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Posted by
Steve Bottjer,
May 24, 2012
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@bottjerRNO
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Toronto FC 1 – Vancouver Whitecaps 0
The Prelude to Battle
On beautiful evening with a clear sky and not a hint of rain and lightning, the Vancouver Whitecaps arrived at BMO Field in Toronto to decide who will be crown Canadian Champions for 2012 against Toronto. After a 1-1 thriller last week in Vancouver, TFC were looking to win their fourth consecutive Canadian Championship trophy while the Whitecaps were well motivated to win their first.
TFC were bolstered by the return of team captain Torsten Frings to the lineup amid some recent drama that unfolded over the last several days with centre forward Danny Koevermans pronouncing that his own team was the worst in the world. With Koevermans starting this one on the subs bench, one of the main questions heading into this fixture was whether or not the Dutchman’s comments would motive his teammates to deliver something extra towards proving him wrong.
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Whitecaps Head Coach Martin Rennie went with what is pretty much a first choice lineup, headlined by an exceptional back four of Young-Pyo Lee, Jay DeMerit, Martin Bonjour and Alain Rochat and powerful and dynamic forward trio of Eric Hassli, Sebastien Le Toux and Camilo.
The Opening Forty-Five
This one kicked off with Toronto holding a slight lead due to their away goal scored last week at BC Place. With that likely in mind, TFC played a first half in which they pushed forward but also made sure that they had significant numbers back at all times. However, it would be Toronto that would generate more semi-quality scoring chances in what ultimately ended up being a fairly evenly played first half.
The Reds first chance came in the 7th minute when Frings delivered a cross into the Vancouver box that Joao Plata headed just inches wide of the post.
In the 17th minute, TFC left back Ashtone Morgan delivered a dangerous cross into the Vancouver penalty area, but his opposite number on the Whitecaps, Alain Rochat, was perfectly positioned to clear the ball.
Vancouver’s best chance of the half came in the 22nd minute when Camilo delivered a free kick into the TFC penalty area and Eric Hassli took a turn heading the ball just wide of the far post.
The Reds came close again in the 37th minute after Plata had earned TFC a free kick in a decent position. On the ensuing set piece, Torsten Frings blasted a shot that deflected off the Whitecaps wall and just wide of the net.
A sometimes chippy and physical first half ended scoreless and with the home side forty-five minutes away from another Canadian Championship trophy.
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Martin Rennie: "De Guzman threw someone to the ground and hit someone in the face...and we didn't gain anything out of that."
- @Batchelor1040 |
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The Second Half
After a fairly quiet and subdued first half, this match became much more heated early in the second half.
In the 56th minute Frings unleashed a shot that looked like it might have been saved by Joe Cannon behind the goal line. The German very vocally made his displeasure known at what he perceived to be a missed call by the officials.
The fireworks really started after that play when a brawl almost broke out and De Guzman earned a a straight red for slapping Jun Marques Davidson. Sebastien Le Toux then received a yellow for the part he played in the melee and seconds later got a second yellow for dissent when arguing the first card. Tempers were flaring and both teams were down to ten men in what quickly becoming a very physical affair.
Julian de Guzman Red Card:
Toronto had an excellent scoring chance in the 63rd minute when Morgan delivered another excellent cross, but Reggie Lambe could not get his header on target.
In the 80th minute, Morgan made a vital sliding clearance on a dangerous ball into the TFC box.
Less than a minute later it appeared that Toronto had sealed a victory with a goal on the break, but the play was ultimately called offside much to the consternation of the BMO Field faithful.
Toronto put that disappointment behind them when Reggie Lambe broke through and put a shot past Cannon in the 83rd minute.
Vancouver had a fantastic chance to even things up in the 85th minute when Davide Chiumiento’s free kick sailed just inches over the crossbar.
The Whitecaps would press forward for five minutes of extra time but could not find a way to break down the TFC defense, as Toronto FC claimed the Canadian Championship trophy for the fourth straight year.
