The Canadian Premier League introduced itself to Kelowna, B.C. on Sunday as Vancouver FC took on Cavalry FC in a fierce, back-and-forth encounter, but the sides could not be separated despite top-class chances at both ends as it finished in a 0-0 stalemate.
Vancouver kicked off at the Apple Bowl with four changes to their lineup from last week’s 2-2 draw at York United; Mikaël Cantave returned from international duty and slotted back into the attack, and Vasco Fry came into midfield after serving a one-game suspension, while David Norman got the nod in defence and Coquitlam native Thomas Powell made his first professional start at right midfield.
Meanwhile, the Cavs offered up a mostly unchanged group from their win over Forge last Saturday, the only change being Lucas Dias coming in as a number 10 in place of the injured Sergio Camargo.
As the game kicked off, the rain in Kelowna began to ease up, although the grass pitch at the Apple Bowl remained slick and the two sides took a few moments to adjust to the roll of the ball, and it was quite a back-and-forth affair in the first 20 minutes.
Vancouver had the better of the chances in the first half-hour though; Moses Dyer and Alejandro Díaz both had wide-open chances that they put on frame, but Marco Carducci parried them — as he also did with a well-hit shot from well outside the box by Renan García.
Cavalry had their share of opportunities too though, including one in transition for Dias who was stymied in the box by a perfectly-timed challenge from Vancouver’s Kadin Chung.
The Cavs made one halftime substitution, as coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. opted to deploy Jesse Daley in his midfield in place of Charlie Trafford.
Still, the second frame began in similar fashion to the first; Cavalry had another good chance broken up by Chung, and Vancouver had some dangerous opportunities that bounced just wide of an open goal. VFC ‘keeper Callum Irving played the hero for his side just before the hour mark, as Lleyton Brooks seemed sure to score with an open header in the six-yard box, but Irving caught the ball while diving and smothered it inches before it could spill over the line.
The match became increasingly chaotic and disjointed as both sides desperately sought an equalizer through quick, direct play, and the tempo of the last half-hour made for entertainingly fast-paced play, but still neither side could solve the other as they ticked past the 80th minute.
Vancouver and Cavalry could not be separated though; in spite of the flurry of opportunities and attacking play at both sides, neither managed to find the net as they finished at 0-0.
So, VFC climbed past York United into fourth place in the table, while Cavalry remain sixth after 10 matches of the 2024 campaign.
BOX SCORE
Lineups
Vancouver FC: Irving; Chung, Enyou, Norman, Gee; Cantave (Tahid 62′), Fry, Garcia, Powell (Bitar 62′); Díaz (Dzikowski 62′), Dyer (Fisk 81′)
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Klomp, Kobza, Field; Trafford (Daley 46′), Gutiérrez; Shome (Myroniuk 83′), Dias, Brooks (Akio 65′ (Shaw 78′)); Warschewski
Goals
None
Discipline
48′ — Yellow: Allan Enyou (Vancouver FC)
