Match #1 – 2024 Season Opener
VALOUR FC vs. VANCOUVER FC
When: Sunday, April 14th, 6 p.m. CDTWhere: Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, Langley, B.C.
How to watch: OneSoccer is broadcasting all Canadian Premier League games live https://onesoccer.ca/Supporters group viewing party:
https://x.com/ValourFootball/status/1778407800487530903
—
MATCH PREVIEW:Valour FC opens its sixth season of existence on the road against Vancouver FC, now in its second year in the CPL. These two clubs finished at the bottom of the CPL standings last year and have undergone significant roster makeovers in the offseason, with Valour adding CPL experienced players like Roberto Alarcón, Tass Mourdoukoutas, Shaan Hundal, Jordan Faria, Zach Sukunda and Noah Verhoeven.
Valour needed improvement all over the pitch after last season and especially in the goal-scoring department, as the club managed just 25 goals in 28 matches – or .89 per game. Valour conceded an average of 1.36 goals per match, which ranked sixth.
The team will open with seven straight league matches on the road – plus their Canadian Championship contest – and with the new turf being installed at Princess Auto Stadium, won’t make its home debut until June 2nd against Vancouver.
—
THE OTHER GUYS:3 Facts about Vancouver FC:-Vancouver finished its inaugural season in the CPL at 8-5-15 and seventh place in the tables. Gaibriel Bitar and Shaan Hundal finished for the team lead in goals last year with six; Hundal is now with Valour FC. The ’24 roster still includes centre back Rocco Romeo and Valour’s all-time leading scorer, Moses Dyer, who signed with Vancouver this winter.
-Vancouver has also concentrated on having a local flavour in the lineup, with five players from the region. The club led the league in U-21 domestic minutes last year at 5,203.
-Vancouver FC picked up 12 points in its last six games of 2023, but 11 players that were on the roster at the end of the season are no longer with the team.
—
VALOUR FC SPOTLIGHT:
#6: Dante Campbell, MF: The 24-year veteran begins his third season with the club and is coming off a solid ’23 campaign in which he made 25 appearances. He’ll be leaned on for more leadership this season, a role that increased as last year unfolded, and his fiery compete level rivals that of any player in the CPL.
CRITICAL NUMBER3-1-1
Valour is 3-1-1 in season openers since the inaugural campaign of 2019, with a 2-1 win at Pacific in 2019, a 2-0 loss to Cavalry FC in the 2020 Island Games tournament, a 2-0 decision over Forge FC in 2020, a 1-1 draw win FC Edmonton in 2020 and a 2-nil victory at York United last April.
—
All-Time: Valour FC vs. Vancouver FCOverall: (win-draw-loss): 1-2-1
Last meeting: September 20th, 2023, at Willoughby Community Park at the Langley Events Centre: Vancouver FC 1 Valour FC 0