Vancouver FC are smack in the middle of the team’s longest home streak in the 2024 season, playing three matches consecutively at Willoughby Park. The club first hosted Atlético Ottawa on July 12 for VFC’s Pink Party: Inclusion match and now they look to take on York United FC on July 20 for the Beach Party match which will start at 3 p.m. PT.
Saturday will mark the third time VFC and York are meeting each other this year but it is the first time that the Nine Stripes will be heading out west to play in Langley. VFC suffered one loss in the first match at York Lions Stadium but the Eagles most recently pulled off a 2-2 come-from-behind draw which was the start of the current three-game undefeated streak on the road.
The last match between these two sides on June 9 featured midfielder Grady McDonnell’s first professional start in the teenager’s then-fourth appearance of his inaugural Canadian Premier League (CPL) season. York would open the scoring in the 18th minute but Vancouver responded three minutes later with an equalizer from Alejandro ‘Wero’ Díaz.
The play began with Moses Dyer making some room in the attacking zone and drawing in four York players to him before making a desperate outlet pass to Gabriel Bitar at the top of the box. Bitar then made a quick pass along the paint to Díaz before the native of Mexico turned into open space and sent a shot into the back of the net.
Before the half was over, York retook the lead with a long strike that had the essence of a player who’d been studying how Renan Garcia scores goals from distance. The pace of the second half slowed down significantly with one of VFC’s best chances coming from Zach Verhoven who joined the match as a substitute. Verhoven got the ball from Díaz in the box before dribbling it down for a tight angle shot that just went over the net.
In the 75th minute, Vancouver was granted an opportunity to equalize the game once again when York tried to stop a Ben Fisk cross with their hand in the box. Moses Dyer stepped up to the spot for the Eagles and, although York’s keeper got a hand on the ball, the shot had enough pace to tie the match at two.
The Eagles would have a dying look from U-SPORTS athlete Seb Dzikowski after battling around three York players to finally get a strike off that which went wide of the net but the match would remain a draw.
Now after more than a month since the last meeting, Vancouver has a chance to get their first full-three points against York this Saturday. Fans can get their tickets to the Beach Party game online here or in person at the gates on game day.
