The real “round one” of this match took place way back in May, when TFC stole a late 1-1 draw, and came away ahead on aggregate. With a plethora of injuries and a pissed off Whitecaps side, the task is a tough one for TFC.

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Toronto FC v. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Saturday, July 2, 2011. 12:30pm EDT.

BMO Field. Toronto, ON.

U-Sector Pre-Game: Maro (135 Liberty St.), starting at 11:00am.

With the away goal advantage, TFC will look to limit the Whitecaps to yet another runners-up medal by winning the trophy on home turf for the fist time. It won’t be easy, as Toronto’s players have been played into the ground while Vancouver have had the luxury of a week off (that’s after resting several key starters in anticipation of last week’s affair).

Will they do it? Will TFC win the Cup in front of their own fans for the first time?

Toronto FC v. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Wednesday, May 25, 2011. 8:00pm EDT.

BMO Field. Toronto, ON.

U-Sector Pre-Game: Maro (135 Liberty St.), starting at 5:00pm.

Both teams are struggling, but the loud chatter from the West Coast about how much “better” the ‘Caps are than TFC has quieted down to a whisper in recent weeks.

With a win at Empire Field on Wednesday, TFC can shut down that chatter completely.

Vancouver Whitecaps v. Toronto FC

Wednesday, May 18, 2011. 10:00pm EDT.

Empire Field. Vancouver, BC.

U-Sector Away Game Viewing: Duke of Gloucester (649 Yonge St.)

Toronto FC kicks off its fifth season on Saturday afternoon against new Canadian MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps. TFC travels to British Columbia to battle the west coasters in the first ever all-Canadian MLS match up, set to take place at Empire Field in east Vancouver.

Once again, U-Sector will be gathering at the Duke of Gloucester (649 Yonge St.) for all away matches this year.

Feel free to join us on Saturday for the game, which kicks off at 6:30pm Eastern.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Toronto FC

Saturday, March 19, 2011. 6:30pm EDT / 3:30pm PDT

Viewing at the Duke of Gloucester, 649 Yonge Street (upper level), Toronto

The final Nutrilite Canadian Championship match versus Vancouver Whitecaps will give everyone in the stadium the rare chance to watch a completely stress-free Cup game in which the outcome really doesn’t matter.

TFC is already 2010 Voyageurs Cup champion, yet they are required to play out the schedule against a Whitecaps team that will once again finish second. Those same ‘Caps flew to Montreal last year sitting in first place in the competition, only to watch their Cup dreams completely fall apart before their eyes. Now they get to watch as the same team that snatched the Cup from their grip last year is again awarded with the championship, this time without the high drama that 2009 provided.

TFC has already gone public that this match will likely feature many of its lesser-played players. Some of the Academy kids, including a 15-year-old, will also be available for selection when Preki fills out his lineup card before the match.

Given that seven Academy players have been called up to the big squad, it’s a fair bet that at least one or two of them will see game action tomorrow, with perhaps one of them lucky enough to start.

Make no mistake, this is a nothing game to Toronto FC the MLS side, but as a top-to-bottom club, the mere inclusion of the U-18′s in the 30-man roster is a huge step. The kids will be ready if called upon too, as the crowd at BMO Field will be the biggest that any of them has ever played in front of before. What great motivation that must be.

TFC’s winning the competition early may just be the biggest credibility boost that the Academy has ever had in its short lifespan. Play for TFC Academy and you could end up playing a match or two in front of the famous BMO Field crowd for real. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

As for the Voyageurs Cup tournament, sources say that it will officially conclude with the presentation of the trophy at the end of the match. Maybe the Whitecaps players will even stick around to watch. Again.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

Join us at Maro (135 Liberty St.) for pre-game libations, starting at 5:30pm.

Last year, it seemed that everyone connected to the Whitecaps was whining high and low about the Montreal Impact “bending over” for Toronto in last year’s final Nutrilite Canadian Championship match.

Montreal was, as you all well know, already eliminated from Voyageurs Cup contention heading into that match, and decided to rest some regulars ahead of a crucial league game against those same Vancouver Whitecaps only two days later.

