Top soccer team in the league kept at bay

There were no points registered on the scoreboard, but the Canadian Premier League’s newest team from Langley had much to be proud of when the players and staff walked off the Hamilton, Ont. soccer pitch Friday night.

The Vancouver Football Club (VFC) held its own, keeping the score to 0-0, against the three-time CPL champs Forge FC – a team undefeated so far this season.

The match came less than a week after the VFC’s worst defeat in the club’s short history, where it gave up multiple (5-0) goals to loss to Atletico Ottawa in its second ever home game at Willoughby Stadium (at the Langley Events Centre).

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But VFC turned everything around, and even with three of their top players out of the game – one due to suspension, two due to injuries, they emerged “triumphant.”

Holding it at 0-0 after 90 minutes of play was impressive, with VFC recording 16 interceptions to Forge’s four, and VFC winning 18 of 29 tackles, compared to Forge winning five of only nine tackles.

Ahead of the game, head coach Afshin Ghotbi explained how his new, young team had been preparing physically and mentally to take on the best of the best, and he was confident the players would give it their all against what he called a “daunting” and incredibly skilled team.

“I’m looking for a very united, organized, and very high energy performance from our players,” he said, confident if his team brought their A game, the results would take care of themselves.

Now, the team is gearing up for its next home game, which is 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 28 against Winnipeg’s Valour FC. Then, they’re back on home pitch again Friday, June 2, at 7 p.m. to take on Vancouver Island’s Pacific FC. Click for details.

With the back-to-back home games ahead, VFC’s youngest player, #26 forward Taryck (T.J.) Tahid, is hoping to once again have his family and friends pack the Willoughby Stadium.

Earlier this month, Maple Ridge’s own Tahid became the youngest player ever to be signed to CPL, just 16 days after in 16th birthday. The very next day, he suited up against Calgary Cavalry for the May 7 game, making him the youngest to ever play in the league.

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He subsequently substituted in for a small stretch during the May 13 game against Ottawa, and in an interview a day before Friday’s game in Hamilton – knowing he was on the roster – Tahid said he was very excited about the challenge ahead and indicated he was hoping the team could cause an upset in the league.

“Asked about how it’s going so far in his pro career, the 5 ft. 10 in. midfielder said: “It’s been going very well. It’s been amazing to have a bunch of guys, who have played for many years now, helping me on and off the field with my development in the game. And yeah, it’s been good.”

Further questioned about what he’s bringing to VFC, Tahid reflected: “As a player, I would say my vision and my technical abilities are my biggest strengths.”

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Having grown up in the Cottonwood area of Maple Ridge, and still a student at Maple Ridge Secondary, he said the community and it people have helped shape who he is as a player and a person today.

“I’ve got most of my intelligence from living in Maple Ridge… how I act, the people, all my neighbours, influenced who I am as a person on and off the field,” he shared.

And many of those people, he said, are once again expected to be in the stands this weekend, when VFC plays at Willoughby Stadium for the third time.

“I get all my family, my friends in the Lower Mainland to come out. Yeah, it’s nice to see them out supporting me and the team.”

Asking the coach about Tahid’s contributions to the team, Ghotbi spoke to the past, present, and the future.

“This project is all about players like T.J.,” he said.

“When we spoke about, from the beginning, creating a football club in Vancouver and B.C., it was all about identifying young, talented players from the local market and giving them the atmosphere, and the environment, and the platform to develop so they can achieve their football dreams and get them to the highest level so they can contribute to the future of Canadian football,” Ghotbi said.

“And T.J., in my opinion, embodies all of that. He’s very talented in every component of the game. He’s technical. He’s physically very strong for his age. He, psychologically, has a temperament that he can deal with pressure, he can play against anybody in any situation. And he seems to be very calm and relaxed and I think we see already how he handled being in the limelight, being the youngest player signed. How he came into the first game at home and how he played in a game that was a very difficult game, with one man down. In training, what I see from him, I think, is how coachable he is. He listens to everything you share with him and then immediately tries to implement it. I’m very, very pleased to have a player like him in our group.”

As for incorporating Tahid into the roster, Ghotbi has started subbing him in, here and there.

“I’m hoping, at one point he’ll be ready to start for us and be one of the big contributors to our team – maybe even sooner than later.”

Monumental effort @_esimmo ⚔️🫡 https://t.co/d4V8izpH6Q

— Vancouver Football Club (@vanfootballclub) May 20, 2023

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