**Vancouver FC Upsets Atletico Ottawa to Reach Telus Canadian Championship Final Against Whitecaps**
OTTAWA – Vancouver FC has completed an unlikely run to the Telus Canadian Championship final, setting up an all-Vancouver showdown with defending champions Vancouver Whitecaps.
Despite losing 1-0 on the night in Thursday’s semifinal second leg, Vancouver FC advanced 3-2 on aggregate after a 3-1 first-leg victory on August 13 in Langley, B.C. The result sends Vancouver FC to the final on October 1 at B.C. Place Stadium against the high-flying Whitecaps.
Vancouver FC enters the final as underdogs. The team is currently mired at the bottom of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) standings with a 2-15-6 record. In stark contrast, the Whitecaps sit sixth overall in Major League Soccer (MLS) and are the best Canadian MLS club by a wide margin this season.
Coming into Thursday’s match, Vancouver FC trailed second-place Ottawa by 35 points (13-2-8), highlighting the magnitude of their upset. Ottawa needed a three-goal win to advance or a two-goal win to force penalties, with the tournament having dispensed with the away goals rule.
Ottawa applied heavy pressure as the game wore on but could only manage a 45th-minute goal from David Rodriguez. Vancouver’s defense bent but only broke once against a squad boasting the CPL’s most potent offense with 46 goals this season—averaging two goals per game. Vancouver FC, on the other hand, has scored 27 goals but conceded a league-worst 52.
“We lost this game in the first leg. I thought today we did well but just couldn’t find that second goal and create a few more chances,” said Ottawa midfielder Manny Aparicio, who put in a strong performance.
Ottawa’s Mexican coach Diego Mejia added, “We paid for our bad decisions in the first leg.”
Ottawa dominated possession with 76% and outshot Vancouver 15-4, but only held a modest 3-0 advantage in shots on target.
“I thought we defended extremely well today. I don’t think we gave them a ton of chances,” said interim Vancouver coach Martin Nash, a former Whitecaps player prior to their MLS entry. “They got into some good areas—as expected—they’re a fantastic team. But we had timely blocks, players in the right positions, and guys covering when stretched. Just a great team defensive performance.”
Central defenders Matteo Campagna and Aidan O’Connor were instrumental in holding firm at the heart of Vancouver’s backline.
The Whitecaps secured their spot in the October 1 final on Tuesday with a commanding 4-0 win over visiting Forge FC, completing a 6-2 aggregate victory.
The final promises a compelling narrative as Martin Nash faces off against his older brother Steve Nash, part of the Whitecaps’ ownership group. Many Vancouver FC players are academy graduates of the Whitecaps, adding further connections to this all-Vancouver clash.
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**Match Highlights**
Vancouver appeared poised to escape the first half at TD Place with a scoreless draw despite Ottawa’s 70% possession and limited shots on target. Ottawa striker Sam Salter, who leads the CPL with a record 17 goals, was quiet in the opening 45 minutes.
The deadlock broke just before halftime. In the 45th minute, Aparicio intercepted a pass deep in his own end with a sliding tackle. Moments later, Ballou Tabla surged forward, dribbling past Vancouver defenders before threading a pass to Rodriguez, who rounded goalkeeper Callum Irving and slotted home to cut Vancouver’s aggregate lead to 3-2.
Ottawa intensified their pressure in the second half, repeatedly testing Vancouver’s defense. Vancouver’s defending was resolute, with Irving making a crucial diving save to deny Rodriguez in the 70th minute.
The match saw six tense minutes of stoppage time, but Vancouver held on to secure their place in the final.
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**Vancouver FC’s Road to the Semifinal**
Vancouver FC reached the semifinals the hard way by defeating Pacific FC and Cavalry FC in penalty shootouts before claiming their first-leg semifinal victory on August 13.
However, their league form has been poor since. The Eagles have gone 0-4-1 in league play following August 13, including a 3-1 loss at Ottawa on August 20. Their last league win came on August 4 with a 2-1 victory at Halifax. Prior to that, they endured an 11-match winless streak (0-8-3), with their only other victory on May 3 at Valour FC. Afshin Ghotbi, the team’s inaugural coach, was fired on July 23, with Martin Nash stepping in as interim coach.
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**Ottawa’s Strong Form**
Ottawa comes into the final with solid form, unbeaten in its last four league matches (2-0-2) and having lost just once in its last 15 games (8-1-6) since a loss on May 24 to Halifax. The sole blemish in that stretch was a 2-0 defeat on August 17 at Forge FC.
Ottawa prevailed over League1 Ontario champion Scrosoppi FC and York United in the earlier rounds.
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**Historical Context**
This final marks a significant achievement for Vancouver FC, a rare CPL representative in the Canadian Championship final. Previously, only Forge FC reached the final in the pandemic-delayed 2020 tournament, ultimately losing to Toronto FC in the one-off final played in 2022.
The Whitecaps have hoisted the Voyageurs Cup for the last three consecutive years, aiming for their fifth Canadian Championship title. They have also finished runner-up seven times in the competition’s history.
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*This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 18, 2025.*
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/vancouver-fc-beats-ottawa-aggregate-012039154.html