Vancouver FC continued to soar on Thursday night as they became the first Canadian Premier League team to bank two wins in 2024, dispatching Halifax Wanderers FC by a 2-0 scoreline at Willougby Community Park.

After winning their home opener over Valour on Sunday, Vancouver played with an unchanged starting XI in their second match of the year, including Moses Dyer and Alejandro Díaz combining up top again. Halifax, meanwhile, rejigged the lineup just slightly, as Ryan Telfer moved to left wingback in place of Wes Timoteo and Aidan Daniels came into Telfer’s prior spot as a left-sided attacking midfielder, and Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé came into midfield as Lorenzo Callegari pushed forward and replaced Giorgio Probo.

The game started out a little cagey as these sides felt each other out for the first time in 2024, both teams also giving the ball away a little cheaply at times but still managing to develop a few opportunities at either end. After a stop-start first 15 minutes, though, it would eventually be the hosts who found a fortuitous moment of danger to open the scoring.

Moments after defending a corner in their own end, Vancouver broke upfield and won a corner of their own. The cross came in from Vasco Fry and initially looked set to be cleared, but the Wanderers’ Gagnon-Laparé headed it back toward his own goalkeeper Yann Fillion. Caught by surprise, Fillion could only parry the ball back into the six-yard box, where VFC defender Rocco Romeo was on hand for an easy finish and his first goal for Vancouver.

After going into halftime trailing by a goal despite an advantage in possession, Wanderers coach Patrice Gheisar opted to make an early change to begin the second half. He brought Timoteo into the game at left-back, replacing Cale Loughrey.

It didn’t take long for Vancouver to be celebrating again in the second half, though; just over six minutes into the frame, Dyer picked the ball off Dan Nimick in the attacking third and danced in toward goal, dragging across the middle of the penalty area to open up space before taking a shot that hit the post. Fortunately for the Eagles, Díaz was on hand to finish the loose ball and put the home team up 2-0.

With Halifax trailing by two, Gheisar made a handful of other changes, as Probo, Massimo Ferrin, Tiago Coimbra and Vitor Dias all came in to try and provide more attacking impetus. They certainly took an even heavier share of the ball and managed to spend more time in the attacking half, but they were largely limited to crosses that Vancouver dealt with comfortably, save for one final chance that saw Andre Rampersad agonizingly hit the woodwork from the edge of the six-yard box.

So, Vancouver FC are the first CPL team to hit six points this year as they remained a perfect 2-0 after two home games. The Wanderers, meanwhile, wrapped up their two-game B.C. road swing still looking for their first goal and points of the campaign.

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Vancouver FC: Irving; Chung, Romeo, Norman, Gee; Fisk (Navarro 73′), Fry (Kibato 83′), García, Bitar; Dyer (Cantave 60′), Díaz (Tahid 83′)

Halifax Wanderers FC: Fillion; Nimick, Dunn, Loughrey (Timoteo 46′); Fernandez, Rampersad, Gagnon-Laparé (Probo 67′), Telfer (Ferrin 60′); Callegari (Dias 80′), Volesky (Coimbra 60′), Daniels

Goals

17′ — Rocco Romeo (Vancouver FC)
52′ — Alejandro Díaz (Vancouver FC)

Discipline

4′ — Yellow: Rocco Romeo (Vancouver FC)
44′ — Yellow: Alejandro Díaz (Vancouver FC)
84′ — Yellow: Kembo Kibato (Vancouver FC)
87′ — Yellow: Kadin Chung (Vancouver FC)