| 2023 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Rob Friend | ||
| Coach | Afshin Ghotbi | ||
| Stadium | Willoughby Community Park Stadium | ||
| Canadian Premier League | 7th | ||
| Canadian Championship | Preliminary round | ||
| Top goalscorer | Shaan Hundal Gabriel Bitar (6 each) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 6,177 vs. Cavalry FC (May 7) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 2,099 vs. HFX Wanderers (September 23) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 2,790 | ||
| Biggest win | 2–0 vs. Forge FC (Home, June 20, CPL) | ||
| Biggest defeat | 0–5 vs. Atlético Ottawa (Home, May 13, CPL) | ||
The 2023 Vancouver FC season was the first season in the history of Vancouver FC. [1] In addition to the Canadian Premier League, the club competed in the Canadian Championship. [2]
For their inaugural season, Vancouver FC appointed Afshin Ghotbi as the club's new head coach on November 2, 2022. [3]
As of September 5, 2023
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position(s) | Date of birth (Age) | Previous club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||
| 1 | Callum Irving | | GK | March 16, 1993 (aged 30) | | |
| 21 | Jeremy Zielinski | | GK | January 1, 1999 (aged 24) | | |
| Defenders | ||||||
| 2 | Kadin Chung | | RB | September 5, 1998 (aged 25) | | |
| 3 | Rocco Romeo | | CB | March 25, 2000 (aged 23) | | |
| 4 | Ibrahim Bakare | | CB | May 7, 2002 (aged 21) | | |
| 12 | Tyler Crawford | | LB | March 9, 2004 (aged 19) | | |
| 20 | Anthony White | | CB | August 1, 2003 (aged 20) | | |
| 25 | James Cameron | | RB | January 24, 2005 (aged 18) | | |
| Midfielders | ||||||
| 6 | Renan Garcia | | CM | June 19, 1986 (aged 37) | | |
| 8 | Nima Moazeni Zadeh | | CM / AM | July 5, 1997 (aged 26) | | |
| 11 | Gabriel Bitar | | AM / CF | August 23, 1998 (aged 25) | | |
| 13 | Vasco Fry | | CM | July 30, 2000 (aged 23) | | |
| 14 | Nicky Gyimah | | RW | May 27, 2003 (aged 20) | | |
| 16 | Elliot Simmons | | CM | February 5, 1998 (aged 25) | | |
| 17 | Min-jae Kwak | | LW | August 25, 2000 (aged 23) | | |
| 19 | Mikaël Cantave | | AM / CF | October 25, 1996 (aged 27) | | |
| 24 | Lennon Thompson | | CM | January 1, 2005 (aged 18) | | |
| 26 | Taryck Tahid | | AM / CF | April 20, 2007 (aged 16) | | |
| 33 | Ivan Mejia | | CM | May 9, 2001 (aged 22) | | |
| Forwards | ||||||
| 7 | Nathaniel St. Louis | | CF | December 5, 2000 (aged 23) | | |
| 9 | Alejandro Díaz | | FW | January 27, 1996 (aged 27) | | |
| 10 | Shaan Hundal | | CF | July 14, 1999 (aged 24) | | |
| 15 | Mouhamadou Kane | | CF | October 12, 2003 (aged 20) | | |
| 18 | Ameer Kinani | | CF | April 20, 2001 (aged 22) | | |
| Executive | |
|---|---|
| President | |
| Coaching staff | |
| Head coach | |
| Assistant coach | |
| Assistant coach | |
| Goalkeeping coach | |
| Equipment manager | |
| Manager of football operations | |
| No. | Pos. | Player | From club | Fee/notes | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | | | Free | December 14, 2022 | [4] | |
| MF | | | Free | December 21, 2022 | [5] | |
| FW | | | Undisclosed | December 22, 2022 | [6] | |
| DF | | | Free | January 12, 2023 | [7] | |
| FW | | | Free | January 13, 2023 | [8] | |
| DF | | | Free | January 16, 2023 | [9] | |
| MF | | | Free | January 18, 2023 | [10] | |
| MF | | | Free | January 25, 2023 | [11] | |
| FW | | | Free | January 31, 2023 | [12] | |
| DF | | | Free | February 2, 2023 | [13] | |
| GK | | | Free | February 23, 2023 | [14] | |
| DF | | | Free | February 23, 2023 | [14] | |
| MF | | | Free | February 23, 2023 | [14] | |
| MF | | | Free | February 28, 2023 | [15] | |
| MF | | | Free | March 1, 2023 | [16] | |
| DF | | | Free | March 6, 2023 | [17] | |
| FW | | | Free | March 8, 2023 | [18] | |
| FW | | | Free | March 8, 2023 | [18] | |
| DF | | | Free | March 10, 2023 | [19] | |
| DF | | | Selected 1st overall in the 2023 CPL–U Sports Draft, signed a Standard Player Contract | March 22, 2023 | [20] | |
| FW | | | Selected 2nd overall in the 2023 CPL–U Sports Draft, signed a CPL-U SPORTS contract | March 22, 2023 | [20] | |
| FW | | | Free | April 14, 2023 | [21] | |
| DF | | | Signed to a development contract, later converted to an Exceptional Young Talent contract | May 3, 2023 | [22] [23] | |
| MF | | | Signed to a development contract | May 3, 2023 | [22] | |
| FW | | | Signed to a development contract | May 3, 2023 | [22] | |
| MF | | | Free | May 6, 2023 | [24] | |
| MF | | | Free | June 29, 2023 | [25] | |
| MF | | | Free | July 13, 2023 | [26] | |
| MF | | | Free | August 5, 2023 | [27] | |
| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned from | Fee/notes | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | | | Season-long loan | February 28, 2023 | [28] | |
| GK | | | Short-term relief player | July 7, 2023 | ||
