The Telus Canadian Championship could be the saving grace for a Vancouver FC team that languishes at the bottom of the Canadian Premier League standings with a dismal 2-15-6 record.
Vancouver takes a 3-1 lead into Thursday’s return leg of its semifinal series with Atletico Ottawa, knowing a win, draw or even a one-goal loss will send it to the Oct. 1 final against the defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps.
“I think it’s a big moment in our season. Everyone feels it,” said Vancouver FC interim coach Martin Nash, who played for the Whitecaps before the club entered Major League Soccer. “And the guys are well prepared and looking forward to the occasion.
“If we can get to a final, that would be amazing for the club, And to play a local rival would be brilliant.”
Atletico Ottawa, which sits 35 points above Vancouver in second place in the CPL standings at 13-2-8, has a different idea.
Diego Mejia, Ottawa’s Mexican coach, is confident in his team’s ability to overcome the deficit.
“We’ve come back in a lot of matches before,” he said.
“We need to score goals,” he added. “I think that we are capable of that. We are the best team scoring goals and creating chances this season.”
Ottawa boasts the CPL’s most potent attack with 46 goals this season, averaging two per game. Vancouver has scored 27 goals while conceding a league-worst 52 goals.
Ottawa’s Sam Salter leads the CPL with 17 goals, with another four in cup play. The six-foot-two forward from Laval, Que., gets plenty of attacking help from the likes of David Rodriguez, Ballou Tabla and Kevin Dos Santos.
“It’s a team sport and we have an excellent team this year,” said Salter. “I’m just grateful and happy to be part of it.”
Ottawa holds a 7-2-3 edge in the all-time series, outscoring Vancouver 25-11.
Vancouver had to settle for a 1-1 draw Saturday with Pacific, conceding a 94th-minute goal. Still, the draw snapped a five-game league losing streak that included a 3-1 defeat Aug. 30 in Ottawa.
Vancouver’s last win was Aug. 4, a 2-1 decision at Halifax. It was winless in 11 league outings (0-8-3) prior to that victory, with its only other victory coming May 3 at Valour FC.
Afshin Ghotbi, the team’s inaugural coach, was fired July 23 with Nash taking over on an interim basis.
Ottawa, meanwhile, is unbeaten in its last four outings (2-0-2) and has lost just once in its last 15 games (8-1-6) since a 2-0 setback May 24 at Halifax. The lone blemish during that run was a 2-0 defeat Aug. 17 at Forge.
“Obviously it’s a big challenge. Ottawa is a great team … We’ve had some great games against them so far this season where it’s been quite competitive” said Vancouver goalkeeper Callum Irving. “We know some of the attacking firepower they have.
“So even though we’re in a good position after the first leg, things can change quickly if you’re not focused and sharp and locked in from the first minute. We’ve been trying to focus on that, be ready when that first whistle blows and understand that it’s going to take a full 90-minute performance for us to reach that goal of the final.”
In league play earlier this season, Vancouver lost 4-1 at Ottawa on April 13 and the teams drew 2-2 May 30 in Langley, B.C.
The Whitecaps booked their ticket to the final on Tuesday with a 4-0 win over Forge FC at B.C. Place Stadium, completing a 6-2 aggregate victory.
Vancouver FC made it to the semifinals the hard way, defeating Pacific FC and Cavalry FC in penalty shootouts.
“A little bit of a rollercoaster but one that ultimately was pretty fun to be on,” said Irving.
Ottawa dispatched League1 Ontario champion Scrosoppi FC and York United in the first two rounds.
Whatever happens Thursday at TD Place Stadium, a CPL team will be in the Oct. 1 final. The only other time that happened was in the 2020 pandemic-delayed tournament which eventually turned in a one-off final played in 2022 when Toronto FC, the winner of the head-to-head series between Canadian teams from Major League Soccer during the 2020 season, defeated CPL champion Forge.
Meanwhile, changes are afoot at SixFive Sports & Entertainment, which owns both Vancouver FC and Pacific FC. SixFive Sports announced Wednesday it is exploring a potential sale of Pacific.
“From Day 1 we believed that Pacific FC could be something special,” Josh Simpson, Pacific FC president and SixFive co-founder, said in a statement. “What we’ve built together with the community, players, staff, and supporters has surpassed our hopes. It’s been an honour to help bring professional soccer to Vancouver Island.
“With a strong foundation now in place, it’s time for a new group to lead the club into its next chapter of growth and success.”
SixFive Sports & Entertainment, which plans to retain ownership of Vancouver FC, has engaged Knightsbridge Capital to manage the sale of Pacific.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
