HEARTBREAK YET AGAIN, BUT CAPS CLING TO HOPE
Late own goal puts Vancouver in tough spot after first leg of final, says J.J. Adams.
TORONTO FC 2, WHITECAPS 2
It seems a Canadian Championship game between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC can’t happen without drama or controversy.
The latest chapter in their long and tumultuous history played out Wednesday at B.C. Place Stadium with a 2-2 tie in the opening game of the two-leg final for the Voyageurs Cup.
Erik Hurtado, called on as a 67th-minute substitute, slotted home an 84th-minute goal, appearing to rescue the 10-man Caps, just days after doing the same in a 2-2 league tie at Yankee Stadium against New York City FC. “E-Money” has three goals this season in all competitions, all of them coming after the 80th minute. But Doneil Henry, who had been a rock on the backline for Vancouver this year, headed a ball past netminder Stefan Marinovic for a 95thminute own goal, dashing the home side’s hearts and leaving Caps crumpled on the pitch in disbelief. It was like 2016 all over again, when Will Johnson scored an injury-time goal to give TFC the Canadian Championship title on away goals.
The result means the Reds head back to BMO Field with a huge second-leg advantage, tied 2-2 on aggregate with two away goals. The rematch is next Wednesday in Toronto.
Here’s what else we learned Wednesday:
RED TURNS LEG ON ITS HEAD
The game, and the two-game series, was upended by a first half
injury-time straight red card to Vancouver’s Felipe. Diving in on a tackle on Marco Delgado, he came up wagging his finger at referee Dave Gantar, who was quick with the red — a call that stunned the announced crowd of 16,833.
Replays showed it to be a harsh call, and the officiating crew had to wait for security to escort them off the field when the halftime whistle blew moments later.
Gantar and crew were subjected to a torrent of abuse from the supporters’ section, as well as goaltending coach Stewart Kerr, who took the opportunity during the delay to give them his opinion about the call.
Gantar, a Canadian referee, has been involved in controversy with Toronto before. In 2015, he showed TFC defender Justin Morrow a straight red on a controversial call that the Professional Referee Organization was forced to make a statement of support on. And the year before, he waved off a game-winning injury time goal for Toronto against Chicago with no explanation, with midfielder Michael Bradley and coach Greg Vanney going after him in the tunnel.
“It makes no sense how you can continue to assign Canadian referees when an American team is playing a Canadian team,” Bradley said at the time. “It’s obvious that these guys are going to make an effort to show they’re not biased.
“It’s not the first time we’ve had (Gantar) this year. What can you say? He’s just not good enough.”
But the veteran official hasn’t exactly been a red-card machine in 2018, handing out just one expulsion in the nine MLS games he’s officiated.
BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS
TFC came out in a 3-5-2, following the same defence-first strategy most visitors to B.C. Place employ, daring the Caps to break them down.
The Reds dominated the ball to the tune of 67 per cent in the first half, but broke forward several times on the left, outshooting the home side 3-1 in on-target attempts.
The defensive gremlins that have sunk so many home games for Vancouver bit again in the 26th minute, when the Caps left TFC’s leading scorer Jonathan Osorio unmarked centre-high, and he made them pay with a strong volley for his 15th goal in all competitions. It deflated a crowd still on a high from Kei Kamara’s goal — and the dance celebration after — just moments earlier.
The Caps’ goal had come after a sustained burst of pressure from Vancouver. On a third consecutive corner, Cristian Techera’s out-swinger was inexplicably handled by Tosaint Ricketts, and Gantar wasted no time pointing to the spot. Kamara’s stutter-step approach was followed by a rocket off the inside of the top corner, his second Canadian Championship goal of the season, and making him a perfect 5-for-5 on penalty kicks this season.
LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Both teams have important MLS fixtures this weekend, with the Whitecaps travelling south to take on the Portland Timbers — who are 11-0-4 since their last loss on April 9 — while Toronto returns home to host NYCFC. Both Toronto and Vancouver are currently below water in the playoff race.