Whitecaps to renew Toronto FC rivalry
Published on May 5, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release
TORONTO, ON - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (1W-2L-1D in 2008) help raise the curtain on the second edition of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship when they visit Major League Soccer club Toronto FC (1W-1L-2D in 2008) on Wednesday evening.
The three-club, six-match tournament - which also includes last season's winners Montreal Impact - begins three weeks earlier than the inaugural 2008 edition, with Teitur Thordarson's side playing three of their four championship matches before the end of the month. The Blue and White will hope for better fortune in this year's tournament after finishing bottom of the standings last year.
Though their two defeats to the Impact ultimately denied the Whitecaps a chance of claiming the Voyageurs Cup and a spot in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League competition, Vancouver's results against TFC last year went a long way to helping Montreal's efforts in becoming the first-ever winners of the tournament. The Whitecaps enter Wednesday's match at BMO Field with an undefeated record of one win and one draw versus their MLS foes following two memorable contests last July.
Left needing a win to stay alive in 2008 championship, the Whitecaps stunned TFC and their passionate fans by handing the Reds their first home defeat of the season after a 1-0 victory on Canada Day (July 1). Martin Nash's first-half penalty proved the difference between both clubs, as the USL-1 outfit were more than worthy of competing against and beating their more high-profile hosts. This included a brilliant goalkeeping performance by Whitecaps number one Jay Nolly, who turned many heads with some fine stops late in the second half at Canada's national soccer stadium. The following week, the Whitecaps dramatically claimed a late 2-2 draw with TFC at Swangard Stadium. Though the Reds overturned a one-goal deficit with second-half strikes from Maurice Edu and Rohan Ricketts, a pair of Eduardo Sebrango goals at the end of each half allowed Montreal to earn the draw they needed to become Canadian champions at TFC on July 22.
With the Impact creating more Canadian soccer history with their impressive run to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, the emphasis on winning the Canadian Championship has increased significantly for the country's three professional clubs. With little to separate the trio in the tournament last year, soccer fans across Canada should expect another intriguing battle over the next six weeks.
The Whitecaps will be in buoyant mood ahead of the midweek contest at Toronto's Exhibition Place. A season-opening victory over Portland Timbers at Swangard on April 25 was followed by a 3-2 league win at Minnesota Thunder on Saturday. That result extended Vancouver's unbeaten run to three matches. TFC have also gone three games without defeat, with the Whitecaps visit being the final match of a four-game home stand for the Reds. MLS victories over Chivas USA (April 22) and Kansas City Wizards (April 26) were followed by a less than stellar performance on Saturday, as TFC drew 1-1 with MLS Cup holders Columbus Crew.
USL First Division Stories from May 5, 2009
- Whitecaps to renew Toronto FC rivalry - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Timbers Land Three on USL First Division Team of the Week - Portland Timbers
- RailHawks Defender Earns Weekly Honors - North Carolina FC
- Austin Aztex FC vs. Puerto Rico Islanders -- Nationally televised on Fox Soccer Channel - Austin Aztex
- USL Week 4 Pro honors announced - USL-1
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