Vancouver FC To Wrap Preseason With Clash Against Altitude FC

Following Vancouver FC’s two-nil preseason besting of reigning League1 BC champions TSS Rovers last weekend, the CPL’s newest team will now head to North Vancouver to suit up against Altitude FC on Saturday – just one week ahead of the club’s Canadian Premier League debut.

The match against Altitude FC will cap off one of the longest Canadian Premier League preseason camps ever seen to date, with Afshin Ghotbi’s expansion side having started the process in early January through open and closed trials, international scouting, and the acquisition of several first year rookies before some marquee arrivals arrived later on.

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Ghotbi, who once came ninety minutes away from a World Cup Final, has been confident that the team he is assembling can go from new kids on the block to playoff contenders right from year one. Describing himself as someone who can ‘make lemonade out of a lemon’, he’s one of the most high-profile gaffers to ever grace the league.

His squad has recorded four wins and two draws in the buildup to matchday number one, with the team besting the Whitecaps FC 2 3-1, BB5 United 2-0, FC Tigers Vancouver 1-0, and the TSS Rovers 2-0, while the Portland Timbers 2 and Valour FC both fought to to 2-2 draws.

This weekend’s test against Altitude FC will see Vancouver FC face a Faly Basse team which finished fourth in league standings last year, though that isn’t to say they won’t present a challenge: with big defenders Wizaso Chavula and Brandon Bangambee returning with the side, the goals won’t come easily.

The match will be free and open to the public, with kickoff set for 3:00PM at Fen Burdett Stadium. While a match at the historic (and adjacent) Kinsmen’s Field would have been a sight, the natural grass pitch over there will need to wait for League1 BC action instead.

After squaring off against Altitude FC, the 2023 CPL season will unfold and we’ll finally get to see whether Vancouver FC can soar to great heights in its debut season.

Afshin Ghotbi’s side will board the ferry to face neighbouring side Pacific FC on April 15.