There are a lot of factors that go into scoring goals from skills and precision to support and a bit of luck. Vancouver FC forward Alejandro ‘Wero’ Díaz has had those stars align for him on 29 occasions in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) regular season and three additional times in other competitions.
With just six regular season games for VFC in 2024, Díaz is already sitting atop the team’s leaderboard for both goals and assists. Now heading into Saturday’s match to face his former CPL-team, let’s take a look at how Díaz is doing so far this season.
Goals
As mentioned, Díaz is currently sitting at the top of VFC’s leaderboards for goals with two alongside defender Rocco Romeo and forward Moses Dyer. However, for being a former-Golden Boot winner, at the top of the team’s charts was not a position that Díaz found himself in last season. After joining Vancouver in July, the native of Mexico scored goals in back-to-back matches but couldn’t find the back of the net after that.
Fast forward to 2024 and including a new attacking partner in Dyer, Díaz has seemed to find his knack for the net once again. His first goal of the season was a diligent effort to follow the attack and put Dyer’s rebound neatly into the back of Halifax Wanderers FC’s net for a 2-0 win. The attacker’s second goal also came at home with an equalizing header against Atlètico Ottawa to maintain the Eagle’s undefeated status at Willoughby Park.
GOAL 🦅@VanFootballClub STRIKE BACK 🔥
Alejandro Diaz gets a head on the end of a cross by Kadin Chung and go level vs. @AtletiOttawa in the 68th minute 🎯
🔴 Watch the @Tonybet_Canada #CanPL Match of the Week on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/MnQG3RrmL6
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 13, 2024
Assists
Díaz has also impacted the scoresheet so far this season with two assists to lead Vancouver’s squad in that category and is tied-second across the CPL, trailing only Forge FC’s Tristian Borges who has four. The 29-year-old forward did not register a single assist in his 2023 CPL campaign, an anomaly since he joined the league in 2020, and is only two assists away from tying his CPL career high set in 2021.
Díaz’s two assists both came in Vancouver’s season opener against Valour FC starting with a sneaky kickback to a charging Dyer who took the ball across the box and scored the club’s equalizing goal. Díaz also helped on David Norman’s first goal with VFC by sending a floating cross back into the centre of the net for Norman to hammer home.
Minutes Played
In 2023, Díaz averaged just over 86 minutes per game and was a consistent feature in Afshin Ghotbi’s squad. Throughout the off-season, Vancouver added multiple threatening forwards to create a deep squad which allows legs to stay fresh for key situations.
Díaz has started in five of his six matches for a total of 372 minutes played so far this season. The added rest has benefitted Díaz as he scored his second goal after joining the game as a second half substitute.
Additionally
Díaz has registered five chances created in the first six regular season games of 2024 which is the third most on the squad, following Gabriel Bitar (nine) and Vasco Fry (10). He has also won eight aerial duels while holding the best shooting percentage amongst the Eagles (minimum four shots) by hitting five of his six shots on target.
Díaz is off to a great start in 2024 and, as is everyone on VFC, will be looking to continue his form. The next test will be against Díaz’s former team, Pacific FC, when the Eagles host the first Salish Sea Derby of the season. Fans who want to catch all the action at Willoughby Park on Saturday, May 25th can purchase tickets online here.
