Match #7
VANCOUVER FC (1-3-2) vs. VALOUR FC (1-3-1)
When: Sunday, May 28th, 7 p.m. CDT
Where: Willoughby Community Park at the Langley Events Centre, Vancouver, B.C.
How to watch: OneSoccer is broadcasting all Canadian Premier League games live https://onesoccer.ca/
MATCH PREVIEW:
Valour FC travels west to the coast to face the CPL’s newest franchise, Vancouver FC, in the first ever regular season meeting between the two clubs. Valour opened the 2023 campaign with a win over York United FC and has since piled up four draws against a 3-2 loss to Forge FC in Hamilton. The wins haven’t come in succession, but securing points with a lineup crushed by injuries, particularly in the back line, is massive early in the season. Valour will get midfielder/emergency defender Dante Campbell back from his one-game suspension due to yellow-card accumulation.
Valour will be facing a Vancouver FC side that has been decent in its inaugural season, aside from a 5-0 home loss to Atlético Ottawa back on May 13th. Vancouver’s lineup features two ex-Valour players in centre back Rocco Romeo and attacker Shaan Hundal.
THE GAFFER SAYS:
GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos on Vancouver FC:
“It’s a team with a lot of fight. Until the game versus Ottawa at home they had been extremely solid defensively and they just came off a very good result in Hamilton where they changed their structure and managed to get a result because they were difficult to break down.
“They compete. They’re very young and dynamic. We saw them in the preseason and after their last home result they’re going to want to come out strong. I expect a difficult one with two teams fighting to get the three points.”
VALOUR FC SPOTLIGHT:
#22 Matteo de Brienne, D: Shifted from the attacker position last year to left back this season, de Brienne has been a revelation along the back line. He uses his speed to quickly close gaps on attacking players and is adept at pushing the ball up the field along the left side with that same quickness. He’s played every minute of every match so far this season, and takes step forward with each performance.
CRITICAL NUMBER
1.00
Valour has conceded six goals in six matches – half of them coming in a 3-2 loss to Forge FC in Hamilton. That ranks third in the CPL, just behind both Forge and Pacific FC, which have surrendered five goals in six games for 0.83 goals against average.
All-time Valour FC vs. Vancouver FC: (win-draw-loss): 0-0-0
This will be the first meeting between the two clubs.