✍️ Baltej Bining

Hello everybody, and welcome back to Vancouver Weekly - a TrueNorthFoot column that dives into Vancouver soccer once per week!

Today, we have plenty to speak about, and that includes the games and a transfer out of a Vancouver side.

This is Vancouver Weekly!

Vancouver Whitecaps

A rare poor week for Jesper Sørensen and company.

The 'Caps were on the wrong side of a 4-3 scoreline against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday, before being held to a goalless tie against Minnesota United on Saturday.

While the club does fall six points away from Nashville SC - who currently hold the top spot in the MLS Supporters' Shield - the Whitecaps remain at the top of the MLS Western Conference after the San Jose Earthquakes had a similar slip-up to Vancouver. Still, unlike the Whitecaps, they dropped a position.

That second place is now held by Vancouver's next opponent, Los Angeles FC, who have now won their past four games.

In some other club news, star midfielder Sebastian Berhalter is set to leave the club to join EFL Championship side Middlesbrough FC, with notable MLS reporter Tom Bogert stating the Whitecaps will receive a $2,000,000 fee, which is a good fee considering Berhalter has five months remaining on his current deal.

AFTN has dropped some good news about the Whitecaps' future, as the club has sent an offer to PavCo regarding the possibility of running BC Place Stadium, which would include the Whitecaps gaining control over the stadium schedule and a better revenue split with PavCo. Meanwhile, Ravi Kahlon has dropped the possibility of the Province letting the Whitecaps potentially buy the stadium, but that is more of a long shot and should be considered once the club finds new owners.

After receiving a call-up to the Canadian Men's Under-20 National Team, Liam Mackenzie grabbed the second goal in Canada's 3-0 win over Panama, scoring a composed spot kick in the first half.

For now, the focus will shift to Saturday, as the Vancouver Whitecaps make their long-awaited return to BC Place Stadium to take on the previously mentioned LAFC, with kickoff set for 4:30 pm PT.

Vancouver FC

They will not stop winning!

It's another win for the Eagles, as thanks to a Lys Mousset goal, they take down Cavalry FC by a 1-0 scoreline.

It's a historic win for Martin Nash's side, as it marks the first time Vancouver FC have defeated Cavalry FC, as their best result against the Alberta-based side before Friday was last season's shootout win in the Canadian Championship after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

For Vancouver, this result has kept them in fourth place, but they now have a four-point lead over fifth-place Halifax Wanderers with a game in hand.

After taking a while to get going, 30-year-old marquee signing Lys Mousset has hit the ground running, recording three goals and an assist in his last six CPL appearances.

Next up is another home game for the Eagles, as they take on Atlético Ottawa at The Stadium at Langley Events Centre, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 pm PT.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

The second game was significantly better than the first.

On Wednesday, WFC2 took on Austin FC II at Swangard Stadium, only to be slapped 4-0 after goals came from Micah Burton, Diego Abarca, Evan Watt, and Christian Ayala. The only positive was the return of Johnny Selemani, who made his season debut after suffering a broken foot injury previously.

On Sunday, WFC2 got a chance to redeem themselves at Energizer Park against St. Louis City SC 2. It didn't look good after 45 minutes, as Zack Lillington scored the opening goal just five minutes in before Daniel Ittycheria put a spot kick wide with five minutes remaining before stoppage time. That stoppage time was crucial for WFC2, as Ittycheria made amends for his earlier miss with a bullet close-range strike to tie it up. From there, Sam Rogers continued to have a clinic between the sticks, making eleven saves to deny a regulation win for St. Louis as they headed into penalties to decide who would earn the extra point. After three successful spot kicks for each side, Cristiano Bruletti scored for Rich Fagan's side, while Sidney Paris was denied by a brilliant Sam Rogers save. Micaah Garnette would score the decisive spot kick to earn the extra point for WFC2, but the credit goes to the 17-year-old shotstopper Rogers, who has a bright future with the Whitecaps organization.

Six games remain for WFC2, as they continue the road trip on Saturday against the Tacoma Defiance at Starfire Sports Stadium, with kickoff set for a late 7:00 pm PT.

Vancouver Rise

It wasn't meant to be a third straight win for Anja Heiner-Møller's side, as a second-half own goal from Jessica De Filippo gave the Halifax Tides their first-ever win against the Vancouver Rise, holding on to a 1-0 win at Swangard Stadium.

It was the farewell game for Mariah Lee, who has now officially retired from the sport following Saturday's game, as the Rise now have to fill a gap in the attack.

That gap has been officially filled, as the club has acquired the services of Canadian forward Alex Lamontagne, who joins after spending three seasons with French top-flight side AS Saint-Étienne Féminines.

Vancouver Rise will continue their homestand on Wednesday, as they take on the Montréal Roses for the fourth time this season, but the first at Swangard.

Kickoff for that game is set for 7:00 pm PT.

That's all for this week's edition of Vancouver Weekly, as a 1-2-2 record isn't a great record for Vancouver sides this week, but it could've been worse if the Eagles hadn't defeated Cavalry FC.

The Vancouver sides will have four games this week, with three matches on Saturday, which looks jam-packed.

Hope you enjoyed this volume, and we will see you next week, Vancouverites!