Vancouver FC
Full nameVancouver Football Club
Nickname(s)Eagles
Short nameVanFC, VFC
FoundedNovember 2, 2022 (2022-11-02)
StadiumWilloughby Community Park, Langley, British Columbia
Capacity6,560
OwnerSixFive Sports and Entertainment
PresidentRob Friend
CoachAfshin Ghotbi
LeagueCanadian Premier League
2023Regular season, 7th
Playoffs, did not qualify
WebsiteClub website

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.

History

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 the 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

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

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

Roster

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

As of January 4, 2023[17][18]
Executive
President Rob Friend
Coaching staff
Head coach Afshin Ghotbi
Assistant coach Arez Ardalani
Assistant coach Niall Thompson
Goalkeeping coach Mark Village
Equipment manager Cortlin Tonn
Manager of football operations Jeevin Kang

Head coaches

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

Years Name Nation
2023–Present Callum Irving[19]  Canada

Records

Year-by-year

Season League Playoffs CC Continental Average
attendance		 Top goalscorer(s)
DivLeaguePldWDLGFGAGDPtsPPG Pos.NameGoals
2023 1 CPL 28 8 5 15 28 50 -22 29 1.04 7th DNQ R1 Ineligible 2,790 Lebanon Gabriel Bitar
Canada Shaan Hundal		 6

All-time top scorers

As of October 6, 2023[20][21]
# 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  South 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

As of October 6, 2023[20][21]
# 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  South 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

As of October 6, 2023[20][21]
# 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  South 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

Canadian Premier League Awards

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

References

  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. 1 2 "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. "Club History: Vancouver FC's 'Pele' Martinez Called Up For Belize". Northern Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ Wallace, Kelly. "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. 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. "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. ↑ "Historic weekend ahead as Vancouver FC host inaugural home opener on Sunday". Canadian Premier League. April 26, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
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