Welcome to our third season of TSS Rovers football in League 1 BC, and here is the first of our weekly newsletters. Our season kicks off May 1 in Victoria when our men’s team makes its second appearance in the Canadian Championship. Read on for the match preview and news about our League 1 BC season.
Wait…We’re in the Canadian Championship Again?
Yup. The winner of League 1 BC gets to represent BC in the Canadian Championship against teams from the Canadian Premier League and MLS. Victoria Highlanders pipped us for the League title on July 22 in three minutes of football that will linger in the memories of Rovers supporters for years to come. Needing only a draw to clinch the title, we conceded two goals in the dying minutes of play to fall 3-2 to the Highlanders. In addition to winning the title, Highlanders also won entry to the Canadian Championship and were drawn against Pacific FC.
Unfortunately in the off-season, the Highlanders withdrew from League 1 and that meant that the Canadian Soccer Association had a decision to make about how to fill their slot in the tournament. As runners-up, we were offered the spot on April 19, and we began training in earnest for a return to Starlight Stadium on May 1. That’s a lot less time than we had to prepare for Valour last year, but we have never ducked a challenge. It’s game on.
This Week’s Opponent
Last season we made history as the first semi-professional team to knock a professional team out of the competition when we beat Valour FC on April 19, 2023. On May 1, we make our second appearance in the tournament as we travel to Langford BC to face Pacific FC
Wednesday, May 1, 7:00pm
- Pacific FC v TSS Rovers, Starlight Stadium, Langford BC.
- TV: OneSoccer and Fubo TV
- Tickets: Available through Ticketmaster
- Vancouver viewing party: Fable Diner and Grill, 755 Richards St, Vancouver, BC
Pacific FC
After defeating Valour in last season’s preliminary round of the Canadian Championship we travelled to Pacific and fell 2-0 in the quarter final. We battled toe-to-toe with Pacific and only gave up our first goal at 65’ when Josh Heard dove to the ground and Pacific were awarded a very soft penalty. Pacific scored their second at 86’ on a play that was extremely close to being offside.
To say we felt hard done by would be an understatement. We left that match last year with our heads held high and we return to Langford seeking to prove ourselves again against top talent. Matteo Polisi returns to face the club he won a CPL championship with in 2021. .
Pacific are already three games into their season, and have yet to lose or concede a goal. Their keeper Emil Gazdov has been stellar in goal and Trinidadian midfielder Reon Moore has been lighting it up for the Tridents.
News Shorts
League 1 schedule: Because of the Highlanders situation our opening League 1 matches away in Victoria have been cancelled and both our teams awarded a 1-0 win and 3 points each. Our regular season will begin on May 5 against the Whitecaps at Thunderbird Stadium at UBC. Women play at 12:00 noon, men at 3pm. Single game tickets will be on sale soon for all Rovers games.
Seasons tickets: Our home opener will be Friday May 17 as we return to Friday night games for 2024. Our first opponent at home will be Altitude FC, in the home leg of the Ironworkers Derby. Seasons tickets are available at the TSS Rovers website: https://www.tssfc.ca/tickets Adults are $80 and youth and seniors are $40 for the season.
Help a Child Attend a Rovers Game: If you are an owner or supporter and you are unable to attend matches this year, you might consider buying a season ticket for our charitable drive to ensure that children and families from local organizations can come enjoy Rovers football. Through Charitable Impact, you can donate the value of any number of tickets and receive a tax receipt. TSS Rovers works with local partners like Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Rainbow Refugee, The Harvest Project, Rise and Shine, and Hope and Health to provide these opportunities. Donate here.
