Whitecaps look to cool off Toronto FC

VANCOUVER — It was a finish that will never sit quite right with Carl Robinson.

The Vancouver Whitecaps were moments away from their second consecutive Canadian Championship last June when rivals Toronto FC heaved a desperate ball into the penalty area.

As it fell toward the B.C. Place Stadium turf, Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted and defender Kendall Waston got their signals crossed and collided.

Before anyone could blink the ball was blasted into the roof of Vancouver’s net and Toronto had a priceless away goal that flipped the two-game aggregate series on its head to hand the visitors the national title.

“It hurt. It hurt like hell,” Robinson recalled this week. “Sometimes you have to have disappointments in football to appreciate the good times.”

Vancouver and Toronto will renew hostilities today on the same pitch in the clubs’ first meeting since that wild encounter where the teams experienced a range of emotions.

“Losing in that fashion will always sting,” said Whitecaps defender Tim Parker. “You don’t really know how many trophies you’ll get to win in your lifetime. Being so close and have it slip it away is tough.”

In the seconds after the stunning turn of events nine months ago, Ousted slammed his water bottle, while Robinson could only stand on the sidelines in stoic and stunned silence.

“It makes you stronger or weaker,” said the coach. “It certainly won’t make me weaker. It will make me stronger. As I explained to the boys, use it as a bit of motivation.”

Apart from the rivalry between the players, fans and cities, both Vancouver and Toronto have plenty of motivation heading into the weekend. The Whitecaps sit with a tie and a loss to start the MLS season, while the visitors arrive on the West Coast with consecutive road draws.

“We feel good about the fact that we’ve gone on the road and not lost,” Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley told reporters before departing for Vancouver. “Having said that we should have a few more points, there’s no two ways about that.”

The teams will each be missing a key piece for their only league meeting in 2017. Ousted is suspended for the match, while star striker Sebastian Giovinco has been ruled out for Toronto because of a charley horse.

“They have a good roster, that’s why they made the final last year,” said Whitecaps defender Jordan Harvey.