Although the derby is only two years and six games old, there always seems to be something in a Pacific FC versus Vancouver FC match in the Canadian Premier League.
How could there not be with former PFC players Callum Irving, Kadin Chung, Ben Fisk and Alejandro Diaz starting for VFC on Wednesday night at Starlight Stadium. Pacific FC has several Island-bred players such as Sean Young, Josh Heard, Dario Zanatta and Daniel Zadravec who grew up playing against Lower Mainland youth teams and always bearing that cross-strait rivalry grudge.
PFC had the better of play but VFC had the scoreboard as the derby continued with a 2-1 victory by the Eagles over the Tridents. PFC dominated the first half with advantages of 11-2 in shots at net, 3-1 in shots on net and 16-2 in touches in the opposition box, but only a 1-1 tie at the break to show for it.
A header scored by sneaky defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, off a cross, put PFC ahead at 39 minutes. Diaz tied it two minutes later with a brilliant header on VFC’s first shot on net as the former Tridents striker and Mexico U-20 and U-23 international and Liga MX pro was greeted with a crescendo of boos from the crowd of 3,255.
The PFC pressure continued into the second half with Heard pushed down in the box at 53 minutes, but Young missed the ensuing penalty kick, with Eagles’ goalkeeper Irving guessing right and getting a hand to the ball as another former Trident came back to haunt the Island club. That was followed by a header by PFC’s 28-time Trinidad and Tobago capped striker Reon Moore putting a wide open header right into Irving’s body. Everybody could have guessed what was going to happen after that, and often does in these kinds of games. Elage Bah scored the against-the grain winner at 82 minutes to stun the crowd and Tridents.
“Derbies are exciting, regardless of where the teams are in the table,” said VFC head coach Afshin Ghotbi, before the game.
“That’s because of history. It was the same wherever I have coached, whether it’s Japan, Iran, China, Thailand or Korea. It’s special. It gives everybody something to talk about.”
The talking point of this game was Vancouver FC winning despite being outplayed.
“There’s not been a dull game in this derby. Every game has been exciting,” said Ghotbi, who has coached in eight countries, and been on the coaching staff at three World Cups with the U.S. in 1998 and South Korea in 2002 and 2006.
“It’s been a very interesting series. There’s a new chapter being added to the B.C. story,” added Ghotbi, head coach of the Iranian national team from 2009 to 2011, in the pre-game
The plotline in this story has PFC winning the first two games of the nascent derby last year followed by four consecutive Eagles wins over two seasons.
CORNER KICKS: A moment of silence was held before the game for former CPL and Atletico Ottawa and FC Edmonton goalkeeper Dylon Powley, who died this month at age 27 in a motorcycle crash in Edmonton.
