With the Canadian Premier League’s 2023 season just past its midway point, the faculty at CanPL.ca have decided to evaluate each club’s first half of the campaign. All four panelists have assigned a letter grade to every side for their body of work so far, with some advice and areas for improvement for the remaining half of the year as well.

To see report cards for other clubs, click here.

Vancouver FC

Record so far: 3W, 4D, 8L (13 points)

First half summary:

Mitchell Tierney: As an expansion side, Vancouver FC were always going to need some time to gel with a completely new roster. There have been some real bright spots this season, including some very young Canadian players who are getting significant minutes and match experience. Overall, however, it has been a struggle as they have scored the second-fewest goals in the league (14), while conceding a league-leading 26.

GRADE: C

Benedict Rhodes: It was hard to know what to expect from this Vancouver FC side coming into their inaugural season, but through the first half of the season it’s clear that there are signs of very good things, but a lot to work on as well. Many of their downfalls have come from inexperience at the professional level, as Afshin Ghotbi and co. recruited the youngest side in the CPL. They have addressed that concern by bringing in Renan Garcia, Miki Cantave and reigning CPL Golden Boot winner Alejandro Diaz — three difference-makers that are joining the club to win now and turn their fortunes around immediately. Ghotbi has said he wants to see “a new Vancouver FC” in the second half of the season, and now is their chance to prove it.

GRADE: C

Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic: As expected for an expansion team, Vancouver has gone through the growing pains of being a new side, with inconsistency being the story of their season. They’ve shown glimpses of being a team that can frustrate anyone in the league on their day, as seen in wins over Forge, Halifax and York, but they’ve also had some days to forget, such as heavy defeats to Ottawa and Pacific. Yet, they’re still building their roster and have improved as the season has gone along, which is what you want to see, so they’re on the right track.

GRADE: B-

Charlie O’Connor-Clarke: Expectations were not high for expansion side Vancouver FC in the first half of their inaugural season, so they’ve been roughly as good as most could have reasonably hoped. This is a very, very young team lacking in professional experience, but they’ve shown they can hang in tight games with any team in the league. They tend to get exposed when the game opens up — see the 5-0 loss to Ottawa or the 6-3 against Pacific — but they’ve got spirit and have shown growth under Afshin Ghotbi.

GRADE: C+

Second half outlook:

Mitchell Tierney: More goals should be on the way for Vancouver, as last year’s Golden Boot winner Alejandro Diaz has already scored in his debut. Brazilian midfielder Renan Garcia, meanwhile, looks like he could fill the team’s big hole in defensive midfield, while the eventual return of Kadin Chung from injury will provide a big boost. With that being said, the club needs to find more consistency from their regulars over the second half of the season, especially defensively. 

Benedict Rhodes: Vancouver FC have brought in the pieces they need to address their biggest needs — a lack of goals, more production out wide, and a bit more quality in midfield — giving themselves an opportunity to start to climb up the table. They’ve left themselves with a lot of work to do, sitting eight points behind York United for the final playoff spot, but if they can string a few results together they could make a late push for place in the postseason — or at the very least be a major disrupter along the way.

Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic: One thing’s for sure: Vancouver will be one to watch for the rest of the season and into next year. Shaan Hundal’s goalscoring has been a bright spot, and he’ll now get support from Alejandro Díaz up front. Mikaël Cantave has also been a good addition to their attack, while their midfield got a nice boost with the arrival of Renan Garcia. You add in the solid play of Rocco Romeo and Callum Irving at the back, and they’ve got strong pieces across the field. Oh yeah, and Kadin Chung should be back by the end of the summer. Therefore, a push for that last playoff spot is not out of the realm of possibility for the league’s newest side, as they’ve certainly got the talent to make it happen.

Charlie O’Connor-Clarke: This team was in dire need of a goalscorer, and they got one of the best in Alejandro Díaz. Expect him to continue getting comfortable in a new team, alongside fellow midseason acquisitions Miki Cantave and Renan Garcia, all of whom provide quality and experience to a side that needed both. Youngsters like Tyler Crawford, Anthony White and TJ Tahid will continue to learn as they bank more and more professional minutes; the playoff picture might be out of reach for VFC but they’ll definitely be a scrappy, underdog team that their Lower Mainland community can get behind.