Vancouver FC
Vancouver Football Club, commonly known as Vancouver FC, is a Canadian professional soccer club competes in the Canadian Premier League, the top tier of the Canadian soccer league system.[1] The club is based in Langley, British Columbia and plays their home matches at the Willoughby Community Park stadium.
| Full name | Vancouver Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Eagles |
| Short name | VanFC, VFC |
| Founded | November 2, 2022 |
| Stadium | Willoughby Community Park, Langley, British Columbia |
| Capacity | 6,560 |
| Owner | SixFive Sports and Entertainment |
| President | Rob Friend |
| Coach | Afshin Ghotbi |
| League | Canadian Premier League |
| 2023 | Regular season, 7th Playoffs, did not qualify |
| Website | Club website |
| Current season | |
History edit
On November 10, 2021, the Canadian Premier League announced that it had awarded an expansion club in Vancouver to SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP.[2] More details were announced on April 13, 2022, when the CPL and SixFive announced that the new club would play in Langley, British Columbia, at Willoughby Community Park, adjacent to the Langley Events Centre.[3]
On November 2, 2022, the club held its official launch event where it announced its name; revealed its branding; and presented Afshin Ghotbi as the club's first head coach.[4] The CPL announced that the club would begin league play for the 2023 season.[5]
In March 2023, Eugene Martínez was called up to the Belize national team for 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League B matches against Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. In the process he became the first Vancouver FC player to be called for international duty as a member of the club.[6]
Vancouver FC played its first league match on April 15, 2023, away to provincial rivals Pacific FC. The match ended in a 1–0 victory for Pacific with Manny Aparicio becoming the first-ever goalscorer against Vancouver.[7] On matchday two, Vancouver defeated York United FC 2–1 for the club's inaugural victory. Shaan Hundal scored the first-ever goal for the club, while Gael Sandoval scored the eventual game-winner.[8][9]
The club faced Cavalry FC in its first home match at the newly-constructed Willoughby Community Park stadium in front of a sell-out crowd of over 6,500 fans on May 7, 2023.[10] Despite playing a man-down for over an hour after a red card was shown to Rocco Romeo, the club managed a 1–1 draw. First-ever Vancouver FC scorer Shaan Hundal scored the equalizing goal which was also the first home goal in club history.[11]
Crest and colours edit
The primary crest is circular and features the name of the club and year of establishment in the outer ring. In the centre is a stylized eagle in the shape of the letter V. The club colours are black, grey, and red (branded as charcoal black, silver, warm red, dark grey, and cinder).[12]
Stadium edit
Vancouver FC play in a new stadium at Langley's Willoughby Community Park.[4] It has a capacity of 6,560 seats in its initial configuration, with potential for further expansion. The construction operations began in February 2023 and involved the usage of modular prefabricated elements.[15]
Players and staff edit
Roster edit
- As of September 13, 2023[16]
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Callum Irving | Canada |
| 2 | DF | Kadin Chung | Canada |
| 3 | DF | Rocco Romeo | Canada |
| 4 | DF | Ibrahim Bakare | England |
| 7 | FW | Nathaniel St. Louis | Canada |
| 8 | MF | Nima Moazeni Zadeh | Iran |
| 9 | MF | Alejandro Díaz (on loan from Sogndal) | Mexico |
| 10 | FW | Shaan Hundal | Canada |
| 11 | MF | Gabriel Bitar | Lebanon |
| 12 | DF | Tyler Crawford | Canada |
| 14 | FW | Nicky Gyimah | Ghana |
| 15 | FW | Mamadou Kane | Canada |
| 16 | MF | Elliot Simmons | England |
| 17 | FW | Min-jae Kwak | South Korea |
| 18 | FW | Ameer Kinani | Iraq |
| 19 | FW | Mikaël Cantave | Haiti |
| 20 | DF | Anthony White | Canada |
| 21 | GK | Jeremy Zielinski | United States |
| 23 | DF | Kahlil John-Wentworth | Canada |
| 24 | MF | Lennon Thompson | Canada |
| 25 | DF | James Cameron | Canada |
| 26 | MF | T.J. Tahid | Canada |
| 31 | GK | Trevor Schneider | Canada |
Staff edit
| Executive | |
|---|---|
| President | Rob Friend |
| Coaching staff | |
| Head coach | Afshin Ghotbi |
| Assistant coach | Vacant |
| Goalkeeping coach | Mark Village |
| Equipment manager | Cortlin Tonn |
| Manager of football operations | Jeevin Kang |
Head coaches edit
- As of October 6, 2023
| Coach | Nation | Tenure | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Afshin Ghotbi | Iran | November 2, 2022 – present | 29 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 27.59 |
Club captains edit
| Years | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 2023–Present | Callum Irving[19] | Canada |
Records edit
Year-by-year edit
| Season | League | Playoffs | CC | Continental | Average attendance | Top goalscorer(s) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div | League | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Pos. | Name | Goals | ||||||
| 2023 | 1 | CPL | 28 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 28 | 50 | -22 | 29 | 1.04 | 7th | DNQ | R1 | Ineligible | 2,790 | Gabriel Bitar Shaan Hundal | 6 | |
All-time top scorers edit
| # | Name | Nation | Career at Club | Games Played | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPL | Cup | Int'l | Total | ||||