| FW | | | One year loan | July 7, 2023 | [29] | |
| MF | | | Loaned until end of season | August 3, 2023 | [30] | |
Vancouver FC selected the following players in the 2023 CPL–U Sports Draft. [31] [32] Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in.
| Round | Selection | Pos. | Player | Nationality | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | DF | Anthony White | Toronto | |
| 1 | 2 | FW | Ameer Kinani | TMU | |
| No. | Pos. | Player | To club | Fee/notes | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | | | Loan terminated | April 14, 2023 | [21] | |
| 19 | MF | | | June 29, 2023 | [25] | |
| 13 | FW | | Contract terminated by mutual consent | June 29, 2023 | [25] | |
| 10 | MF | | | Contract terminated by mutual consent | July 13, 2023 | [26] |
| 5 | DF | | Contract terminated by mutual consent | August 3, 2023 | [30] | |
| 23 | DF | | Contract terminated by mutual consent | August 3, 2023 | [30] | |
| 22 | MF | | | September 5, 2023 | [33] | |
Matches are listed in Langley local time: Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−7)
| February 18, 2023 Friendly | UBC Thunderbirds | 0–2 | Vancouver FC | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Report | Stadium: Thunderbird Stadium |
| February 24, 2023 Friendly | Vancouver FC | 2–1 | Unity FC | Langley, British Columbia |
| Stadium: Langley Events Centre |
| March 1, 2023 Friendly | Whitecaps FC 2 | 1–3 | Vancouver FC | Victoria, British Columbia |
| Becher | Report | Stadium: Centennial Stadium, University of Victoria | ||
| Note: The match was played in three 45 minute halves. The score at the end of the first two halves was Whitecaps 2 1-0 Vancouver FC | ||||
| March 6, 2023 Friendly | BB5 United | 0–2 | Vancouver FC | Surrey, British Columbia |
| Report | Stadium: Newton Athletic Park |
| March 13, 2023 Friendly | Portland Timbers 2 | 2–2 | Vancouver FC | Beaverton, Oregon |
| Report | ||||
| Note: The match was played in three 45 minute halves. | ||||
| March 18, 2023 Friendly | Vancouver FC | 2–2 | Valour FC | Langley, British Columbia |
| Hundal Romeo | Siaj Polisi | Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Stadium Referee: Carly Shaw-MacLaren |
| March 25, 2023 Friendly | FC Tigers Vancouver | 0–1 | Vancouver FC | Richmond, British Columbia |
| 7:30 PM | Report | Sandoval | Stadium: Minoru Park Referee: Niko Jecanski |
| April 3, 2023 Friendly | Vancouver FC | 2–0 | TSS FC Rovers | Langley, British Columbia |
| 12:00 PM | Hundal Henry | Report | Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Stadium Referee: Seyed-Mohammad Mohseni |
| April 8, 2023 Friendly | Altitude FC | 1–1 | Vancouver FC | North Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 3:00 PM | Chavula | Report | Hundal | Stadium: Fen Burdett Stadium Referee: Niko Jecanski |
| Competition | Starting round | Final position | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||
| Canadian Premier League | Matchday 1 | Seventh | 28 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 28 | 50 | −22 | 28.57 |
| Canadian Championship | First round | First round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 |
| Total | 29 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 28 | 51 | −23 | 27.59 | ||
Last updated: October 6, 2023
Source: Competitions
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Playoff qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cavalry (S) | 28 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 46 | 27 | +19 | 55 | First semifinal |
| 2 | Forge (C) | 28 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 42 [a] | |
| 3 | HFX Wanderers | 28 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 42 [a] | Quarterfinal |
| 4 | Pacific | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 42 | 35 | +7 | 40 | Play-in round |
| 5 | York United | 28 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 44 | −9 | 38 | |
| 6 | Atlético Ottawa | 28 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 38 | 34 | +4 | 36 | |
| 7 | Vancouver | 28 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 28 | 50 | −22 | 29 | |
| 8 | Valour | 28 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 25 | 38 | −13 | 26 |
| April 151 | Pacific FC | 1–0 | Vancouver FC | Langford, British Columbia |
| 4:00pm PT |
| Report | Stadium: Starlight Stadium Attendance: 4,825 |
| April 222 | York United FC | 1–2 | Vancouver FC | Toronto, Ontario |
| 1:00pm ET |
| Report | Stadium: York Lions Stadium Attendance: 822 Referee: Ben Hoskins |
| April 293 | HFX Wanderers FC | 1–1 | Vancouver FC | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| 3:00pm AT | Report |
| Stadium: Wanderers Grounds Attendance: 6,413 Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin |
| May 74 Home opener | Vancouver FC | 1–1 | Cavalry FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 4:00pm PT | Report |
| Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 6,177 Referee: Alain Ruch | |
| Note: Vancouver FC manager Afshin Ghotbi was cautioned | ||||
| May 135 | Vancouver FC | 0–5 | Atlético Ottawa | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 6:30pm PT | Report |
| Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,824 Referee: Carly Shaw-MacLaren |
| May 196 | Forge FC | 0–0 | Vancouver FC | Hamilton, Ontario |
| 7:00pm ET |
| Report |
| Stadium: Tim Hortons Field Attendance: 4,378 Referee: Myriam Marcotte |
| May 287 | Vancouver FC | 0–0 | Valour FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 5:00pm PT | Report |
| Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,208 Referee: Yusri Rudolf |
| June 28 | Vancouver FC | 3–6 | Pacific FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 7:00pm PT | Report | Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 3,438 Referee: Renzo Villanueva |
| June 119 | Cavalry FC | 3–1 | Vancouver FC | Foothills County, Alberta |
| 3:00pm MT | Report |
| Stadium: ATCO Field Attendance: 3,762 Referee: David Barrie |
| June 1710 | Atlético Ottawa | 1–0 | Vancouver FC | Ottawa, Ontario |
| 2:00pm ET | Report | Stadium: TD Place Stadium Attendance: 5,149 Referee: Yusri Rudolf |
| June 2011 | Vancouver FC | 2–0 | Forge FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 7:00pm PT |
| Report |
| Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,149 Referee: Mo Mohensi |
| June 2512 | Valour FC | 1–0 | Vancouver FC | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| 2:00pm CT |
| Report |
| Stadium: IG Field Attendance: 2,208 Referee: Myriam Marcotte |
| July 213 | Vancouver FC | 1–2 | York United FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 3:00pm PT | Report |
| Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,482 Referee: Ben Hoskins |
| July 714 | Vancouver FC | 2–1 | HFX Wanderers FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 7:00pm PT | Report | Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,321 Referee: Roberto D'Alesio |
| July 1615 | Atlético Ottawa | 3–1 | Vancouver FC | Ottawa, Ontario |
| 2:00pm ET | Report | Stadium: TD Place Stadium Attendance: 4,160 Referee: Renzo Villanueva |
| July 2216 | Vancouver FC | 1–5 | Cavalry FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 4:00pm PT | Report | Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,239 Referee: Mario Alayass |
| July 2817 | Forge FC | 2–0 | Vancouver FC | Hamilton, Ontario |
| 7:00pm ET | Report | Stadium: Tim Hortons Field Attendance: 5,232 Referee: Roberto D'Alesio |
| August 618 | Vancouver FC | 0–0 | Valour FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 2:00pm PT | Report | Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,591 Referee: Renzo Villanueva |
| August 1219 | HFX Wanderers FC | 3–0 | Vancouver FC | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| 4:00pm AT | Report |
| Stadium: Wanderers Grounds Attendance: 6,254 Referee: Ben Hoskins |
| August 1920 | Vancouver FC | 3–2 | Pacific FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 1:00pm PT |
| Report |
| Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,363 Referee: Yusri Rudolf |
| August 2521 | York United FC | 2–1 | Vancouver FC | Toronto, Ontario |
| 7:30pm ET | Report | Stadium: York Lions Stadium Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Fabrizio Stasolla |
| September 322 | Vancouver FC | 0–3 | Forge FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 2:00pm PT | Report | Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,378 Referee: Alain Ruch |
| September 923 | Vancouver FC | 2–1 | Atlético Ottawa | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 7:00pm PT | Report | Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,163 Referee: Sebastian Noshinravani |
| September 1624 | Cavalry FC | 2–1 | Vancouver FC | Foothills County, Alberta |
| 3:00pm MT | Report | Stadium: ATCO Field Attendance: 4,990 Referee: Marie Soleil Beaudoin |
| September 2025 | Valour FC | 0–1 | Vancouver FC | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| 7:00pm CT | Report |
| Stadium: IG Field Attendance: 3,303 Referee: Roberto D'Alesio |
| September 2326 | Vancouver FC | 2–1 | HFX Wanderers FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 1:00pm PT | Report | Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 2,099 Referee: Mathieu Souaré |
| September 3027 | Pacific FC | 1–2 | Vancouver FC | Langford, British Columbia |
| 2:00pm PT | Report |
| Stadium: Starlight Stadium Attendance: 4,404 Referee: Ben Hoskins |
| October 628 | Vancouver FC | 1–2 | York United FC | Langley Township, British Columbia |
| 7:30pm PT | Report |
| Stadium: Willoughby Community Park Attendance: 3,622 Referee: Michael Venne |
| April 19 First round | York United FC | 1–0 | Vancouver FC | Toronto, Ontario |
