| Vancouver FC vs. Pacific FC
Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. PT
The Stadium at Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C.
Watch Live: OneSoccer
Tickets available here |
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Vancouver FC hosts Pacific FC in the first of several rivalry clashes on tap in Canadian Premier League action this weekend.
The third meeting of 2026 between these Salish Sea Derby rivals, this clash, which will be played at the Stadium at Langley Events Centre on Friday, promises to be the most important one so far.
Certainly, for the hosts, Vancouver, they understand how important this match is for them. Given their scorching hot form, as they've won seven of their last eight games in CPL play, including five straight games heading into this matchday, they have no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
The last thing they want to do is to lose their current hot streak, one that has vaulted them into third place in the CPL table, especially against their rivals.
Because of that, their big focus is on continuing to do what has worked for them lately. Coming off a big win against league leaders Forge in Hamilton last Friday, one that served as a sign of their legitimate credentials as a top side, they know that the energy is good in their group right now.
Having outscored opponents 14-2 on this current five-game winning streak, they're finding a way to be dangerous offensively while tightening things up defensively, making them extremely hard to play against.
Plus, they've made their home a bit of a fortress, too - they've won five straight games at home, further showing why this won't be an easy visit to the Lower Mainland for Pacific.
"It's good to be in a confident mood; the atmosphere around (training) is great," Vancouver FC head coach Martin Nash said this week. "But you know every game in this league is a battle, especially a derby against Pacific."
At the same time, Pacific won't be fazed by all of that, as they've got objectives of their own to chase.
Mainly, the big one is simple - they'd love nothing more than to pick up their first win of the season, having drawn four and lost 11 of their first 15 matches.
Having had an uptick in performances in their first three games under new head coach Terry Dunfield, they feel close to making a breakthrough, and perhaps a derby game could be the stage they need to find that win.
Certainly, it would send a signal of their intent to find a way to halt this Vancouver side, especially given that Pacific have won only one of their last seven matches against Vancouver.
If they're to do that, however, they know that they'll have to be much sharper defensively - they've conceded 15 goals in their last six games - although they'll take solace in the fact that they've scored in their last eight games.
They find a way to strike a balance between the success they've found offensively and tightening things at the back, they could be in a good position to surprise their rivals - even if they're wary of the threat that they pose.
"They find a way to win," Pacific's head coach, Terry Dunfield, said of Vancouver. "They don't give a ton away. There's quality when opportunities present themselves. It's a pretty safe team, and if we make mistakes, they'll punish us."
NEWS & NOTES
- Pacific's Marco Bustos is serving the second game of a three-game suspension earned for a violent conduct red card against FC Supra du Québec on July 26th.
- Pacific's Josh Heard is available after serving a one-game suspension for a red card also earned in that same FC Supra du Québec game
- Pacific's Yann Toualy is a doubt for this match as he recovers from a head injury sustained against Inter Toronto
- Vancouver FC's Marsel Bibishikov will hope to be available after returning from international duty with Canada's U20s - his Canadian U20 teammate, Emrick Fotsing, will be unavailable for Vancouver as he recovers from a knock sustained during international duty
- Vancouver FC's Callum Irving was named the CPL's Player of the Week after his exploits in his team's 1-0 road win vs. Forge last weekend
- Pacific's Roshawn Juhmi is one game away from a yellow-card accumulation suspension
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Vancouver FC: Irving; Doner, Campagna, Field, Proctor; Polisi, Pecile; Bah, Mezquida, Amissi; Mousset
Pacific FC: Himaras; Chung, Quintana, Belluz, Greco-Taylor; Gomulka, Juhmi; Vales, Kratt, Heard; Daniels
KEY QUOTES
"I think those are two big wins internally (vs. Forge and Cavalry recently) for ourselves to show that we can beat those teams, right? That those are the two teams that have been running away with the league. Neither team has lost many games; they've got four losses combined, but two of those come against us. So I think we've got to take pride in that. But I think we've also got to take care of business against teams below us in the league. If we can do that the remainder of the season, we should be in good standing at the end of the year." - Vancouver FC head coach Martin Nash
"I think confidence comes for us from every day on the training ground; we can feel it. Our fans can feel it too, when they've come to our last two home games, and they know we've been good. And I think the data reinforces our good work, and also the opportunity we have to grow on the defensive side." - Pacific FC head coach Terry Dunfield