May 1 at 7 p.m. at Starlight Stadium was the date and time announced Monday for the Highlanders’ derby against Pacific FC in the opening round of the 2024 Telus Canadian Championship.
Maypoles aren’t a big thing in these parts, but the Victoria Highlanders would certainly be dancing around something if May Day turns into their lucky day this year. The tournament for the Voyageurs Cup is this country’s equivalent of the FA Cup in England and Copa del Rey in Spain.
The Highlanders earned their berth by winning the 2023 League1 B.C. regular-season championship, setting up a game against PFC that Highlanders head coach Steven Simonson has described as “exciting on so many levels for Island fans.” “Since we are the middle tier in this tournament, we are David when playing MLS teams, but Goliath when playing League1 clubs.”
The winner of the PFC-Highlanders game will advance to the quarter-finals to play the winner of an all-CPL first-round fixture May 1 between Valour FC and Atletico Ottawa.