Final Score: Vancouver FC 1-1 York United FC
Goalscorers: Díaz 90+3′; Babouli 46′
Game of the 2024 season: 56
CPL match: 540

Match in a minute or less

Following an intense back-and-forth battle, Vancouver FC and York United ended up splitting the points in a 1-1 draw at Willoughby Community Park on Saturday, as Vancouver clawed back the result thanks to a 93rd minute equalizer.

After York had opened the scoring with a nice header from Mo Babouli on a perfect Max Ferrari cross in the 46th minute, Vancouver managed to battle back to earn a draw after some late heroics from Alejandro Díaz deep in stoppage time, as he got on the end of a nice low cross from Grady McDonnell, slotting home with conviction to tie the game.

With that, Vancouver snapped a two-game losing streak at home, while snapping a two-game winning streak for York, slowing down one of the hottest teams in the CPL with the result.

Three Observations

Strange start to second half leads to dramatic finish:

It was hardly a conventional start to the second half for Vancouver FC.

Already a strange game due to the temperature, which seemed to tire out most players, it was felt that the break could provide a bit of life to both teams, but it also led to a bizarre mishap from the hosts.

Having attempted to make a double sub at half time, as Moses Dyer and Ben Fisk got set to enter for Mikaël Cantave and Thomas Powell, Vancouver were actually only able to make one of those subs – Fisk for Powell – as Dyer dealt with a kit issue.

With Cantave not able to make it out for the second half, either, that meant that Vancouver had to start the half down a player while Dyer ran to the dressing room to fix his problem, which was less than ideal.

At the same time, that didn’t seem to be a big deal in the moment. Teams play down a player all of the time in games as injuries will force teams to be down a player or two for minutes at a time, and usually occurs without consequence.

Not this time, however, as York scored before Dyer was even able to return, doing well to take advantage of the extra player. Naturally, that ended up causing a lot of frustration for Vancouver, as they’ll feel it was an avoidable mistake to be in such a position, making it tough to be punished for it with a goal.

Despite that, though, Vancouver didn’t let them drag them down. Certainly, they made sure that their frustrations were expressed between themselves, but then they put their head down and got back to work as they looked to ensure they wouldn’t lose a third straight home game.

To their credit, they found that response late, and it came from an unlikely source.

After coming onto the pitch in the 86th minute, 16-year-old Grady McDonnell, making just his sixth professional appearance, created a moment of magic out wide in the 93rd minute. Doing well to dribble his way past a defender into a dangerous position, McDonnell showed the poise of a veteran to put his head up and pick out Alejandro Díaz, and the experienced striker wasn’t going to miss from in-close to tie up the game.

Yet, credit has to be given to how McDonnell was able to make the play happen, and to do so at a vital moment of the game, allowing his team grab a crucial point.

Perhaps, that might have never happened without the strange goal right after half time, one that ended up being a blessing in disguise for the youngster, who is quickly starting to carve out an important place in this Vancouver team with his performances as of late.

“He brings the kind of spirit that I love,” Vancouver’s head coach, Afshin Ghotbi said afterwards of McDonnell. “He loves the game, he loves winning, he has a passion to train, a passion to play, and he has a pure heart.”

“When you have a player like that, it’s almost like when a baby’s born they’re optimistic and positive as they come into this world of craziness and they bring us hope and dreams, well that’s what Grady brings to this team, our club and to Canadian football.”

On the flip side, York left the game quite frustrated with how the game ended, and naturally so. Despite grabbing a key road point, they felt that they had the win within their grasp after keeping Vancouver to just six shots and less than 0.5 xG in the second half before Díaz found the net.

A sign of their growing mentality under their new coach, Benjamín Mora, it sounds like York took that late goal quite personally, too, even leading to some tears in the locker room.

Yet, that’s a sign of a team that wants to win at all costs, and believes they’ll do so every time they put on their kit, which is likely a big reason why they’ve been able to put together such a strong run of form as of late.

“They’re not speaking in the dressing room, they’re really upset,” Mora said. “They are sitting there, there are tears in the dressing room, and that tells me that they really have a commitment to the cause, and the cause is to touch first place table and improve, and if I continue to see that (commitment) in my players, and then I think we’re on the right path.”

“We have the belief that we can test ourselves against anybody,” York midfielder, Elijah Adekugbe, added. “So full credit to coach Benjamín, game-over-game he’s won our trust, and he’s put us in a position where his words, we can see them in reality, we can see that we’re improving, we can see that we’re competing against teams.”

Olivier Rommens brings experience, solidity to Vancouver midfield in debut:

It was quite the surprise to see – despite only being officially announced as the newest Vancouver signing on Friday afternoon, Olivier Rommens slotted right into Vancouver’s starting lineup the next day, as Ghotbi made the big call to start his newest player in this game.

Because of that, it was going to be intriguing to see what sort of qualities the 29-year-old Belgian midfielder could offer, as well as how fit he’d look, helping his coach’s big decision pay off.

Ultimately, it would pay off, too – Rommens ended up playing 86 minutes despite not featuring for months, never once looking like someone who was coming off an extended layoff.

His stats certainly reflected that, as he completed 60 out of 65 of his passes (92%), including eight out of nine long balls, while also creating one chance, completing one dribble and chipping in with one tackle, two interceptions, three recoveries and five out of six duels won, putting in a pretty complete performance in the heart of Vancouver’s midfield.

