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New Langley-based pro soccer team will be called Vancouver FC

Team reveals name, logo and coach
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Crest design of the new Vancouver FC club, as filed with the Canadian trademark registry. (https://www.ic.gc.ca)

It’s name will be Vancouver FC, and the logo for the new Langley-based professional soccer team will be the image of a bald eagle.

The new Canadian Premier League club’s name, logo and colours were unveiled at the Langley Events Centre on Wednesday night, Nov. 2.

READ ALSO: New Canadian Premier League pro soccer team to play out of Langley

President Rob Friend also announced that industry veteran Afshin Ghotbi, 58, will lead the club as the first head coach in club history.

Ghotbi, a native of Iran, who was raised in the United States, has held head and assistant coaching roles in the United Soccer League, Major League Soccer, the Persian Gulf Pro League, Thailand’s Thai League 1, Japan’s J1 League and the Chinese Super League over a career that has spanned nearly four decades.

Ghotbi was part of coaching staffs at three FIFA World Cups.

“I want to thank Rob Friend and the team at Vancouver FC for trusting me with this exciting project,” said Ghotbi.

“Now is an exciting moment for Canadian soccer, and the ever-growing passion for the game on the Lower Mainland is already evident to me. I look forward to building a club that will make our communities proud on and off the field.”

Afshin Ghotbi, 58, will lead the Vancouver FC soccer club as the first head coach in club history. (Vancouver FC)
Afshin Ghotbi, 58, will lead the Vancouver FC soccer club as the first head coach in club history. (Vancouver FC)

CPL announced plans to expand to the Vancouver area a year ago.

In April, it announced that the Vancouver-area club would call Willoughby Community Park in Langley home, with plans to build an open-air stadium.

The new club’s logo features a V-shape design, bald eagle.

“Honouring our sporting past, celebrating our region and uniting the South Coast are among our key objectives as we introduce soccer fans on the Lower Mainland to Vancouver FC,” said Friend.

READ ALSO: Langley United Soccer Association welcomes new pro soccer team

“We look forward to sharing the region’s existing passion for the game with the rest of the Canadian Premier League through its support for our club and, together with our fans, building an even stronger soccer culture on and off the field that serves as a point of connection for all of our local communities.”

Vancouver FC is the CPL’s ninth franchise.

The league has teams from coast-to-coast and serves as a pathway for players to develop and showcase their skills while helping to grow the game and build support for the sport.

Each team plays 28 regular season games with the qualifying teams then competing in the playoffs with the champion also earning a berth in the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) League where they face teams from Central America and the Caribbean.


Is there more to the story? Email: news@langleyadvancetimes.com
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