The result was a right thrashing never before seen in either Montreal or Toronto’s respective histories, which sent ‘Caps fans into a tizzy as TFC needed to beat the Impact by four goals in order to win the Cup. Toronto won by five, and Vancouver – though tied with the Reds on point total and actually holding an advantage in the head-to-head record – were left to watch Toronto celebrate its first ever bit of hardware.

As a result of that match, Vancouver demanded that all three teams enter into a “gentleman’s agreement” for this year’s tournament, in which the teams agreed to play a better calibre side even if eliminated.

So of course, that set up tonight’s showdown between Vancouver and Montreal at Stade Saputo, site of last year’s “disgrace.”  The ‘Caps absolutely needed a win tonight to simply have a chance at remaining in contention next week, and they were facing an already-eliminated Montreal side that had agreed long before to not roll out the reserves should they be in this situation again.

Predictably, Montreal played tonight’s match with far more fire in their bellies than last year’s final match, and Vancouver – lacking any sort of identifiable desire to actually win the match – limped through the 90 minutes en route to a 1-1 draw.

Upon the final whistle, the ‘Caps were eliminated and TFC started looking ahead to old friend Amado Guevara and his Motagua side, the first opponent in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League.

Vancouver got its just desserts after spending the better part of 2009 complaining about that year’s Voyageurs Cup tournament. They wanted Montreal to take it more seriously, and the Impact did just that.

Regardless, Vancouver’s fate was still in their own hands, and they did nothing throughout the competition to step up and grab that brass ring that they claim is so important to them.

Posted by Rudi Schuller

In what hopefully will be the most forgettable TFC performance of the season, Toronto held on for dear life to scratch out a 0-0 draw at Vancouver Whitecaps.

You could tell before kickoff that this one wasn’t going to be a classic. The pre-match weather forecast called for gale-force winds and possible thundershowers that threatened to postpone the match. Toronto’s starting line-up included names like Jon Conway, who had yet to play a single minute for TFC this year, along with recent dog house dweller Raivis Hscanovics. Julian de Guzman was out again, replaced by 18-year-old wrecking ball Amadou Sanyang. Even everyone’s new favourite Red Chad Barrett saw himself pinned to the bench to start the match, with a still-hobbled O’Brian White – who sat out Saturday’s match at LA with an ankle ailment – taking his place up top.

Thankfully, the severe weather held off, with a bit of rainfall and a nice second-half sun shower taking is place. Unfortunately, TFC’s scrubs could not pleasantly surprise in the same manner.

Vancouver’s game plan was obvious. Throw as many guys on Dwayne De Rosario as possible, and hit long, hopeful balls up to their towering targetman Marcus Haber. In the first 25 minutes, they did both of those things to perfection, completely neutralizing Toronto’s main offensive weapon while giving their own main attacker every opportunity to create something going forward.

It almost worked, too. Haber skinned Adrian Cann in the early going and set up a decent chance for the ‘Caps. The Vancouver striker’s superb holding up of the ball showed most in the work of young ‘Caps forward cornelius Stewart, who proved himself a handful for Toronto’s backline all night.

Eventually, TFC caught on and its backline, anchored as usual by the stellar play of Nana Attakora (for the first half only), once again rendered the opposition attack useless. With both sets of forwards not doing much, the battle reverted to the midfield, and that’s where the Whitecaps held steady.

To be fair, Toronto’s starting central midfield pairing of Sanyang and Nick LaBrocca was completely makeshift and just a slight step down from the usual DeRo-JDG pairing. That said, there were times when Vancouver’s central mid pairing were dominant, which is unacceptable regardless of the circumstances.

Regardless, Toronto held steady against a highly-motivated opponent which has historically fared excellently against them, away from home, on the tail end of a brutal road trip that saw TFC reach just about every corner of the continent over a nine-day stretch. That has to be a positive going forward, as the Reds of previous years would have simply crumpled in similar circumstances (see the same fixture in 2009).

Vancouver is now on the back foot, needing wins away at both Montreal and Toronto in order to claim its first Voyageurs Cup. It says here that, with a little bit of rest and some home cooking for TFC, the results will be a bit different when these two teams meet again.