Post-Match Reaction
At post-match media conference, Toronto FC Head Coach Aron Winter expressed a mixture of delight and relief when talking about his team’s victory.
“Yes, finally a moment for relief. It’s very nice, I think that if you watch the whole game that we were the better team, we earned the win and it’s always nice when you win. For me it is the second time winning the cup in Canada but to win also the final is great,” said Winter.
Keeper Milos Kocic expressed his belief that the Canadian Championship tournament provided a good representation of what TFC is capable of.
“We played very well and we only conceded one goal in the whole tournament. We proved that we can actually do something positive this year,” stated Kocic.
Whitecaps Head Coach Martin Rennie was gracious in defeat while expressing his unhappiness with the manner in which his side played.
“First of all, congratulations to Toronto on winning the trophy, it was a big moment for them. For us, we are obviously disappointed on how the game went. It is always hard to lose a cup final especially if you don’t feel you necessarily played at the level you would hope and like. A number of key incidents didn’t go our way tonight as the finals are often close games and if you get a chance here or there, you have to take them. It’s disappointing for us and now we have to dust ourselves off and start looking forward to making a run at the playoffs,” said Rennie.
The Whitecaps skipper also called into question how prudent it was to have a referee from Ontario overseeing the proceedings for the tournament finale.
“I was literally two yards away from it so no one can have a better view than I had. de Guzman came across and threw someone on the ground, then hit someone, I’d say punched him in the face and from that incident we gained nothing. That to me was a huge turning point and moment in the game. I think there is more pressure on the ref because he is from Toronto and I am very surprised that the CSA would appoint a referee from Toronto and I think that puts him under extreme pressure,” stated Rennie.
The Final Word: TFC not the worst team in the world.
It wasn’t the most beautiful game ever played, but the passion and desire of both teams was fully on display during this hard fought battle. With the referee handing out eight yellow cards and one red card, this game ended up being a very chippy affair in which both teams delivered and took their knocks.
Whether it had been his intention to motivate his team or not, Danny Koevermans has been proven wrong. TFC may be the worst team in the MLS, but they are not the worst team in the world. With another Canadian Championship trophy to their name and having become the first team to make it to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, it really is downright mystifying that the team has not picked up a single point in the league as of yet. Toronto came to play in this match and have been justifiably rewarded for overcoming adversity and delivering a solid overall performance to earn a huge victory. Regardless of the MLS records heading into this fixture, Toronto was the better team on this day. The return of Torsten Frings to the lineup made a difference and once again the heart and work ethic of Ryan Johnson set the tone for the victory.
From Vancouver’s standpoint, this loss has to come as a major disappointment. The Whitecaps have looked very much like an MLS Playoff team this season and most pundits felt that this Canadian Championship was their tournament to lose. While TFC deserve their share of the credit, as Martin Rennie graciously pointed out post-game, the Whitecaps players do need to take their share of the blame for the loss as well. Simply put, they did not play a good game or deliver the goods when the chips were on the line. Match statistics do not always tell the full story, but with respect to this match the stats certainly say a lot. Toronto had thirteen attempts on goal compared to four by Vancouver. The Whitecaps did not register a single shot on target for the entire game. And the fact that they were not called offside once during the entire match also says a lot about the lack of forward runs the ‘Caps players made.
TFC Line-up
30 Kocic
5 Morgan
4 Henry
12 Cann
25 Hall
22 Frings
6 De Guzman
7 Plata
9 Johnson
8 Avila
19 Lambe
Substitutions:
(60) Eckersley in for Avila; (64) Soolsma in for Plata; (84) Dunfield in for Lambe.
Whitecaps Line-up
1 Cannon
4 Rochat
6 DeMerit
15 Bonjour
27 Davidson
11 Thorrington
28 Koffie
37 Camilo
29 Hassli
7 Le Toux
Substitutions:
(66) Harvey in for Rochat; Mattocks in for Camilo; (73) Chiumiento in for Thorrington.
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