Final Score: Forge FC 1-2 Vancouver FC
Goalscorers: Bekker 53′;  Romeo 3′, Vasco Fry 26′
Game of the 2024 season: 21
CPL match: 505

Match in a minute or less

Vancouver FC picked up a pair of firsts in club history on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton. In a statement 2-1 victory over the previously unbeaten Forge FC, they registered their first goal and first victory at Tim Hortons Field.

Rocco Romeo opened the scoring for the Eagles in just the third minute, before Vasco Fry scored a stunning Olimpico to give Vancouver a two-goal cushion in the first-half. Forge got one back through captain Kyle Bekker, but despite some great chances at the end of the match suffered their first loss of the season.

For Vancouver, it was their third victory of the season, but first result away from the Langley Events Centre. Forge, meanwhile, see their perfect record at home in CPL action spoiled by the Eagles, they will be looking to rebound quickly ahead of a massive Canadian Championship second leg with CF Montréal on Wednesday.

Three Observations

Vancouver FC pick up milestone first victory at Tim Hortons Field

With four titles in the league’s five seasons, Forge FC are the perennial measuring stick in the Canadian Premier League. Vancouver FC showed they measured up well to the league’s giants on Saturday with a resilient 2-1 victory at Tim Hortons Field, one which will be a huge momentum and confidence boost early in their 2024 CPL campaign.

“This venue is a very difficult venue for all of the visiting teams, and to get a result here is massive for the organization, especially because we’re a team that is just really only a year-and-a-half old,” said Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi. “I think these are giant steps in giving the confidence that our players need and the organization needs to keep moving forward and growing and developing as a team.”

The moment of the match came in the 29th minute, when Vancouver FC’s Vasco Fry took a page out of Tristan Borges’ book and scored a beautifully struck Olimpico which stood as the winner.

“Afshin said the keeper is young, so just attack him, put the ball close to him,” said Fry. “We have big guys in the box, so I put it there and luckily it went in.”

VASCO FRY OLIMPICO ALERT 🚨🚨🚨@vanfootballclub lead 2-0 at Tim Hortons Field! 🦅#CanPL I 📺 @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/TiI1iLdteJ

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) May 18, 2024

Both of Vancouver FC’s goals came from set-piece situations, as Rocco Romeo found the back of the net through a second phase of a free kick just three minutes into the match. It was an area of the game that Vancouver FC have been working on a lot this season, so Ghotbi was thrilled to see it play out on Saturday.

“The credit goes to all the players, because it was the first and second efforts, and the execution of that which really made plays like this look so seamless, and almost beautiful to see,” said Ghotbi. “I do believe it’s an area that we’re very good at, we’re very dangerous on dead ball situations.”

Especially away from home, where chances can often be few and far between. That ability to score from set-piece opportunities could prove to be a big difference-maker for VFC this season.

They now turn their attentions to arguably their biggest home match of the season yet, however, as they host rivals Pacific FC next weekend in the first Salish Sea Derby of 2024.

“I think this league is very cruel in that way, if you celebrate too long, and if you let your head go down too long you get punished,” said Ghotbi. “So the boys will enjoy the flight home, they all were chanting ‘three days off, three days off’ no fat chance they are going to get that so maybe I’ll owe them a day off in the off-season.”

Vancouver FC show growth in learning how to pick up road results

Vancouver FC came Saturday’s match with just three road victories in club history, having lost their previous two away matches this CPL season by three goals each. Against Forge on Saturday, they showed significant growth in how they managed the match away from home — albeit with a few lessons left to learn.

Scoring just three minutes into the match, for example, was a textbook start for any road team. While getting that early goal was crucial to their success, Ghotbi believes there are lessons to be learned in how his side responded next. Instead of pressing their advantage, they collapsed and allowed Forge to take over the match. The Hamilton side were unlucky to not have added an equalizer during that stretch, with seven shot attempts in the next 20 minutes — many of them from close range.

“I think sometimes when you get that goal so early it can also backfire, which it did for a while, it just seemed that we scored a goal and then we took our foot off the pedal,” said Ghotbi. “We dropped back too low and gave Forge too much space and possibilities. I think that’s something that we still have to do as a team, I think that when we are ahead and we do score a goal, how we have to play away from home.”

“We haven’t been a good road team, so hopefully this will give us confidence going forward,” he added.

Best Bus in the CPL 🚌😁#VancouverFC #CanPL pic.twitter.com/EZRiC3UTa4

— Vancouver Football Club (@vanfootballclub) May 18, 2024

In seeing out the match in the second half, however, Ghotbi used his bench well, bringing on Elage Bah for Alejandro Díaz in the 56th minute, shortly after Forge had brought the match to within one. Playing in a more advanced wide midfield position, Bah did an excellent job of adding defensive energy and stretching the field for Vancouver — attempting three dribbles and contesting nine duels. He nearly set up Fry for what would have been a third for Vancouver in the 69th minute with an interception high up the pitch, as well.

In the dying moments, Vancouver FC went even more defensive, switching to a back five and bringing in young James Cameron. Despite only playing a handful of minutes, the fullback got stuck in and was crucial to disrupting the rhythm of the match in the dying moments. He made two tackles and was shown a yellow card.

It wasn’t a perfect road performance from Vancouver, but it was easily their best of the season, and proves what they are capable of when they remain defensively resilient away from home.

Early mistake costs Forge perfect home record

For as good as they have been at home this season, it took Forge just over a minute on Saturday before they got themselves into trouble.

Garven Metusala gave away a free kick just outside of the Forge box, and on the ensuing sequence, Vancouver defender Rocco Romeo opened the scoring.

“We’ve made a very uncharacteristic mistake in the first minute of the game,” said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. “That happens. That happens in games when you play long enough, that happens. When you’ve been in football long enough and when you try to play a lot of football.”

For the first time this season, despite creating a number of chances of their own, Forge didn’t have the execution in the final third to fight back and get a result. They had 20 shot attempts, and 88 final third entries, for example — but just 1.04 expected goals and one actual goal to show for it.

The goal now will be making sure that Saturday’s result, and to some extent a performance, doesn’t disrupt the incredible level they have been playing at to start this season. That level will likely need to reach its highest heights yet midweek as they face CF Montréal in the Canadian Championship.

One major question going into that match will be the health of their strikers, as both Terran Campbell and Jordan Hamilton were not in the lineup on Saturday. In their place, CPL – U SPORTS signing Amadou Koné led the line well in his first pro start.

The 19-year-old was impressive, and despite wanting to have a few chances back, got into good areas throughout the game and nearly scored in the 18th minute, forcing a good save from Callum Irving in the Vancouver net.

“It’s something that I’ll remember for the entirety of my life,” said Koné after the match. “But of course for me at the end of the day, it’s disappointing that we couldn’t get the result. So that’s what’s in my head.”

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Vasco Fry, Vancouver FC

Fry scored the match winner, but also did an excellent job of breaking up Forge’s rhythm in the middle of the field. He won seven of nine duels on Saturday and made two interceptions.

What’s next?

Forge FC are back in action midweek in the Canadian Championship as they take on CF Montréal in leg 2 of their quarter-final, with the score tied 1-1 on aggregate. That match goes Wednesday, May 22 (7:30 p.m. ET). Next weekend in league action, Forge take on top of the table Atlético Ottawa on Saturday, May 25 (3:00 p.m. ET) at TD Place Stadium.

Vancouver, meanwhile, host Pacific FC in their Salish Sea Derby of 2024 on Saturday, May 25 (3:00 p.m. PT / 6:00 p.m. ET).