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Pros and Cons for Toronto FC at Vancouver Whitecaps, played May 19, 2010:

PROS

• Playing tired and hurt, TFC still keeps its opponent off the scoreboard (for the third straight match)
• Gabe Gala’s confidence to take on players, and beat them
• Jon Conway proving himself a steady backup to Stefan Frei

CONS

• Gala not being able to go for more than an hour, despite hardly getting many minutes all year
• O’Brian White being completely invisible, leaving Dwayne De Rosario to fend for himself
• TFC not scoring against an inferior opponent
• The midfield pairing of Nick LaBrocca and Amadou Sanyang
• The team as a whole losing possession, a lot
• Vancouver’s Marcus Haber wearing gloves. Haber, you’re Canadian and your strike partner from freaking St. Vincent is gloveless! Man up, FFS.

HIGHLIGHTS

Posted by Rudi Schuller

For TFC fans, the answer is simple: Win.

The Reds can wrap up this year’s Voyageurs Cup tournament with a victory tomorrow night at Swangard Stadium in suburban Vancouver. The Whitecaps’ home has proven a terrible host for TFC, as Toronto has only managed a single point in its two previous visits there.

This time around, Swangard could see TFC hoisting its second consecutive Canadian Championship on away turf, following last year’s famous 6-1 tournament victory in Montreal.

Of course, Toronto does not actually need to win on Wednesday to etch its name on the Voyageurs Cup, as a draw or even a loss tomorrow will still see the Reds sitting atop the standings for at least a week.

Depending on the result of Vancouver’s visit to Stade Saputo on May 26, a Toronto draw or loss tomorrow night could set up a bonafide championship match at BMO Field on June 2. Exciting as that may be, I don’t think anyone connected to TFC wants to gamble its chances on a one-off, regardless of home field advantage. Especially to Vancouver, which to holds a winning record against the Reds.

So the goal is clear, as it has been from the start. Go for the jugular tomorrow and let the lesser lights take the field on June 2.

Just win, baby!

Posted by Rudi Schuller

The USL has indicated that interested investors from Edmonton and Ottawa may land teams in its First Division within the next two years, effectively replacing (or joining) the disgruntled Whitecaps and Impact as the Canadian flagbearers of USL-1.

TFC won the Voyageurs Cup in 2009.

Should Edmonton and Ottawa kick off next spring, and Vancouver and Montreal figure out their situation (USL or otherwise), the CSA will have little choice but to organize a five-team tourney to crown a Canadian club champion. And while I’m sure the long-term strategy was to eventually have more clubs of a certain level – the minimum standard being USL-1 level at the moment – involved in an expanded competition, I don’t think anyone could have fathomed the possibility of that happening by the third year.

Should all the pieces fall into place, TFC supporters groups can look forward to planning an in-province road trip next year in addition to their annual pilgrimage to Stade Saputo to collect three points.

Before anyone starts asking when the bus leaves for Ottawa, there are some other questions that need answering. Who is behind these potential expansion teams? Are they committed, deep-pocketed owners, or are they the same type of fly-by-the seat-of-your-pants operations that proved so disastrous the last time the USL expanded to Canada?

And what about on the field? Can Edmonton and Ottawa reasonably expect to put together a competitive side on six months’ notice? If indeed one or both of those teams kick off in 2010, they will find it nearly impossible to field a team to be competitive in USL-1, there’s simply not enough time to put together a technical staff and quality roster in such a short window. And a bad team would be would be a hard sell in markets with no real track record of supporting club soccer, especially with so many other attractive options for local fans to watch on TV, domestic and otherwise.

That’s not even mentioning the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. For my money the NCC is a calibre somewhere between USL-1 and MLS. If a team hastily thrown together finds it hard to succeed at the USL-1 level (and it will), it’ll find it nearly impossible to win in what is arguably the most hotly-contested domestic cup competition north of Mexico. For those fans still bemoaning a certain 6-1 scoreline as a blemish on the integrity of our beloved little tournament, imagine what two more teams at the level of the Trois-Rivières Attak will do for the credibility of the Voyageurs Cup.

For the good of the game in this country, let’s hope that the rumours of Edmonton and Ottawa joining USL-1 are true… for 2011. Canada needs more success stories in the club game, and diving into a turbulent league just because the opportunity has presented itself is not the way to write those stories.

Posted by Rudi Schuller