Not only that, but he seemed to bring a certain presence to the pitch, too, immediately providing key leadership to his team. Despite hardly having had the chance to meet some of his teammates, he was quick to offer instruction and was orchestrating play, showing off his experience.

“You can see the maturity he brings to our locker room and in training,” Vancouver defender, Rocco Romeo, said of Rommens. “You can see it in his performance, he doesn’t overcomplicate things, he doesn’t put himself into trouble, he doesn’t force anything. He provides stability and competition, so he’s been a great addition, I spoke to him when he first arrived, he hadn’t played in two months, and then he goes right into the battle like that.”

Yet, that’s why Vancouver was likely so eager to bring him in. Having felt that their midfield depth was a bit thin, especially in light of the recent suspension to Vasco Fry, they also felt that they needed some more experience to go along with the added depth.

Now, it’ll be intriguing to see where Rommens fits in long-term. As seen in this game, he immediately seemed to shine as a ball-playing defensive midfielder, which should pair nicely alongside Fry, who can also pass with the best of them in the CPL while balancing that with strong defensive play.

Perhaps, that double-pivot could bring some Vancouver some value, and that’s without considering where Renan Garcia fits into that picture, as the veteran Brazilian midfielder has continued to put in consistent performances from this team. Maybe that could lead Vancouver to try out a midfield three to fit them all in, allowing them to control play in midfield, or it can lead them to use one of the three as a super sub – both are strong options to consider.

That’s the beauty of a new signing like this for Vancouver, though – Rommens arrival only offers more flexibility for Ghotbi to work with going forward, especially if he can build off this performance, which will help them massively as they look to find their feet after an inconsistent stretch that has seen them win just one of their last eight games (1W-4D-3L).

Shoring up the middle of the park could be a good way to help them do that, and Rommens will only grow as he finds match fitness, so that’s something to watch in the weeks to come.

“You can I see his football brain and the education he’s had,” Ghotbi said of Rommens. “He was very sensible in his actions and his decisions, he was very clinical with his passes, he was able to spray balls in different direction and move the play forward, and then he was mentally strong to put in the shift that he did, as I thought he was only going to be 45-60 minutes fit.”

Max Ferrari continues to settle into new-look York formation:

Now in his fifth CPL season, Max Ferrari has grown a lot in his time in the league. Having come in as a fresh-faced, speedy winger in the 2020 season, he did well to improve his defensive game and become a responsible full back, one that could be trusted to hold is own at the position.

Despite that, he still remains someone who can influence a game offensively at his best, and he’s shown that in his stints at full back, where he’s never shy to push forward.

Because of that, it was wondered if he might benefit from being able to play as a wing back at some point, as players of his profile tends to thrive in a role like that, but that required a big shift in formation from York.

There, however, is why Mora’s arrival was key for Ferrari – coming in fresh, Mora had the possibility to shake things up tactically, and he did that by employing a flexible 5-3-2 that can morph depending on the game.

That allowed Ferrari to slot in as a wing back, a move that has been key for him, and a game like this shows why that’s been the case.

Given freedom to push forward in possession as his team ended up playing in a more narrow version of the 5-3-2, he really found life in the second half, providing the early assist and then nearly getting on the scoreboard himself.

Plus, he did a lot of tireless running on both sides of the ball, too, finding a way to keep energy even as players around him started to dip in their fitness levels.

At the same time, that’s not surprising to see. An energetic player, Ferrari’s fitness is always a huge asset to himself and his team, as he hardly seems to get tired in games.

That ends up helping himself get involved in games, of course, but then also rubs off on his teammates, who can only help but want to try and match his energy levels.

Yet, that’s why he’s become a key leader on this team despite being just 23 years of age. Of course, the fact that he’s spent five seasons with the club helps, but how he carries himself is just as important, and in a game like this, that value looked to be apparent in many ways.

“He’s the kind of guy I’d invite home to have a dinner,” Mora said of Ferrari. “He’s an example as a human being, an example as a professional, and it’s noble how committed he is to his passion, to his craft, and he’s contagious, as he never loses optimism or motivation, either.”

Sometimes, it can help a team massively to have a guy they’re willing to follow into the fight, and Ferrari has no problem and stepping up and being that guy for this York side when they need him to be.

“I would go to war with him, any day,” Adekugbe said of Ferrari. “He’ll give you his lungs, his heart, his body – he’s always switched on. Whether we do something successful or not, you’ll get the same reaction from Max, so credit to him, I just love him as a guy, and as a player.”

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Max Ferrari, York United FC

As mentioned earlier, Ferrari was lively at right wing back for York in this game, putting in a strong performance to help his team grab a crucial road point.

His stats reflect that, too, as he finished with 28/32 passes completed (88%), one chance created, three dribbles, three passes into the final third, one tackle, two clearances, four recoveries and five out of 12 duels won on the day.

What’s next?

Vancouver FC will continue to tackle a home-heavy portion of their schedule, as they get set to host Cavalry at Willoughby Community Park on Friday, July 26th (7:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. MT). Meanwhile, York United will return home to host Atlético Ottawa at York Lions Stadium earlier that same Friday (7:00 p.m. ET).

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