| 8:00pm ET |
| Report | Stadium: York Lions Stadium Attendance: 1,272 Referee: Michael Venne |
Source: Competitions
| Rank | No. | Pos | Nat | Name | CPL | Canadian Championship | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | FW | | Shaan Hundal | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | MF | | Gabriel Bitar | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| 3 | 19 | MF | | Mikaël Cantave | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | 26 | FW | | Taryck Tahid | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | 9 | FW | | Alejandro Díaz | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | 6 | MF | | Renan Garcia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | MF | | Gael Sandoval | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 | MF | | Vasco Fry | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | MF | | Min-jae Kwak | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 | FW | | Ameer Kinani | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 25 | DF | | James Cameron | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Own Goals | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| Totals | 28 | 0 | 28 | ||||
| Rank | No. | Pos | Nat | Name | CPL | Canadian Championship | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | GK | | Callum Irving | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Totals | 5 | 0 | 5 | ||||
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | CPL | Canadian Championship | Total | ||||||
| 1 | GK | | Callum Irving | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | | Kadin Chung | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | | Rocco Romeo | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | DF | | Ibrahim Bakare | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | | Eugene Martínez | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | | Renan Garcia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | | Nathaniel St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | | Nima Moazeni Zadeh | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | | Alejandro Díaz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | | Shaan Hundal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | | Gael Sandoval | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | | Gabriel Bitar | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | | Tyler Crawford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | | Vasco Fry | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | FW | | Emmanuel Robe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | | Nicky Gyimah | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | | Mouhamadou Kane | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | | Elliot Simmons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | | Min-jae Kwak | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | | Ameer Kinani | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | MF | | Maël Henry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | | Mikaël Cantave | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | | Anthony White | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | | Marcus Simmons | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | | Kahlil John-Wentworth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | | Lennon Thompson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | | James Cameron | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | | Taryck Tahid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | | Jeremy Zielinski | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | MF | | Ivan Mejia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | | Kourosh Jamshidi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 59 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 0 | 3 | |||
The Canadian Premier League Awards took place on October 26 in Hamilton. [35]
| Name | Award | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Cameron | Best Canadian U-21 Player | Nominated | [36] [35] |
| Month | Name | Award | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | Callum Irving | Goalkeeper of the Month | [37] |
The Gatorade Team of the Week was selected by the CPL's Kristian Jack and OneSoccer's Oliver Platt.
| Week | Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Callum Irving | [38] |
| 2 | Callum Irving (2) Rocco Romeo Gabriel Bitar Shaan Hundal | [39] |
| 3 | Kadin Chung | [40] |
| 4 | Ibrahim Bakare | [41] |
| 6 | Tyler Crawford Min-jae Kwak | [42] |
| 7 | Eugene Martínez | [43] |
| 8 | T.J. Tahid | [44] |
| 11 | Callum Irving (3) Anthony White | [45] |
| 13 | Rocco Romeo (2) | [46] |
| 17 | James Cameron | [47] |
| 19 | Gabriel Bitar (2) | [48] |
| 20 | Gabriel Bitar (3) | [49] |
| 22 | James Cameron (2) Gabriel Bitar (4) Mikaël Cantave | [50] |