Side competitions within regular seasons are a tradition in soccer.
For instance, MLS games between the Vancouver Whitecaps, Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers count for their own three-team Cascadia Cup competition.
The games between the Victoria Highlanders and TSS FC Rovers of Surrey, the lone B.C. teams in the Northwest Division of the Premier Development League, count toward their sidebar Juan de Fuca Plate competition.
The Highlanders will be looking to begin defence of the Plate, which they won in 2017, when the clubs meet for the first time this season in a matinée today at 2 p.m at Centennial Stadium.
“It’s always a good rivalry between Victoria and Vancouver,” said Highlanders coach Thomas Niendorf.
The Highlanders are 1-3 overall after recording their first victory of the season on Friday night, 1-0 over Lane United of Eugene, Oregon, at Centennial Stadium thanks to Victoria’s first goal of the season, by Cory Bent.
Nolan Wirth from Comox, a former NCAA Pac-12 goalkeeper with the Oregon State Beavers, recorded Victoria’s first clean sheet of the season.
“We have to rest a little bit,” Niendorf said following Friday's game.
“We will have a recovery session [Saturday] and discuss a few things. We recognized a few technical areas to work on. With the win, everything becomes a little more positive.”
TSS Rovers are coming off a 2-2 tie against Seattle Sounders U-23, in which they rallied from a 2-0 deficit.
Their other games have been hard to peg, and have included a 3-1 victory over defending divisional champion Portland Timbers U-23 and a 4-1 loss to Lane United.
“[TSS] will be definitely motivated, pumped up, and will come with confidence,” Niendorf said.
