The Vancouver Whitecaps were about 30 minutes away from winning the Nutrilite Canadian Championship and earning a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League, but their 2-1 lead over Toronto FC was erased on Wednesday when the match was abandoned because of "unplayable conditions." The game will instead be replayed in its entirety, per NCC rules. It is currently scheduled to be played on Thursday at 11 a.m. EST, but it's unclear if the field will be deemed playable by then.
Nutrilite Canadian Championship: Lightning Erases Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 Lead Over Toronto FC
Understandably, Whitecaps officials were less than happy with the decision to abandon the match. Paul Barber, the club’s CEO seemed a bit incredulous.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like this in the 16 years that I’ve been involved in professional soccer,” he said. “It’s an unprecedented situation tonight.
“We’re not happy about it. We were 1-0 up away from home after 59 minutes and were in a very commanding position in a cup final, but rules are rules. From our point of view, we were playing well and we wanted to finish this match; from Toronto’s point of view, obviously it’s a different perspective. At the end of the day it’s irrelevant.”
The Whitecaps, won entered the match tied 1-1, took the lead on a 17th minute goal from Eric Hassli. His shot from 25 yards out deflected off Toronto FC's Julian de Guzman.
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