It may be the Canadian Premier League’s youngest derby, but the Salish Sea Derby is quickly becoming one of the league’s best.
Certainly, after 11 games, it’s proven to be can’t-miss television in nearly every match, as they’ve delivered some true CPL classics across its two and a half years of existence.
That all started in game #1 between the two teams, which Pacific claimed 1-0 thanks to an 81st goal from Manny Aparicio on April 15th, 2023, and it has grown since, culminating in one of the wildest games in CPL history earlier this season, a 4-4 draw between both teams at Starlight Stadium on June 27th.
While a lot has changed since that first derby back in 2023, including several players (with some of them even swapping sides) and one of the managers, that first match has proven to be a precursor for what these games tend to have in high supply - drama and late goals.
In a sense, that 4-4 draw proved to be the perfect example of what that can look like in its most extreme form - not only did both teams find the net eight times in a game that saw both teams lead, but four of the goals came after the 75th minute, which saw both teams take the lead at some point in that last 15 minutes of the match.
For those who were involved, it was the sort of match that leaves you speechless - certainly, when looking back at some of the post-game comments from that day helps sum up what made that match so special.
“I don’t know (what happened), but that’s what makes it a derby,” Pacific’s head coach, James Merriman, offered. “It shows that regardless of what position either team is in at the moment, when that game comes in a season, it's always important, and that’s the beautiful part of football, when derby matches can look like it did today. For the fans, for the neutrals, and for both sides, that part is exciting.”
“It’s hard to say if I'm happy or unhappy, just because the game felt like it was so open and loose, it could have gone anywhere,” Vancouver forward, Henri Godbout, added after scoring his first professional goal in the match, a special moment that ended up being overshadowed by the chaos that came of the match’s ending. “But what was going through my head was to stick to the game plan, to keep pressing, keep putting on the pressure, and to keep going forward, if possible.”
“That may have cost us some goals, but at the same time, we also scored four ourselves. With the position where we were in the game, late in the second half, we felt a bit unhappy to tie the game, but at the same time, we were down 2-0 and got a point.”
In the end, however, Pacific forward Yann Toualy did well to best sum up what happened - on a day where both teams needed to win, they both made sure to go out swinging, and, well, that’s what they did, leading to the wild draw, which featured Pacific goals in the 77th and 90+3rd minutes, as well as Vancouver goals in the 89th and 90+1st minutes.
“The game was open because we played between the teams at the bottom of the table, so both teams wanted to win to take home all three points today,” Toualy explained.
At the same time, to say that game came about because both teams were desperate to win doesn’t quite fully do the derby justice. In reality, no matter how both teams are doing, this matchup seems to bring the best out of both teams, leading to these thrilling matches.
For example, just this year, both teams also combined for an entertaining 1-1 draw at Willoughby Community Park back in April, which featured a red card and a lot of late drama, before coming together in May for another hard-fought 1-1 in the Canadian Championship preliminary round, one that finished with Vancouver winning on penalties.
Ultimately, there’s a desire for provincial pride that exists for both teams, one that comes to the forefront when they play, given that both teams have several B.C.-born players on their rosters- certainly, that’s the case for the New Westminster-born David Norman Jr.
“There have been some great games,” the Vancouver midfielder offered ahead of this latest derby match. “I know we got the better of them quite a few times last year; we had five wins in a row before they beat us at Starlight, but then the games this year have been fantastic. We felt a little bit hard done by early on this season, when we were up 1-0, went down to 10 men, tried to hold on, but they came back and drew.”
“Then, the cup result for us back in May was great. Then, the 4-4 at Starlight is probably going to go down as a classic in the CPL, and for both Vancouver and Pacific.”
“These are great games, we know a lot of those faces, we want to get the better of them and keep that provincial pride in Langley."
Because of that, expect more fireworks out in Langley this weekend. With both teams needing a win as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive, with Pacific sitting nine points out of a playoff spot and Vancouver 13 points back, both teams are going to come out strong.
Therefore, instead of trying to limit their emotions, leading to a subdued match, the focus is more on controlling the chaos and trying to get the upper hand in that battle. That’s easier said than done, of course, but that remains the goal of Martin Nash, Vancouver’s interim head coach, who is making his Salish Sea Derby debut after joining the club just a few weeks ago.
“They're always interesting, these derbies, because the games can be hectic and chaotic,” Nash, who also grew up in British Columbia, said ahead of his first derby. “And it's more about trying to control the chaos in a lot of ways. I think the team that often wins is the team that can stay under control the most and not get carried away. Hopefully, we can get the guys to keep their focus and stick to the game plan and not get too carried away with the occasion.”
While Nash is looking to enjoy his first derby, however, those who have gotten the chance to play in a few of these matches are eager to pick up where they left off last time out.
Knowing that they literally have nothing to lose on the day, with a loss or draw not benefiting either side, both teams want to go all out in chase of a victory, which they’ll hope leads to another classic - one that perhaps finishes with a winner for one of the two sides, this time.
“We can expect another exciting game,” Current Pacific and ex-Vancouver full back, Kadin Chung, said this week. “I don't think either team is going to be holding back, as we're both coming off wins from last week."
“I think you can expect another very attacking, transition kind of game between us; both teams don't benefit from draws at this point, so we're going to be going for it.”
