2023 Canadian Championship — Preliminary Round
TSS Rovers vs. Valour FC
April 19, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. PT
Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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For the first time ever, a League1 B.C. team will play in the Canadian Championship, as the TSS Rovers get set to host Valour FC at Swangard Stadium in the preliminary round of the 2023 tournament on Wednesday.

After winning the first-ever League1 B.C. men’s championship last summer, capping off an exciting first season of action for the circuit, this is a huge step for the Rovers, who will now get the chance to prove themselves against a solid Valour outfit.

In front of what’s expected to be a strong crowd at Swangard Stadium, it promises to be a special night at a stadium that has seen its fair share of them over the years, remaining as an oracle of Canadian soccer for a reason.

Without a doubt, the Rovers have got a tall task in front of them, as this is their first game together since winning that final last August, with their League1 season not slated to start until next month.

Despite that, they should be up for this game, as they’ve had an extended preseason and have boosted their squad with some key additions, including some that were in the CPL last season.

“Yeah, we’re feeling good, the boys are pumped up and we’re ready to go,” Rovers forward, Matteo Polisi, said this week. “It should be a good one.”

As for Valour, they’ll be careful not to take the Rovers too lightly, as while a League1 Canada team is yet to beat a CPL outfit in Canadian Championship play, a few certainly have come close in past meetings. Especially given that the Rovers will have home-field advantage, giving them that boost of having a strong crowd and being familiar with their surroundings, Valour will have to be wary of the challenges that this sort of game will pose for them.

After a strong opening day win over York in CPL action, they’ll be confident, but they’ll need to carry that sort of performance over into this game, allowing them avoid an early upset.

“We’re excited about the fact that it’s a cup game, it’s another competition,” Valour head coach, Phil Dos Santos said this week. “We want to make a run in the cup, so it’s a game we’re excited about. I think that it brings a little bit of uncertainty and unknown, because it’s a team that we don’t play every day, but it’ll be a good test for our group.”

“And I think it comes at a time where we can now build on something, and make sure that we get the job done, because these games are tricky, so we need to address them with a lot of professionalism.”

Because of all that, it’s safe to say that this is one of the games to watch this round. An intriguing tie on so many levels, this promises to be a memorable game no matter what happens, which should make for another unforgettable night at Swangard.

All CPL and Canadian Championship matches will be broadcast live on OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Telus’ Optik TV (Channel 980) as well as online at OneSoccer.ca, through the OneSoccer app and on the fuboTV Canada platform.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Rovers leaning on experience to boost squad: Ahead of this historic match, the Rovers have done well to boost their squad, welcoming in some key arrivals, bolstering a young team that already has some decent professional experience in its ranks. Leading those signings is Matteo Polisi, who returns to the Rovers for the first time since 2019 after two years with Pacific FC, while Gabriel Escobar has also signed following a stint with the Halifax Wanderers last fall, after he was part of that League1-winning side that summer. Joining some of the names with pro experience in the squad, such as former York defender Fugo Segawa, as well as Erik Edwardson and Connor MacMillan, that should give plenty of leadership for a younger Rovers side to lean on, given that they have just eight players born before 2000 in their squad. A lot of those younger players are certainly eager to make that jump up to the next level, and have the talent to do so, but it’ll help a lot to be able to lean on the experience of those who’ve gotten that taste of what it takes to push up the soccer pyramid, which is why the likes of Polisi, Escobar and Segawa will be so key in this game, as well as going forward.

• Valour eager to build off opening match: Among the eight CPL teams in action as the league kicked off its 2023 season this past weekend, Valour arguably impressed the most, looking organized and disciplined in a big 2-0 road win over York. As a result, they’ll be looking to build off of that in this game, one where they arguably played their most complete game under head coach Phil Dos Santos since his arrival at the end of 2021. In particular, they’ll want to show that they can continue to dominate the middle of the park, while also remaining solid defensively, and looking to break in transition whenever possible, allowing them to offer a threat in all aspects of the game. Led by strong performances from winger Pacifique Niyongabire, midfielder Raphael Ohin, defender Guillaume Pianelli and goalkeeper Rayane Yesli, they’ll look for some of those players to step up big once again in this game, allowing them to be dangerous in all phases of play in this game, on and off the ball.

• Who can win the transition battle? Tactically, this could end up being quite the matchup, as both teams could end up employing a similar style of play to the other. Last year, the Rovers typically played a high-possession style of game in League 1 BC, but given that they’ll be going up against a strong Valour side, they might end up playing a bit more conservatively than usual, trying to get the ball to their dangerous forwards like Polisi, Edwardson and MacMillan in transition. Meanwhile, Valour is typically a team that isn’t shy in getting numbers behind the ball, before breaking with speed out wide whenever possible, with Niyongabire remaining as their biggest threat there. As a result, expect both teams to try and exploit the other in transition whenever possible, which will be a fascinating battle to watch, as that space should be at a premium if both teams come out as they’re expected to.

ALL-TIME SERIES

First meeting between these sides.

KEY QUOTES

“We would be on the road in the first and second round … but for us there’s an excitement of knowing that if we pass those two rounds, we could host a semi final at home, knowing how special that would be for for Winnipeg. I think that as a club, we need to have that ambition to bring big games to IG field, because it’s a stadium that could support it, and it’s a city that is eager and has the passion to embrace a game like that. So of course, it would be great to host the semi final at home, but there’s still a lot of a lot of action to play, we’ll see what’s gonna happen after, but we have to focus on tomorrow, first. And that’s what I want them to do, as it’s the next one that’s always the most important, and that’s how we’re approaching it.” — Valour head coach Phil Dos Santos. 

“Yeah, I would say that we feel (the energy). And I would say that the guys are excited about this. I’d also say there’s a nervousness that exists, and has always existed in the history of underdog versus big guy, and I’m not sure watching Valour smash York this weekend was good for anybody’s soul here, either. But part of our deal is seeing that and going, yeah, we’ve got to respect not only these guys, but the game itself, and I think they’re ready to do that.” — TSS Rovers head coach, Will Cromack. 

“This will be a big stage for us to showcase ourselves in front of a big crowd, plus it’ll be broadcasted, and lots of people will be watching. So we’re just trying to win this game, as that’s how you get noticed, if we come up with a big result, I think people will maybe really start looking at us. So the thing we’re focused on is tackling the first minute of the game, taking it minute by minute by minute, and then we’ll see how it goes.” — TSS Rovers attacker, Matteo Polisi.