assists in one game, setting a league record for most ever in a single match.
With 3 assists in yesterday's game, @Pacificfccpl's @marcobustos10 has recorded the most assists in a single match by a player in CPL history.#CanPL l Sights & Sounds ⬇️
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) April 18, 2022
The league also handed head coach and Vancouver Island-native, James Merriman, the Manager of the Month award after the club went undefeated through the month of April.
“Top of the table and unbeaten to begin life as a head coach, doesn’t get much better than that!” Pacific FC said in a social media post.
Along with its stellar play early on, Pacific FC turned heads at last month’s home opener with a striking new alternate kit.
Pacific FC took the field at Starlight Stadium in Langford on April 10, not in the typical purple and teal colourway, but donning a black and white, eye-catching, Indigenous-designed kit that was instantly celebrated online and at the field.
The alternate print was created by Coast Salish artist Maynard Thii Hayqwtun Johnny Jr. and marks the first Indigenous-designed jersey in professional sports history in Canada, according to Pacific FC.
The design showcases a salmon and a child’s face integrated throughout the jersey. According to the artist, the salmon represents the rejuvenation and resilience of the Indigenous people while the child’s face is featured within the centre of the design and symbolizes “the future of a more positive life ahead.”
Pacific FC’s next home game will be on Saturday, May 14 against Edmonton.
CHEK News
