RECAP + HIGHLIGHTS: Valour grinds out 1-0 win vs. TSS Rovers to set up CanChamp quarter-final date with Vancouver Whitecaps

For the first time since 2021, Valour FC have advanced past the preliminary round of the Canadian Championship, as they defeated the TSS Rovers 1-0 at Princess Auto Stadium on Wednsesday.

After having last met in the preliminary round of the 2023 Canadian Championship, in which the Rovers famously upset Valour 3-1 at Swangard Stadium, it'd be Valour who'd get the last laugh in this one thanks to a 65th-minute goal from Diogo Ressurreição.

Despite a late push from the Rovers, which almost included a dramatic 92nd-minute equalizer, Valour did what they needed to do to advance, setting up a date with the three-time defending Voyageurs Cup winners, the Vancouver Whitecaps. A side they've faced before, as the Whitecaps beat them 2-0 in the 2022 preliminary round en route to their first of those three Voyageurs Cup victories, Valour will look to make the most of a chance to play what is arguably the hottest team in all of Concacaf right now.

Returning to this match, it didn't take long for Valour to threaten the Rovers' goal, as they almost opened the scoring in the 4th minute. There, Kris Twardek did well to pick out Ressurreição at the back post with a nice low cross, but his shot would be kept out by a nice save from Rovers goalkeeper Callum Weir.

From there, however, chances were hard to come by for the rest of the half, as both teams settled down. Because of that, the next best chance came in the 39th minute, when Lowell Wright cut in on his left foot and fired a shot from just inside the box, forcing a great save out of Valour's Eleias Himaras.

Looking to find some momentum before half time, Bruno Figueiredo almost gave some life to Valour in the 42nd minute, as he fired a cannon of a shot from distance, pushing Weir to make another solid stop.

Other than that, however, there'd be no other chances as the game reached half time tied, with the Rovers likely being the happier of the two sides after keeping Valour to just five first-half shots. Despite that, they knew that the job was far from done for them, as Valour were always going to push hard in the second half to try and break open the match.

Despite that, however, it'd be the Rovers who'd come out and nearly find a crucial opening goal on the other side of the break in the 55th minute.

After a corner, the ball fell to Danylo Smychenko at the back-post, and the defender did well to power a header towards goal, but his goalbound shot was blocked by Safwane Mlah in the six-yard box. Then, on the subsequent rebound, Ousman Touray had a good look for the Rovers, but his right-footed shot from inside the box flashed just wide of the post.

To Valour's credit, they did well to find their opener soon after that scare, as they didn't let the Rovers' momentum snowball much further. Having just come into the game, Shaan Hundal managed to pick out Ressurreição with a pass, and he curled his shot into the top right corner from the edge of the box to make it 1-0.

Eager to get back into the game, having put in a good performance up until that point, the Rovers continued to push as they looked to get something out of this match. In particular, they continued to threaten on set-pieces - Michael Hennessy almost found a spectacular goal in the 68th minute, as he attempted a bicycle kick on a corner, but his shot would be easily caught by Himaras.

Meanwhile, Valour continued to push for a second, and almost found it on a corner of their own in the 73rd minute, as Myles Morgan forced a good save out of Weir with a header from inside the box. Then, a few minutes later, Hundal had an even better chance, as he got on the end of a low cross inside the box, but his shot would also be denied by Weir.

Then, in the 88th minute, Valour had an even better chance through Roberto Alarcón, who fired a powerful shot from close range, but Weir would stand tall to that one, too.

At the other end, the Rovers continued to chase an equalizer, and almost found it via yet another set-piece in the 92nd minute. After a great ball into the box from Ali Zohar on a free-kick, he found the head of Lucianno Keramen, but his goalbound header would be kept out by a fantastic stop from Himaras.

From there, Valour did what they needed to do in order to grind out the result, as they expertly managed the clock the rest of the way.

Despite that, they'll look at this performance and feel they could've been more dynamic - they generated just 0.78 xG on nine shots, as they didn't threaten the Rovers goal as much as they would've liked. Conversely, the Rovers will be quite pleased with their own defensive play, and had a few chances of their own, with 0.61 xG from seven shots proving to be a decent haul for a semi-professional team that held just 44.1% of the ball while faced off against a professional outfit.

Yet, that's been the story of the Rovers in this competition - they've constantly been a tough side to play. Pacific learned that in their two matchups against them, and Valour can say the same after seeing them twice, so it's a credit to the Rovers that they continue to step up for these big games.

"We won the league last year, and we won the playoffs last year, but this club stands for more than just winning - we try and play the right way," Rovers head coach, Brendan Teeling, said after the match. "We've got heart, soul and aggression, but we're more than just a club in that sense. Hopefully, we can keep that going this year now."

On the other side, Valour will take this win and try and build some momentum from it, as they look to now push up the table in CPL play, where they're yet to win in four matches.

"I think the guys needed this," Valour's head coach, Phil Dos Santos, added. "We have a good group of players, so I wanted the wins to come for them, because we knew that this was an important (tournament) for the club, as well as for the players and the progression of their careers."

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Valour FC: Himaras; Twardek (Alarcón 70'), Romeo, Egwu, Antonoglou (Wandje 70'); Mlah, Figueiredo; Faria (Morgan 61'), Ressurreição, Venâncio (Hundal 61'); Layne (Pop 90')

TSS Rovers: Weir; Alemu (Apostol 77'), Smychenko, Zarjampour (Hultin 71'), Proctor; Peña (Keramen 83'), Zohar; Touray (Poon 77'), Hennessy, Mejia; Wright

Goals

65' -- Diogo Ressurreição (Valour FC)

Discipline

59' -- Yellow: Bruno Figueiredo (Valour FC)

61' -- Yellow: Michael Hennessy (TSS Rovers)

82' -- Yellow: Shaan Hundal (Valour FC)

96' -- Yellow: Benjamin Hultin (TSS Rovers)

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Callum Weir, TSS Rovers

Even though his defence put in an excellent shift in front of him, Weir was still tested a few times, and he responded quite well to those various tests, making seven saves - including a few of the highlight reel variety - helping keep his team in the game right until the final whistle.

What’s next?

Valour have advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2025 Canadian Championship, where they'll face the three-time defending champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps, in a two-legged aggregate series. That series will kick off the week of May 20th, with Valour hosting the first leg, and the Whitecaps hosting the second leg.

Meanwhile, in league play, Valour will be back in action on Saturday, May 10th, as they travel east to take on Atlético Ottawa at TD Place (1:00 p.m. CT/2:00 p.m. ET). As for the Rovers, they'll be away to Burnaby FC in League 1 BC action at Burnaby Lake later the same Saturday (3:30 p.m. PT).

Watch all 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship and CPL matches live on OneSoccer. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.