TONIGHT: Vancouver Football Club hits home pitch for second time

A red card penalty that took 22-year-old Rocco Romeo out of his pro soccer team’s home opener in Langley last Sunday, will also keep him out of the next two games, much to the surprise and disappointment of Vancouver Football Club’s (VFC) head coach Afshin Ghotbi.

Romeo, a central defenceman for the Canadian Premier League’s newest team, was ejected early in the first ever-home game at Willoughby Stadium. The coach confirmed Friday that Romeo will also be out for the next two games – including tonight’s matchup against Atlético Ottawa.

In last weekend’s game, Romeo banged heads with Calgary Cavalry FC striker Myer Bevan, sending both players to the ground. Romeo was subsequently ousted from the game for what referees called violent contact. Despite playing the rest of the game with only 10 on the field, VFC emerged with another point in a 1-1 tie.

“Vancouver FC, the Canadian Premier League (CPL), and the lead referee auditor have all confirmed that this was not a warranted red card or subsequent suspension,” VFC said in a formal statement issued this week, noting they went through the appropriate appeal process through the Canada Soccer Association’s disciplinary committee – to no avail.

“Personally, I was very close to the action and obviously I saw the game many times. And, I saw that scene many times. I think the head of referees in Canada also agrees it was a red card that should not have been given,” Ghotbi said a day ahead of their next game – VFC’s second at home.

“What I’m really surprised about is the decision that was made to suspend him two more games,” added the coach.

While he’s confident the team has “enough depth and quality to manage the game” without Romeo, he had hoped for a better outcome.

“Rocco is a great professional. He’s a fantastic player, maybe one of the best central defenders in the league – the Canadian one. And, it’s going to be a big loss for us,” Ghotbi said, defending the player’s character and expressing concern about the mental ramifications of the red card and multi-game suspension on the young Toronto native.

Ghotbi described Romeo as one of the most “promising… elegant and classy” central defenders he’s ever coached, having worked for him the past five months.

“I don’t even think he would harm an ant. I mean this guy is so honest and so wonderful.”

In fact, given his play so far this season, the coach felt Romeo was a strong prospect to play on the Canadian national team.

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“It’s a big psychological blow for him, and I feel really sorry for him because I don’t feel he deserved the red card or the suspension,” Ghotbi elaborated.

“Of course, the team will recover, but for a young player who went in to a duel just to win a ball and was shown a very harsh red card and suspended for another two games, I’m not sure if it was the right decision for him, for the league, for Canadian football.”

Despite this set back, Ghotbi said he and the team are excited to be playing another match on their home pitch tonight, (Saturday, May 13) at 7:30 p.m. They’re going up against Ottawa, a team that’s in the cellar in the CPL rankings and has lost its last three games.

“It’s a team that can play good football at the right moment,” Ghotbi said of their opponents, noting his team is still expecting a tough game.

“We have to bring speed to the game. We have to bring tempo to the game. We have to play on our front feet. We have to be dangerous. We have to be proactive,” he said, noting heat could also be a factor with forecasts calling for 34-degrees Celsius.

While he’s hoping to put some points on the board early in the game, he said: “It’s going to be a chess match… we have to be very good at carving a space for ourselves in the final third… and putting strikers into scoring position… We respect all opponents, but we fear none.”

After today’s game, VFC has the week to practise at home before heading to Hamilton, Ont. to take on the Forge FC next Friday, May 19.

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