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Vancouver FC

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Not to be confused with Vancouver Whitecaps FC or Vancouver Rise FC.

Vancouver FC
Full nameVancouver Football Club
Nickname(s)Eagles
Short nameVanFC, VFC
FoundedNovember 2, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-11-02)
StadiumWilloughby Community Park, Langley, British Columbia
Capacity6,600
OwnerSixFive Sports and Entertainment
PresidentRob Friend
CoachAfshin Ghotbi
LeagueCanadian Premier League
2024Regular season, 7th
Playoffs, did not qualify
Websitehttps://vancouverfc.canpl.ca
Current season

Vancouver Football Club, commonly known as Vancouver FC, is a Canadian professional soccer club that 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.

History

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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

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vancouver FC kits.

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]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt partner
2023–present Macron[13] CIBC, Carlsberg[14]

Stadium

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Main article: Willoughby Community Park (stadium)

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

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Roster

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As of Sept 16, 2024[16]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Canada CAN Callum Irving (captain)
2 DF Canada CAN Kadin Chung
3 DF Canada CAN Rocco Romeo
4 DF Uganda UGA Allan Enyou (on loan from Leganés B)
5 DF Canada CAN Matteo Campagna
6 MF Peru PER Vasco Fry
7 MF Canada CAN Ben Fisk
8 MF Brazil BRA Renan Garcia
9 FW Mexico MEX Alejandro Díaz (on loan from Sogndal)
10 MF Lebanon LBN Gabriel Bitar
11 FW Haiti HAI Mikaël Cantave
12 DF Canada CAN Tyler Crawford
13 DF Canada CAN David Norman Jr.
16 MF Belgium BEL Olivier Rommens
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF Canada CAN Zach Verhoven
18 FW Netherlands NED Ayman Sellouf (on loan from Pacific FC)
19 FW Mexico MEX José Navarro
20 DF Canada CAN Anthony White
21 FW Canada CAN Austin Ricci
23 DF Canada CAN Paris Gee
24 DF Canada CAN Elage Bah
25 DF Canada CAN James Cameron
26 MF Canada CAN T.J. Tahid
27 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Grady McDonnell
28 GK Canada CAN Niko Giantsopoulos
40 MF Canada CAN Joey Buchanan
44 FW Canada CAN Sebastian Dzikowski

Out on loan

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As of Sept 5, 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
23 FW New Zealand NZL Moses Dyer (at Pacific FC)

Staff

[edit]
As of February 21, 2024[17][18][19]
Executive
President Canada Rob Friend
Coaching staff
Head coach Iran United States Afshin Ghotbi
Assistant coach Brazil Marco Ferreira
Assistant coach Canada Azad Palani
Video Analyst Canada Dominic Rajna
Goalkeeping coach Canada Mark Village
Equipment manager Canada Cortlin Tonn
Manager of football operations Canada Jeevin Kang

Head coaches

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As of October 6, 2023
Coach Nation Tenure Record
G W D L Win %
Afshin Ghotbi  Iran November 2, 2022 – present 29 8 5 16 027.59

Club captains

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Years Name Nation
2023–present Callum Irving[20]  Canada

Records

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Year-by-year

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Season League Playoffs CC Continental 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 Lebanon Gabriel Bitar
Canada Shaan Hundal 		6
2024 CPL 28 7 9 12 29 43 -14 30 1.07 7th DNQ R1 DNQ Alejandro Díaz 10

All-time top scorers

[edit]
As of October 19, 2024
# Name Nation Career at club Goals
CPL Cup Int'l Total
1 Alejandro Díaz  Mexico 2023–present 12 0 0 12
2 Gabriel Bitar  Lebanon 2023–present 10 0 0 10
3 Shaan Hundal  Canada 2023 6 0 0 6
4 Mikaël Cantave  Haiti 2023–present 5 0 0 5
5 Taryck Tahid  Canada 2023–present 4 0 0 4
Moses Dyer  New Zealand 2024–present 4 0 0 4
7 Vasco Fry  Peru 2023-present 3 0 0 3
8 Rocco Romeo  Canada 2023-present 2 0 0 2
Elage Bah  Canada 2024-present 2 0 0 2

