Vancouver FC took care of business in the second Salish Sea Derby of 2026, as they came from behind to defeat Pacific FC 2-1 at the Stadium at Langley Events Centre on Sunday.
After a strong start from Pacific, who took a 1-0 lead in the first half, Vancouver came alive in the second stanza, scoring twice in a 17 minute span to secure the victory.
With that, they'll head into the World Cup break sitting tied for fifth in the CPL table, having won back-to-back league games for the first time since last September - Pacific, however, remain without a win in 2026, as they sit at the bottom of the league table.
Vancouver made two changes to the team that beat Atlético Ottawa in their last match, as goalkeeper Henrik Regitnig came in for Callum Irving, while Aboubacar Traore came in for Isak Ssewankambo - Pacific, meanwhile, made no changes to their lineup from their last match, a 1-1 draw against FC Supra du Québec.
After both teams traded half chances to start the game, Vancouver appeared to find a breakthrough in the 21st minute. There, Lys Mousset did well to sneak behind Pacific's backline, and he managed to control the ball under pressure before slotting into an empty net.
Yet, despite having initially been awarded as a goal, that tally would eventually be wiped off the scoreboard, as it was determined that he'd controlled the ball with his hand upon FVS review.
Unfortunately for Vancouver, they'd come to rue that missed opportunity, as Pacific would make them pay not long after that in the 34th minute.
It came from a moment of individual brilliance from Marco Bustos, who did well to show his composure after a nice lay-off from Alejandro Díaz inside the box. From there, Bustos did the rest with a nice dribble and finish from in-tight to put his side up 1-0.
Immediately after, Vancouver came out on the front foot in chase of an equalizer. As a result, Traore did well to fashion a good shooting opportunity in the 36th minute, one that was just denied by a good block from a Pacific defender inside the box.
Then, moments later, Traore had another good look at goal from the edge of the box in the 41st minute, but that shot would sail just over the goal.
Despite their strong end to the half, Vancouver didn't feel satisfied with theier performance in that first half, and made two changes at the break as a result of that.
To their credit, those changes gave them new life, and that was shown in the 51st minute, as those two substiutes, Mohamed Amissi and Nicolás Mezquida, linked up for a good chance, one that Mezquida just slide wide of the post from the edge of the box.
Shortly after, Thierno Bah had a good half-chance of his own, as he almost snuck a shot in at the near post, but his tight-angle shot just hit the outside of the net.
Continuing that strong sequence, Amissi decided to have a go himself in the 54th minute, but he sliced his shot just over the goal from a good angle inside the box.
Eventually, Vancouver's persistence would lead to an equalizer in the 60th minute.
After a great header from Mousset, who did well to meet a corner, his shot would hit the post. Thankfully for Vancouver, though, they'd have someone ready to meet the rebound of that shot, as the ball fell to Kian Proctor, and he made no mistake in slotting home that second chance to tie the game at 1-1.
Vancouver wouldn't be satisfied with just tying the game up, either, as they didn't waste any time in jumpstarting their search for a second.
As a result, they almost found it in the 66th minute, as Amissi found himself in a great shooting position, but his tight-angle left-footed shot slammed into the crossbar, as he was inches away from putting his team ahead.
Then, moments later, Proctor almost got his second of the game, as Damiano Pecile found him with an excellent delivery on a corner, but Proctor sent his header just wide of the goal from in-close.
That pressure would pay off, though, as Vancouver found their first lead of the game in the 76th minute, all thanks to a wonderful solo goal. There, Vancouver got an impactful contribution from substitute Luis Toomey, who managed to dance through a few defenders before slamming the ball into the top corner to make it 2-1.
From there, Vancouver would do well to grind things out from there, as they showed good defensive resilience to ensure that they'd head into the World Cup break with all three points - a win that they'll savour given the nature of this derby.
Box Score
Starting XIs
Vancouver FC: Regitnig; Doner, Campagna, Field, Proctor; Traore (Amissi 46'), Pecile (Ouattara 83'), Polisi, Bah (Crawford 83'); Mousset (Toomey 69'), Campbell (Mezquida 46')
Pacific FC: Himaras; Heard (Marshall 79'), Konincks, Lajeunesse, Greco-Taylor; Chung, Gomulka; Kratt (Edwards 69'), Bustos (Schiavoni 79'), Toualy (Daniels 65'); Díaz (Juach 79')
Goals
34' - Marco Bustos (Pacific FC)
60' - Kian Proctor (Vancouver FC)
77' - Luis Toomey (Vancouver FC)
Discipline
84' - Yellow: Matteo Schiavoni (Pacific FC)
89' - Yellow: Eric Lajeunesse (Pacific FC)
CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match
Damiano Pecile, Vancouver FC
Pecile was a bright spark in midfield for Vancouver, picking up an assist on his side's winner, while also creating five chances, generating two shots, completing two dribbles, attempting 11 passes into the final third and completing five out of seven long balls offensively.
Plus, for good measure, he also had one tackle, three interceptions, eight recoveries and three out of six won duels defensively, capping off a solid showing at both ends of the pitch.
What's Next?
Vancouver will come back from the World Cup break on Wednesday, July 1st, as they'll take on Forge FC in a Canada Day clash at Hamilton Stadium (10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET). Pacific, meanwhile, will return a few days earlier, as they'll take on the Halifax Wanderers at Wanderers Grounds on Friday, June 26th (3:00 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. AT).
For the full broadcast schedule: cplsoccer.com/watch.