If it seems like we're playing a few too many Nutrilite Canadian Championships, well, that's because we are. Back on May 25, the Vancouver Whitecaps were leading Toronto FC 1-0 in the 60th minute when the match was abandoned due to inclement weather. The match was originally scheduled for the following day, but once it became apparent that conditions had not sufficiently improved, it was pushed back to this weekend. The match will kick off at 12:30 p.m. at BMO Field in Toronto and can be viewed on Rogers SportsNet.
Nutrilite Canadian Championship: Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps Give It One More Go
That’s where we sit now, with aggregate score tied 1-1, but with Toronto FC holding a slight advantage because of their away goal. Neither team is playing especially well, as they’ve combined for just five wins during the MLS season.
But one of them will win the right to be crowned Canada’s soccer champion, as well as earn a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. We asked our 86 Forever, our Whitecaps blog, and Waking the Red, our TFC blog, to answer a few questions in the lead up to the match:
This game was already 2/3rds played. Let’s relive that shall we? Aside from your righteous anger/nodding approval, how big of an impact does that game play?
WTR: Game? What game? Don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t think it will have much of an impact on the field, but it will definitely serve to magnify the post game reaction, whatever the result. If TFC wins and ensures Vancouver’s name still isn’t on the cup, then ‘Caps fans’ grumbling about unfairness and conspiracies would add an extra element of hilarity to the celebrations. If we can’t take advantage of the mulligan and lose, well then that would be even more depressing proof that the Whitecaps are just plain better than us
86F: After all this time it probably won’t have any impact on the players. The Vancouver Whitecaps fans, of course, might still be up in righteous arms about the trophy the team was robbed of. But since then the players have endured struggles in the league, a coaching change, some player movement, and game after game of soccer which put the previous injustice long past their minds. Thanks to the aforementioned change in coaches, some of the players who played key roles in the first leg are no longer in favour anyway. They’ll no doubt come into the game with a fresh mindset.
How have these teams changed since they last met (not including Wednesday’s affair)?
WTR: Well we signed a couple of DPs which is exciting but which will have no efffect on this game. What will? Injuries, lots and lots of injuries. Hopefully TFC will get one or two players back for this one as pretty much their entire first choice midfield has been out, as well as their best 3 Centre backs. Aside from that, the Alen Stevanovic experiment ended and he's now gone back to Torino, and Joao Plata has now firmly joined Javier Martina in the 'not as exciting as they first seemed' file. All that has led to a lot of uninspiring play, some heavy defeats and just the one win since the called off game. That one win was against Vancouver, but it was their B team so not too much can be read into that.
86F: The Vancouver Whitecaps have a new coach, Tom Soehn, replacing Teitur Thordarson. This has caused a very natural change in all aspects of the team on the field: the formation has changed from a fairly vanilla 4-4-2 to a 4-4-1-1 with Swiss playmaker Davide Chiumiento in the hole (though he is expected to miss Saturday's game through injury). The team's even made a switch in goal; Joe Cannon has replaced Jay Nolly. Thordarson favourites like Gershon Koffie have been benched for players drafted by Soehn. It hasn't helped the team's results any, but it's certainly a new look.
More important: Winning the Canadian Championship or qualifying for CCL?
WTR: Winning the Canadian championship. The CCL was very enjoyable last year and would provide a welcome sense of ongoing purpose to the rest of the season, but we’re nowhere near ready to win it all, so it would just be a nice bonus that will eventually be forgotten. The bragging rights that come with winning the Canadian Championship, the trophy and all the history that comes with it, that’s important.
86F: The Canadian championship is the greatest soccer title in Canada. While winning the Voyageurs Cup could never compare to winning the CONCACAF Champions League, mere qualification is no contest. Soccer is about winning trophies, not about qualifying.
Which players are of particular interest for your team?
WTR: Maicon Santos. He's an incredibly frustrating enigma who'll be invisible for the vast majority of the game, but like he showed in the first leg, he's got the knack of coming from nowhere to score a goal. Richard Eckerlsey has played very well at Right Back since coming on loan from Burnley, but was moved to Centre Back in the midweek game against Vancouver. It went well then, and he has a history of playing Centre Back earlier in his career, but he and Ty Harden make for a very precarious partnership in the middle.
86F: In recent weeks left back Alain Rochat has been Vancouver's leading star. He'll be under particularly intense pressure if captain Jay DeMerit's groin continues to be a problem: with DeMerit ailing Rochat is Vancouver's only real first-class defender. Toronto's attack is far from the best in MLS but they can take advantage of room if it's given. If DeMerit is out, the Whitecaps may be forced to go with Greg Janicki and Michael Boxall in central defense: there'll be tremendous focus on those two. Both players are useful in their way and good in the air, but they're also slow and the rookie Boxall, in particular, is sometimes a step behind the play. If they're on form it'll help the Whitecaps immeasurably, but they could also be completely picked apart.
Give me a prediction:
WTR: Vancouver’s luck will finally change and they’ll get the win. I’ll say 2-1. Seeing them hoist the trophy in our own backyard will suck all the new DP buzz out of TFC’s fans.
86F: The Vancouver Whitecaps have, arguably, not played a good game of soccer in over a month. Even their win at home against the Philadelphia Union was uninspiring and a bit lucky. The team is on the limp and might be the worst team in Major League Soccer even when healthy. Except perhaps at forward, Toronto FC has a clear advantage at every position thanks to Tom Soehn’s system. I find it difficult to believe the Whitecaps will be able to overturn Toronto’s advantage of an away goal, and in the game I predict a 1-0 Toronto FC victory.
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