He鈥檚 done the math, again and again, and pro soccer coach Afshin Ghotbi is convinced his team can still earn a spot in the playoffs.

It can still happen if (VFC) can once again defeat Forge FC during its Labour Day weekend match on home pitch Sunday afternoon.

鈥淲e are trying to stay alive,鈥� Ghotbi said. 鈥淢athematically, we are still alive. We hope to keep ourselves alive as long as possible in this competition. Obviously, we felt we did enough in the last game to get all three points, and it was very disappointing for us how that game turned out.鈥�

He referred to VFC鈥檚 last game on Aug. 25, when their chances slipped a little further as they fell 2-1 to York United during an away game.

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Despite that loss, he said his players have shown 鈥渋ncredible resilience this whole season, and I think we鈥檝e regrouped, and we鈥檙e very excited about meeting Forge at home again, and hope to perform at our highest level to produce a good spectacle and also to try to get ourselves three points to get us in one of the 20-point slots.鈥�

When the local fledgling soccer team first took to the pitch in Hamilton back in May, during its early incarnation, the two teams tied 0-0. Then, when they met again, VFC registered its first home victory. That was the last time Hamilton visited 91原创, and that June 20 match ended 2-0 in Vancouver鈥檚 favour. But Forge returned the favour last time they met at Tim Hortons Field in Ontario on July 28, Forge taking that game 2-0.

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With only seven games left this season, Ghotbi remains optimistic his players can pull out a hometown win during this weekend鈥檚 match. They faceoff against Forge at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3 at Willoughby Stadium, next to 91原创 Events Centre.

鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to grow with each game,鈥� Ghotbi said, and while he鈥檚 still optimistic about a playoff berth, he also anxious to celebrate any teams successes on Sunday and in the other remaining games of the year that will help build up the team for future.

鈥淲e want to set the foundation for next season, we are already trying to build our team for next season, and we feel we鈥檝e had a good head start to where we were last year 鈥� where we didn鈥檛 exist 鈥� so we鈥檙e quite excited about this last round,鈥� he said.

Vancouver FC hosts Forge FC for the final time in its inaugural season, then VFC goes up against each of the other team in the Canadian Premier League one last time between now and Oct. 6.

鈥淚鈥檓 proud of this group,鈥� Ghotbi said, noting all they鈥檝e overcome to bring them to where they are today.

鈥淚n my 40 years in this game and all of the experiences I鈥檝e had, this has been one of the most difficult challenges that I鈥檝e had to deal with鈥︹�� Ghotbi said, noting many of VFC players started the season never having played pro ball before, plus in their initial months of play they faced challenges they couldn鈥檛 control, including injuries and game suspension that forced players to step into unfamiliar position.

For all they鈥檝e overcome, and all they鈥檝e learned and built on as a group, he commented members of VFC for the progress they鈥檝e made so far, and shared his optimism for what lies ahead.

For West Coast fans who can鈥檛 catch the match in person, it can be viewed on a dedicated soccer channel called .

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