Just over two years removed from one of the most memorable matches in Canadian Championship history, Valour FC is set to host the TSS Rovers in a long-awaited rematch, as both teams get set to do battle in the 2025 preliminary round at Princess Auto Stadium on Wednesday.
After seeing how the first matchup between these two teams went, as the Rovers famously defeated Valour 3-1 at Swangard Stadium on April 23rd of 2023, it should add plenty of fuel for both teams heading into this rematch.
A battle between a Valour side who will feel they've historically underperformed in this competition, and a Rovers side that is the first League 1 Canada side to participate in three consecutive Canadian Championships (A.S. Blainville played in the 2018, 2019 and 2021 editions, but missed out on 2020 due to the pandemic), it promises to be a great matchup.
No doubt, however, that the pressure lies with the hosts, who have faced three straight preliminary round exits in this competition - one at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2022, one against the Rovers in 2023 and another against Atlético Ottawa in 2024. Not only that, but they've been outscored 12-1 in those three games, which is something they'd love to change.
Having won just one of their seven Canadian Championship matches, which came against Atlético Ottawa in 2021, they'll view this as an opportunity to start changing that record and to make a bit of a run.
For what it's worth, this game does present them with a unique opportunity - this is their first home Canadian Championship game since June of 2019, as they've played all of their matches away from home in each of the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions. That could be a big boost for Valour, who typically play well at Princess Auto Stadium, even if they're reeling after a 3-1 home defeat to Vancouver this past weekend that will push them to come out strongly in this one.
"We want to build, we want to grow as a team," Valour's head coach, Phil Dos Santos, said this week. "So we're looking at putting together a good performance and carrying that through (into the next games)."
As for the Rovers, they come into this game filled with confidence, for many reasons.
Not only are they without the same pressure that lies with their hosts, but they also have the confidence of having been one of just two League 1 Canada sides to have beaten a CPL side in this competition, which can't be ignored.
Over the past few years, a lot of the League 1 Canada teams that have represented their respective leagues have been new entrants to this competition - since the start of 2022, the Rovers (2024, 2025), Vaughan Azzurri (2023) and FC Laval (2025) are the only League 1 entrants to qualify for this competition having previously participated in it, with all of the other League 1 Canada entrants (including the Rovers in 2023) having been first-time participants.
That's huge, as that past experience can make a big difference for a team - it helps to know what to expect on the field in terms of the standard of play, as well as off it in terms of the bells and whistles that can come with a clash like this.
Because of that, look for the Rovers to harness that experience, even if this is a slightly younger group after some key players departed this past offseason, having done so after they did a regular season and playoff double in the 2024 League 1 BC season. A group that has felt hard done by their 2024 Canadian Championship elimination, which saw them fall to Pacific on penalties in the preliminary round, a game in which they led 1-0 in regulation time up until the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, they'll be eager to avenge that match here, too, especially against the team they beat for one of the biggest victories in club history two years ago.
"We've got younger players, but for me, I was here last year and I was there the year before when we had that run," Rovers head coach, Brendan Teeling, said this week. "We were very close to winning (vs. Pacific) last year, so we have that experience. We have older guys in the squad that can push those younger players on - they know the expectations, and can set the standards that we need to set."
Canadian Championship History
Last meeting: April 19th, 2023: TSS Rovers 3-1 Valour FC (Canadian Championship)
Valour FC:
All-time record: 1W-0D-6L
Best finish: Quarter-final (2021) -- lost to Forge FC 2-1
TSS Rovers:
All-time record: 1W-0D-2L
Best finish: Quarter-final (2023) -- lost to Pacific FC 2-0
"We're comfortable being uncomfortable, and this is still a game that will be our players' biggest games in their lives, so we're just hoping they step up like they've done in previous years."
Key Quotes:
"At the end of the day, we know how these things go, and we can't deny that we have a lot more to lose than they do; it would be naive to do so. We need to play knowing that the responsibility is on our side, and I think the guys understand that, and they know that. We have to manage the moments in a game like this, and make sure that we don't give the opposition the belief and the hope that they could come here and spoil the party. That's the way I see it - it's going to be a difficult game." – Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos
"We're just very privileged to be here again. We've won the league and we won the playoffs last year, so we deserve to be here - I think in previous years, we got in by the skin of our teeth. We're underdogs, the pressure is on Valour and their professional outfit, as we're amateur, semi-professional, and we're just here to try and have a cupset and upset and continue the legacy that we've set in terms of making those runs (in this competition)." – TSS Rovers head coach Brendan Teeling