TFC romps in Voyageurs Cup final
Reds romp over Vancouver to claim third straight Canadian title, writes J.J. Adams.
TORONTO FC 5, WHITECAPS 2
The thing about being a bridesmaid is it never gets easier.
The Vancouver Whitecaps lost 5-2 to Toronto FC on Wednesday in the second leg of the Canadian Championship final at BMO Field. It was the fourth time the Caps have lost to the Reds in the championship game as a Major Soccer League team, and the sixth time overall.
Tied 2-2 coming into the second leg, the Whitecaps found themselves in a cavernous hole after a five-minute spell before halftime saw strikes from Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco. Any hope died just minutes into the second half when Altidore scored two more goals during a four-minute span.
There would be no miracle comeback, even after Kei Kamara got one back in the 63rd minute, then Brek Shea banged home a loose ball in the 77th minute.
The Caps didn’t fold their tents, playing gamely through the remainder of the match, but it felt inevitable TFC would raise the Voyageurs Cup for the third consecutive year, especially after Tosaint Ricketts nodded home Toronto’s fifth goal in the 81st minute.
Here’s what else we learned:
GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
The final score belied a first half that was relatively even through the first 30 minutes.
Yordy Reyna punched a header wide from five yards out in the sixth minute, while Giovinco had a close-in attempt sky just over the bar from seven yards out minutes later.
But slowly, TFC began to assert themselves and were rewarded following a sustained bout of pressure when Marco Delgado’s flick though to an onrushing Altidore resulted in the opening goal in the 39th minute.
Giovinco’s header four minutes later was symptomatic of the opening half, which saw the Reds outshoot the Caps 9-2 overall, and 5-0 on target.
The Italian striker, the league’s highest-paid player, is the Canadian Championship’s all-time leading scorer, with six goals.
Altidore (US$5 million) and Giovinco ($7.1 million) make nearly $4 million more than the entire Whitecaps roster ($8.2 million). Add in the $6.5 million Michael Bradley earns — he assisted on the fifth goal and ran the Reds’ midfield — and it’s clear the difference the big-ticket players can make.
BOOSTER JUICE
With the Caps trailing 3-0, Alphonso Davies and Cristian Techera were subbed off in the 51st minute, giving way to Shea and Nicolas Mezquida.
Mezquida sprung Kamara loose for his third Canadian Championship goal before the veteran striker headed to the bench for sub Erik Hurtado.
Hurtado continued his strong run of form, his cross setting up Shea’s goal, and was unlucky not to score when his powerful 84thminute volley was turned aside by Toronto’s Clint Irwin.
It was an impressive show of depth from the Caps, but it also means Kamara, Davies and Techera could be available for Saturday’s showdown with the New York Red Bulls at B.C. Place.
BY THE NUMBERS
The possession numbers, as expected, tilted heavily in Toronto’s favour — 61 to 39 per cent — but the biggest disparities came in shots on target (13-4) and corners (10-1).
Vancouver had issues defending set pieces, with Altidore scoring
off a corner and Ricketts off a set-piece kick from a wide, low position. Toronto has just six setpiece goals in league play, tied for the third-fewest in MLS play.
It was Toronto’s seventh Canadian title, with five coming in the MLS era. Montreal has three banners, two as an MLS team, and the Caps bring up the rear with one win, in 2015. Vancouver has been a runner-up seven times.
‘PLAYING FOR OUR JOBS’
The Caps’ best hope for any kind of silverware ended at the hands of TFC. Their odds of making the post-season are hovering around 27 per cent even though they’re only two points back of sixth-place Real Salt Lake with 10 games left.
There have been several reports of Carl Robinson’s staff not having their contracts renewed, which doesn’t bode well for his future as head coach.
When asked about it after the game by TSN’s Kristian Jack, Caps midfielder Russell Teibert said “we’re playing for our jobs.”