Note: Bold indicates active player

Note: 8 Others tied at 1

All-time top assists

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As of October 19, 2024
# Name Nation Career at club Assists
CPL Cup Int'l Total
1 Gabriel Bitar  Lebanon 2023–present 6 0 0 6
2 Mikaël Cantave  Haiti 2023-present 5 0 0 5
3 Paris Gee  Canada 2024-present 4 0 0 4
4 Vasco Fry  Peru 2023–present 3 0 0 3
Kadin Chung  Canada 2023–present 3 0 0 3
Gael Sandoval  Mexico 2023 3 0 0 3
7 Min-jae Kwak  Republic of Korea 2023 2 0 0 2
Alejandro Díaz  Mexico 2023-present 2 0 0 2
Grady McDonnell  Ireland 2024-present 2 0 0 2
Austin Ricci  Canada 2024-present 2 0 0 2

Note: Bold indicates active player

All-time most appearances

[edit]
As of October 19, 2024
# Name Nation Career at club Games played
CPL Cup Int'l Total
1 Callum Irving  Canada 2023–present 55 2 0 57
2 Gabriel Bitar  Lebanon 2023–present 51 2 0 53
3 Rocco Romeo  Canada 2023–present 48 2 0 50
4 Alejandro Díaz  Mexico 2023–present 42 1 0 43
5 Renan Garcia  Brazil 2023–present 41 1 0 42
Mikaël Cantave  Haiti 2023–present 41 1 0 42
7 James Cameron  Canada 2023–present 36 1 0 37
8 T.J. Tahid  Canada 2023–present 36 0 0 36
9 Vasco Fry  Peru 2023–present 33 1 0 34
Kadin Chung  Canada 2023–present 32 2 0 34

Note: Bold indicates active player

Awards

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Canadian Premier League Awards

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Year Name Award Status
2023 James Cameron Best Canadian U-21 Player Nominated[21]

References

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  1. ^ Jacques, John (November 3, 2022). "Langley Launched: Introducing Vancouver FC". Northern Tribune. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b "New Langley-based pro soccer team will be called Vancouver FC". Langley Advance Times. November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Jacques, John (March 19, 2023). "Club History: Vancouver FC's 'Pele' Martinez Called Up For Belize". Northern Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Wallace, Kelly (April 18, 2023). "Pacific FC beats new rivals Vancouver FC – photo gallery". Total Soccer News. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  8. ^ "CPL new boys Vancouver FC score first goal and secure first win in club history". Canadian Soccer Daily. April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  9. ^ O'Connor Clarke, Charlie (April 22, 2023). "HIGHLIGHTS: York United vs. Vancouver FC | April 22, 2023". OneSoccer. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  10. ^ Jacques, John (May 7, 2023). "Making History: Vancouver FC Sells Out Tonight's Home Opener". Northern Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  11. ^ Saelhof, Todd. "Cavalry can't find way to win against 10-man Vancouver FC". Calgary Sun. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  12. ^ "Canadian Premier League unveils newest franchise Vancouver FC". CBC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  13. ^ Jacques, John (March 26, 2023). "Revealed: Vancouver FC Inaugural Kits". Northern Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  14. ^ "Vancouver FC unveils kits for inaugural season". Canadian Premier League. March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Vancouver FC Roster". Vancouver FC. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Jacques, John (January 4, 2023). "Vancouver FC Staff Taking Shape". The Northern Tribune. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  19. ^ "Vancouver FC add two assistant coaches ahead of 2024 season". Canadian Premier League. February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  20. ^ "Historic weekend ahead as Vancouver FC host inaugural home opener on Sunday". Canadian Premier League. April 26, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  21. ^ "Vancouver FC winger James Cameron nominated for best U21 player in CPL". Aldergrove Star. October 20, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vancouver FC.
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