| 1 | Gabriel Bitar | Lebanon | 2023 - Present | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Shaan Hundal | Canada | 2023 - Present | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 3 | Mikaël Cantave | Haiti | 2023 - Present | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Taryck Tahid | Canada | 2023 - Present | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Alejandro Díaz | Mexico | 2023 - Present | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | James Cameron | Canada | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Vasco Fry | Peru | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Renan Garcia | Brazil | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Ameer Kinani | Iraq | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Min-jae Kwak | Republic of Korea | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Gael Sandoval | Mexico | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Note: Bold indicates active player
All-time top assists edit
| # | Name | Nation | Career at Club | Games Played | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPL | Cup | Int'l | Total | ||||
| 1 | Gabriel Bitar | Lebanon | 2023 - Present | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Gael Sandoval | Mexico | 2023 - Present | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Mikaël Cantave | Haiti | 2023 - Present | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Min-jae Kwak | Republic of Korea | 2023 - Present | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 | Kadin Chung | Canada | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Renan Garcia | Brazil | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Vasco Fry | Peru | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Shaan Hundal | Canada | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Ameer Kinani | Iraq | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Elliot Simmons | Canada | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Anthony White | Canada | 2023 - Present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Note: Bold indicates active player
All-time most appearances edit
| # | Name | Nation | Career at Club | Games Played | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPL | Cup | Int'l | Total | ||||
| 1 | Shaan Hundal | Canada | 2023 - Present | 28 | 1 | 0 | 29 |
| 2 | Callum Irving | Canada | 2023 - Present | 27 | 1 | 0 | 28 |
| 3 | Min-jae Kwak | Republic of Korea | 2023 - Present | 26 | 1 | 0 | 27 |
| 4 | Rocco Romeo | Canada | 2023 - Present | 25 | 1 | 0 | 26 |
| Ibrahim Bakare | England | 2023 - Present | 25 | 1 | 0 | 26 | |
| Gabriel Bitar | Lebanon | 2023 - Present | 25 | 1 | 0 | 26 | |
| Elliot Simmons | Canada | 2023 - Present | 25 | 1 | 0 | 26 | |
| 8 | Tyler Crawford | Canada | 2023 - Present | 23 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| 9 | Ameer Kinani | Iraq | 2023 - Present | 20 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| 10 | Anthony White | Canada | 2023 - Present | 20 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Taryck Tahid | Canada | 2023 - Present | 20 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |
Note: Bold indicates active player
Awards edit
Canadian Premier League Awards edit
| Year | Name | Award | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | James Cameron | Best Canadian U-21 Player | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ Jacques, John (November 3, 2022). "Langley Launched: Introducing Vancouver FC". Northern Tribune. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (November 10, 2021). "Canadian Premier League awards expansion club in Vancouver to SixFive Sports & Entertainment". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (April 13, 2022). "SixFive Sports reveals Langley, BC location for Vancouver 2023 CPL team". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ a b "New Langley-based pro soccer team will be called Vancouver FC". Langley Advance Times. November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ Tierney, Mitchell (November 2, 2022). "'This market is ready for something different': Vancouver FC owner Rob Friend on the vision behind the CPL's newest club". Canadian Premier League.
- ^ Jacques, John. "Club History: Vancouver FC's 'Pele' Martinez Called Up For Belize". Northern Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Wallace, Kelly. "Pacific FC beats new rivals Vancouver FC – photo gallery". Total Soccer News. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "CPL new boys Vancouver FC score first goal and secure first win in club history". Canadian Soccer Daily. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ O'Connor Clarke, Charlie (April 22, 2023). "HIGHLIGHTS: York United vs. Vancouver FC | April 22, 2023". OneSoccer. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ Jacques, John. "Making History: Vancouver FC Sells Out Tonight's Home Opener". Northern Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Saelhof, Todd. "Cavalry can't find way to win against 10-man Vancouver FC". Calgary Sun. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian Premier League unveils newest franchise Vancouver FC". CBC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ Jacques, John (March 26, 2023). "Revealed: Vancouver FC Inaugural Kits". Northern Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ "Vancouver FC unveils kits for inaugural season". Canadian Premier League. March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ Davidson, Neil (February 9, 2023). "Vancouver FC offers a look at its new modular Canadian Premier League stadium home". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ "Vancouver FC Roster". Vancouver FC. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (November 2, 2022). "'It's a way of life': Vancouver FC coach Afshin Ghotbi reflects on passion, unifying power of soccer". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Jacques, John (January 4, 2023). "Vancouver FC Staff Taking Shape". The Northern Tribune. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ "Historic weekend ahead as Vancouver FC host inaugural home opener on Sunday". Canadian Premier League. April 26, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
Canadian Premier Leaguewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
Canadian Championshipwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
External links edit
- Official website