PACIFIC FC 1 VANCOUVER FC 0
Manny Aparicio threw the first splash of gasoline on a B.C. soccer derby that could turn into a raging fire in the Canadian Premier League. The darting midfielder went over to the Vancouver FC fan section in the crowd of 4,825 at Starlight Stadium and pointed to the Trident logo on his jersey after scoring at 81 minutes to give Pacific FC a 1-0 season-opening victory.
“I looked up and saw their section was right there and knew I had to do something,” said Aparicio.
“The stands were packed and it was a great feeling all around. It was a sweet moment, and to get the goal on my good friend Callum Irving made it even sweeter.”
The veteran pro Irving was goalkeeper the past three seasons for PFC before becoming captain of expansion VFC this season. Also returning to Starlight Stadium was three-season Tridents defender Kadin Chung, who played last season in MLS with Toronto FC.
VFC, with a monstrous back line, put in a credible performance in the first game in franchise history.
“It was a very contested match and 50-50 in a lot of instances,” said Aparicio.
“All credit to them [VFC]. They were tough to break down.”
The Tridents hit a crossbar and a post, and Irving made a couple of notable saves, but the pressure finally paid off late in the game.
“I am proud of the players. They gave their all and that’s all we can ask for,” said VFC head coach, Afshin Ghotbi, who has coached in eight countries and been on the coaching staff at three World Cups with the U.S. in 1998, and South Korea in 2002 and 2006.
“It was my first CPL game and the visiting and home fans created a beautiful atmosphere. I enjoyed everything about it except for the final result,” added Ghotbi, who also coached the Iranian national team.
“This [VFC] club is going to be a very special club. I can feel it already.”
Former Canada Under-20 and U-23 player and former Toronto FC MLS prospect Rocco Romeo knows PFC well from his time on loan from TFC with Valour FC of Winnipeg in the CPL. He is now with VFC and, with Irving and Chung, provides a stabilizing veteran influence on an otherwise youthful VFC side.
“It was the first game in club history and we did very well and had our moments,” said Romeo.
“Overall, I’m very proud of the boys and our character. The game was there for us and could have gone either way.”
The Tridents, however, were probing all game but the tight VFC defence did a good job of clogging things up although PFC had some close calls by Easton Ongaro and captain Josh Heard. Then the ball bounced to Aparicio just above the box and he wired a shot into the left corner to lift the home supporters.
“This is a competitive league and you can’t make a mistake. It’s as simple as that,” Romeo said of VFC’s late lapse.
It was pointed out in the post-game scrum that PFC is now 2-0 in B.C. derby games, including the memorable victory in 2021 over the Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS in the Canadian Championship tournament.
“B.C. is purple for now, I guess,” said PFC head coach James Merriman:
“This was a special occasion. I hope this derby [against VFC] long outlives us.”
Six-foot-three Emil Gazdov, 19, the understudy to Irving last season, recorded his first clean sheet in his third career CPL start.
The product of the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy played on loan for two seasons with the U-19 team of FC Nurnberg of 2.Bundesliga and is considered the Tridents’ goalkeeper of the future.
Pacific FC next has two games at Starlight Stadium against Cavalry FC of Calgary, on Thursday night in the first round of the 2023 Canadian Championship tournament, and next Sunday afternoon in a CPL league fixture.
