Shea’s sending-off proves crucial as Whitecaps beaten
TORONTO 2 VANCOUVER 0
VANCOUVER — Toronto FC was guilty of letting opponents reduced to 10 men off the hook far too often last season. On Saturday, they bucked that trend against Vancouver Whitecaps.
Victor Vazquez and Jozy Altidore scored in the second half after Whitecaps midfielder Brek Shea was shown a red card as Toronto beat Vancouver 2-0 for its first victory of 2017.
A scrappy match was turned on its head in the 70th minute when Shea was given a yellow for a foul on Nick Hagglund before saying something to referee Ismail Elfath to immediately earn a second booking and a sending off.
“It was a little bit of a stalemate,” Toronto head coach Greg Vanney said. “When the red card takes place, the game just opens up a tiny bit.”
Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson said he doesn’t condone a lack of discipline, even though it plagued his team last season, but questioned the decision.
“What Shea actually told me he said, and I genuinely 100 per cent believe my player, goes on every single minute,” the former Welsh international said.
“I used to say it every single game 10 times.”
Midfielder Vazquez, who signed for Toronto last month, came on as sub in the 64th minute and made the hosts pay in the 76th when he nodded his first goal for his new club off a headed feed from Altidore, past Spencer Richey.
“I’m really happy,” said Vazquez. “To score goals is nice, but today what’s more important is the win.”
The Spaniard played 14 years at Barcelona before joining Club Brugge in Belgium, then Mexico’s Cruz Azul last season.
Altidore put things to bed in the 80th minute after taking a pass and beating Whitecaps defender Kendall Waston before burying his second goal of the Major League Soccer campaign.
Playing a third straight road game, Toronto (1-0-2) opened its schedule with a scoreless tie against Real Salt Lake before a 2-2 draw with the Philadelphia Union last weekend. Vancouver (0-2-1), meanwhile, is winless through three games after falling 3-2 at the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday and playing the Union to a 0-0 draw at home in its opener at B.C. Place Stadium.
Both teams were missing key players for their only league meeting, with Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted suspended and star Toronto striker Sebastian Giovinco out with muscle trouble.