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 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]
First seasons
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]
Vancouver participated in the 2023 Canadian Championship for the first time but lost in the opening round to York United. The club ended their inaugural CPL season in seventh place out of eight – with a record of 8 wins, 5 draws, and 15 losses – and missed the playoffs by nine points. [12] In 2024, Vancouver once again lost in the first round of the Canadian Championship and finished second last in the CPL. Vancouver started the season strong and sat in 2nd place at the end of June but then won only two of their final sixteen matches to fall out of playoff contention. [13]
On July 23, 2025, Vancouver FC relieved manager Afshin Ghotbi of his duties, and named Martin Nash as his interim replacement. [14] Despite still being active in the semifinals of the 2025 Canadian Championship at the time of the coaching change, [15] the club sat in last place in the CPL with only 8 points through 15 matches played. [16] Over Ghotbi's two-and-a-half year tenure, the club held a combined 16–22–38 record. [14]
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