- Home
- Canadian Premier League
- Same Old Eagles: Vancouver FC vs York United Analysis
Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League
Same Old Eagles: Vancouver FC vs York United Analysis
By The dramatic irony at Willoughby Community Park was not lost on the few who were there on Sunday.
With dreary weather and a damp pitch, Vancouver FC suffered a 2-0 defeat to York United in their home opener, already raising questions about the team’s capabilities in 2025.
Tale Of Two Boxes
The conditions on Sunday essentially spelled out what should have been a scrappy 0-0 affair: with the turf slick and the visibility low, the match was always going to be decided on who took their chances – and unfortunately for Vancouver FC, it was not them.
Two second-half goals from Julian Altobelli put the Eagles to the sword, despite having a handful of chances themselves. Elage Bah felt like the most dangerous man on the field for Vancouver, putting in dangerous crosses and getting into good positions, but no one was ever really on the same wavelength, with all the passes going just behind or just in front of a player inside the box. Meanwhile, all it took was two mistakes at the back for Altobelli to show his prowess and punish Vancouver.
The attacking pair of Terran Campbell and Alejandro Diaz, the two all-time leading goalscorers of the league, was supposed to solve the scoring problems for the Eagles, but on Sunday it looked disconnected between the two, something that head coach Afshin Ghotbi acknowledged after the game.
“The question has always been ‘Can the two of them play together?'”, explained Ghotbi to media. “And we haven’t really answered that. Because today, we saw that it wasn’t good enough. The two of them have to play better together.”
Ghotbi later mentioned that confidence has to play a factor as well, with Campbell having injury issues in the last couple of seasons. It may take some time for this record-leading duo to get into gear, but hopefully for Vancouver it doesn’t take too long.
A Work In Progress…?
Ghotbi announced on Friday’s presser that they had still a number of international players who had yet to arrive at the club due to visa complications. Until that point, the club had only really signed two senior players to their squad with Kunle Dada-Luke and the aforementioned Campbell (excluding Allan Enyou’s extension of his loan). Outside of the pair, they’ve brought in a lot of highly-rated young players, but who have little professional experience. Come Sunday kick-off, the team did not look like – at least on paper – a true playoff-contending team.
As the match unfolded, that sentiment only grew. Had it not been for a still-spectacular Callum Irving, who made eight crucial saves in the first hour alone, York United could have run away with the game by half-time. Meanwhile, both new signings of Campbell and Dada-Luke had barely made an impression.
The break did see the announcement of former Whitecaps fan favourite Nicolas Mezquida, the 33-year-old midfielder who featured for the ‘Caps from 2014-2018. Mezquida is the kind of signing that can boost morale and interest from people in the Lower Mainland, given his history. But the question is if it will be enough.
Relying on five or six international players to come in and elevate your team is a gamble, to say the least. International players have historically been 50/50 in terms of success. You could get a Wero Diaz or an Alexander Achinioti-Jonsson-level player, or you could get an Emmanuel Robe. There is no telling how all of these players will be able to get on, especially coming in after the season starts. And even if they do come good, it might cost Vancouver more in the long-term if they have to wait several games for that to happen, dropping points along the way.
Overall, it seems like the team isn’t fully baked yet, with (hopefully) the best to come. But if and when that happens, still remains the question.
More Diamonds In The Rough
That being said, the kids did seem alright in the first match. Mehdi Essousi, Vancouver FC’s U-Sports draft pick, began the match in the heart of midfield alongside Vasco Fry and did not look out of place. The young midfielder played with the poise of a seasoned professional and did not back down when faced against some of the most established players in the league. Truthfully, he had no fault in the loss, with the issues on the day coming either side of him vertically.
“Mehdi [Essousi] looked like he’s played in professional football for many years!” Ghotbi exclaimed, praising his efforts and how seamlessly he slotted into the team.
Emrick Fotsing, Henri Godbout, and Kevin Podgorni all came on in the second half and, while they were unable to change the outcome of the match, still put on good performances that bode well for their future. Ghotbi revealed that part of this is because the club really took their time in doing proper scouting for both draft picks and signings, bringing in the right people that fit the club’s vision.
“We really did a good job this year [taking the time to scout],” said Ghotbi. “Scouting, looking at so many films, talking to so many players, and we brought in a few future CPL stars.
“Henri [Godbout] is so dynamic, he can create and he can score, and I mean, Emrick [Fotsing] and Kevin [Podgroni] coming off the bench looked fantastic. So for me, that’s exciting to come to work with that. Yes, it’s not the final product yet, but I do believe it’s not far away.”
Time will tell if Afshin can get the best out of these young players – and his international players – in time for them to sneak into the playoffs, but for now it looks like they’ll have their hands busy in cultivating the next big stars of the league.
Header Image Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League
