Good Friday morning Caps fans, hope you all are gearing up for the weekend. April showers have dominated the landscape here lately but hopefully your time off involves some more pleasant weather.

There is no Whitecaps match this weekend, freeing up plenty of time for other hijinks. Indeed, it was a quiet week in Caps world, with players and coaching staff availing themselves of the time of. Coach Vanni Sartini apparently caught up on his beauty sleep.

#VWFC's Vanni on the time off.

“I slept a lot. I actually was a little tired after the two weeks of game after game. It was a much needed time for everyone. The energy today after the time off was really good. I think it’s been a good thing to have these three, four days off.”

— Har Journalist (@HarJournalist) April 20, 2023

The big news in BC soccer world was of course the historic Canadian Championship victory for TSS Rovers over Valour FC on Wednesday night, the first time in the competition’s history that a semi-pro side has claimed victory over a professional opponent.

This is a pretty cool moment for soccer in the province, with the win coming at Swangard Stadium in front of what seemed to be a pretty rollicking atmosphere.

For years, the Canadian Championship lacked the David and Goliath feel that the FA Cup (and, now, the U.S. Open Cup) has, the compelling narrative that makes you want to sit down and watch, even if you’re a neutral. That appears to have changed.

In truth, I think the Voyageurs Cup is one of the most underrated competitions going, particularly now that it has the Canadian Premier League sides in the mix. That means we get the prospect of interesting local derbies (though, it was less interesting when Pacific FC knocked out the Caps) and the development of soccer in the country is on full display.

The narratives in this one were excellent. For a former CPL player (who is trying to claw his way back into the professional ranks) in Matteo Polisi to get one over on Valour, who he was on trial with at one point, was fascinating to watch. And to win without having played together yet this year is a pretty amazing feat.

This win means a whole host of the TSS guys are back on the radars of CPL teams, re-starting their careers. A win that has a lot of meaning on several different levels and one that was richly deserved, as they outclassed Valour from start to finish (I mean the defending on that first goal …). Thankfully they won’t be playing the Caps in the second round so I can cheer on the underdog without fear.

Oh, and the only managers to lose to a lesser team in the Voyageurs Cup all have the surname Dos Santos. I doubt Marc or Phillip are losing much sleep over this fun fact but it might comfort a certain segment of the Whitecaps fan base who have PTSD from the Calvary and Pacific losses.

Shameless Self Promotion

Elsewhere, we cover Forge FC advancing to the next round of the Voyageurs Cup, while Pacific FC used penalties to get by Cavalry in their match.

Best of the Rest

The turmoil at Canada Soccer continues, with General Secretary Earl Cochrane the latest executive to depart.

Red hot St. Louis City SC has continued to take the league by storm. Can they keep it up?

MLS has brought back the parley kits made of recycled materials. Even though the Caps don’t have an Earth Day game, they will get the green treatment too.

The U.S. and Mexico are submitting a joint bid for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with Canada presumably only excluded because they hosted so recently

A look at the early best XI contenders, a list that erroneously does not include Julian Gressel