Match Thread: April 14, 2024 - Vancouver FC v Valour

[SoccMan]

Crowd looked ok on TV and atmosphere came across pretty good on TV , a promising start on the field and off .

[SpursFlu]

Definitely a good vibe at the stadium today. I think Vancouver FC are really on to something

[SthMelbRed]

8 hours ago, K Edgar said:

Mourdoukoutas, Chantzopoulos, Antonoglou, Ressurreição, Facchineri, Murasiranwa -- OneSoccer commentators will earn their pay tonight.

For the first time that I can recall, I watched the match highlights and didn't want to punch the OneSoccer announcer over their stupid use of the club's names. The guy used Vancouver and the Eagles for Vancouver FC, and used Valour, and once, the Winnipegers, for Valour. He sounded natural and in no way as idiotic as the guy who kept saying Forge FC every 10 seconds on the highlights from the Forge/Cavalry match.

Now, excuse me while I got chase the neighbour kids off my lawn and yell at some clouds!

[masster]

55 minutes ago, SthMelbRed said:

For the first time that I can recall, I watched the match highlights and didn't want to punch the OneSoccer announcer over their stupid use of the club's names. The guy used Vancouver and the Eagles for Vancouver FC, and used Valour, and once, the Winnipegers, for Valour. He sounded natural and in no way as idiotic as the guy who kept saying Forge FC every 10 seconds on the highlights from the Forge/Cavalry match.

Now, excuse me while I got chase the neighbour kids off my lawn and yell at some clouds!

YES!!!!!!! It was bothering me so much!!

[masster]

Ali Ahmed was at the stadium watching the match today.

[nolando]

12 minutes ago, masster said:

Ali Ahmed was at the stadium watching the match today.

That's cool.

[Unnamed Trialist]

9 hours ago, nolando said:

Enjoyed that today. Perfect weather, perfect temperature. Great result. Stadium half full, starting to show signs of life though.

Good choice to prioritize filing up the east stand for visual purposes on the broadcast (will be brutal though in full sun wirh zero shade as it gets closer to summer).

Great second half on the pitch, Langley with a deep bench even missing three to injury. The reboot is promising.

Only watched the first half: do you think Gee redeemed himself?

And Renan Garcia, is he the older short range player we saw last year or did you think his role is right?

What I'm seeing is that the roster is properly put together, there is depth for every position. Even keeper. And that combination of experience and youth.

[Cheeta]

Well, the eagle circling the pitch before kickoff was kinda cool, as well as sad and heartbreaking all at once.  (Ha!  Felt the same way about Valour AFTER kickoff).

Good get together at E & C.  Might not see those numbers again.  If we take anything away from yesterday it may be we're onto a new Valour song.  Work in progress, stay tuned.

Anywho, about the match.  As my old Mum used to say, if you can't say anything nice

...

 

 

[nolando]

2 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Only watched the first half: do you think Gee redeemed himself?

And Renan Garcia, is he the older short range player we saw last year or did you think his role is right?

What I'm seeing is that the roster is properly put together, there is depth for every position. Even keeper. And that combination of experience and youth.

As others pointed out, the likes of Gee, Norman, and Fisk add experience and personality and commitment but they aren't top CPL players anymore, imo. Which is fine, since there are so many options in the squad if they tire,  are injured, or if the lineup needs refreshing. Nothing wrong with reliable mid-level players, and this is largely where Langley have stocked up in the off-season.

Our passing and distribution was very poor for long stretches of the first 2/3s of the match, I'd say. Maybe miscommunication between new teammates, but guys like Gee often looked disconnected from his team and quite uncertain. I imagine James Cameron will be breathing down his neck for the starting LB spot soon.

No complaints about Renan from me. He is so universally admired amongst the squad and is as good as you'll see in this league for a lock at DCM. 

Onwards and upwards.

[K Edgar]

Comparing starting lineups and previous games played for Valour FC:

Valour: Campbell 31, Samake 18, Hundal 6, no other starter had played for Valour previously -- total 55 games

Vancouver: Dyer 56, Romeo 42 -- total 98

[nolando]

11 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Only watched the first half: do you think Gee redeemed himself?

He earned some Gatorade apparently...

[Cheeta]

Diaz, Bitar and Borges are no-brainers.  From what I saw anyway.  Not suggesting the others aren't as worthy just those three stood out to my eye (along with Twardek who really looked like he was enjoying the structure there on the weekend).

[K Edgar]

On 4/14/2024 at 6:35 PM, nolando said:

Gee has been terrible.

picked just to spite you @nolando

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, K Edgar said:

picked just to spite you @nolando

To be fair, he posted that around m. 20 of the first half.

That goal--everyone knows the keeper should never have let it in.

[nolando]

2 hours ago, K Edgar said:

picked just to spite you @nolando

I had it coming. But, tbh, Bakare also got similar accolades for us last season when he had played even worse, imo.

[K Edgar]

16 hours ago, nolando said:

I had it coming. But, tbh, Bakare also got similar accolades for us last season when he had played even worse, imo.

Seems Gee was picked solely because he scored the game winning goal.  Not a bad strike but the GK is too blame more than the shot being outstanding.  As a Valour fan at no point in the game did I think Gee is tearing us apart.  That was certainly Dyer (who did not even make the CPL team of the week) and to a lesser extent (imho) Diaz.

[nolando]

5 hours ago, K Edgar said:

Seems Gee was picked solely because he scored the game winning goal.  Not a bad strike but the GK is too blame more than the shot being outstanding.  As a Valour fan at no point in the game did I think Gee is tearing us apart.  That was certainly Dyer (who did not even make the CPL team of the week) and to a lesser extent (imho) Diaz.

#redemption

[BearcatSA]

11 hours ago, K Edgar said:

Seems Gee was picked solely because he scored the game winning goal.  Not a bad strike but the GK is too blame more than the shot being outstanding.  As a Valour fan at no point in the game did I think Gee is tearing us apart.  That was certainly Dyer (who did not even make the CPL team of the week) and to a lesser extent (imho) Diaz.

Pretty suspect goalkeeping on that shot.

[Unnamed Trialist]

6 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

Pretty suspect goalkeeping on that shot.

I think the only partial redemption is that the sun is coming in hard from that side, not behind the shot, but close, perhaps distorting his vision. The shot is actually very good, hard and placed. 

The error is that the keeper is cheating towards the middle of goal for a cross, and from that distance. If you are used to playing house league where it is just crosses and more crosses, fine. Welcome to the pros.

[BearcatSA]

3 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

If you are used to playing house league where it is just crosses and more crosses, fine. Welcome to the pros.

I believe he is a journeyman who has had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus.

[SpursFlu]

I think the CPL will increase its average attendance by 10% this year

[Unnamed Trialist]

57 minutes ago, SpursFlu said:

I think the CPL will increase its average attendance by 10% this year

Wrong thread 🙃

[Cheeta]

4 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I think the only partial redemption is that the sun is coming in hard from that side, not behind the shot, but close, perhaps distorting his vision. The shot is actually very good, hard and placed. 

The error is that the keeper is cheating towards the middle of goal for a cross, and from that distance. If you are used to playing house league where it is just crosses and more crosses, fine. Welcome to the pros.

Echoing everything that was said at the pub.  Not to take anything away from Gee's shot but yeah, could have made a nice save there.  Didn't happen.

Thought he was otherwise well positioned for most of the match if a bit slow to react, to my eye, on a couple of shots but it's still early days.  We'll see.  Haven't given the match a sober 2nd watch yet.