✍️ Baltej Bining

Hello everybody, and welcome back to our weekly column! As the World Cup has taken over North America, Vancouver got to witness a brilliant game, as Australia defeated Türkiye by a 2-0 scoreline at BC Place Stadium.

During the frenzy, three of Vancouver's professional sides were in action across the weekend, so let's dive in and see what they were up to!

This is Vancouver Weekly!

Vancouver Whitecaps

During this break, the Whitecaps have had some news, as some players did appear in World Cup action.

Sebastian Berhalter's United States defeated Andrés Cubas' Paraguay by a big 4-1 scoreline. Berhalter would come in for the second half, while Cubas played the full 90 for Paraguay. The United States will face Australia in their next game, while Paraguay will face Türkiye.

Rayan Elloumi's Tunisia were heavily defeated by Sweden, with the Scandinavian side hammering the North African side 5-1, as Elloumi was an unused substitute. Tunisia will face Japan in their next match.

The Whitecaps have announced they will call St. George’s School their temporary training facility from June 16 to mid-July, as the Canadian Men's National Team will use the club's current training facilities for the World Cup.

AZ Jackson also returned to parent club Jagiellonia Białystok of the Polish Ekstraklasa following the completion of his loan in BC.

Vancouver FC

Back-to-back wins for the Eagles!

They are soaring high at the moment, as Vancouver FC took down rivals Pacific FC at Willoughby Stadium on Sunday, after Kian Proctor and Luis Toomey scored to overcome a 1-0 deficit from a Marcos Bustos opener.

This was a vital win, as it marked Vancouver FC's first come-from-behind victory since 2024, when they overturned a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 against the same opponent, Pacific FC.

With these two straight wins, the Eagles find themselves a single point away from the fourth and final playoff spot, which Inter Toronto occupies.

It's a lengthy break for Vancouver FC, as their next match is scheduled on Canada Day, taking on Forge FC at Hamilton Stadium, with kickoff set for 10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

While it isn't three points, it's still a very good result for this side.

After suffering six consecutive defeats, WFC2 hosted North Texas SC for some midweek action at Swangard Stadium.

It was set to become a seventh straight defeat after Jaidyn Contreras' 48th-minute goal was the only strike heading into stoppage time, but a first professional career goal from Connor Munn forced a penalty shootout.

After three rounds of penalties, the score was tied at 3-3, and North Texas stepped up with Ian Charles, but he was denied by Sam Rogers. Eryk Dymora decided to keep the shootout score even after denying WFC2 midfielder Carson Rassak shortly after, so it's into sudden death now. Up stepped Edouard Nys for the crucial fifth penalty, and Sam Rogers saved another one, giving a glorious opportunity to Cristiano Bruletti to win the game. And he obliged, sending Dymora the wrong way, as WFC2 claimed their first points since April 26, when they defeated Colorado Rapids 2 in a penalty shootout.

While the club hasn't recorded a win since the 12th of April, it's these performances that can certainly lift a dull mood from a club.

Tomorrow night, they will look to turn two points into three, as they host a San Jose Earthquakes II side that heavily destroyed them earlier this season, with kickoff set for 6:00 pm PT at Swangard Stadium.

Vancouver Rise

The winning streak comes to an unfortunate end.

After recording three straight wins, the Vancouver Rise have suffered defeat, as the Ottawa Rapid defeated them by three goals to one at Swangard Stadium on Sunday.

Kennedy Faulknor was shown a red card, while DB Pridham continued to haunt the Vancouver Rise, scoring her 12th goal against the Rise in nine games, a ridiculous statline.

Jessica De Filippo scored her third goal of the season, making her the outright top scorer for the Rise this season.

The Rise remain in a playoff spot, as they sit in fourth place by a single point ahead of AFC Toronto, who have a game in hand against the Calgary Wild.

The next one will come on Thursday, as they take on the Halifax Tides at the Wanderers Grounds for an early kickoff of 7:00 am PT / 11:00 am AT, as this will be a school theme game for the Tides.

That's it for this week, as the football frenzy will continue this week with the Canadian Men's National Team set to face Qatar at BC Place Stadium on Thursday at 3:00 pm PT, while two Vancouver sides will have some action in the midst of the drama!

Thank you for reading Vancouver Weekly, and we will see you next week, Vancouverites!