NCC 2009: Toronto FC-Vancouver Whitecaps Showdown

Excitement builds before Nutrilite showdown
It may be a new rivalry on the Canadian sports landscape, but it hasn’t taken long to come to a boil. Canadian club pride will be on the line Tuesday night when Vancouver Whitecaps FC hosts Toronto FC on match day five of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. The two sides will meet this June 2 at Swangard Stadium in a showdown that could determine the championship.

Toronto FC coach Chris Cummins needs but a draw or victory for his side to win the 2009 Voyageurs Cup and qualify for the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League season; Whitecaps coach Teitur Thordarson needs a win from this troupe to stay alive in the competition.

The match kicks off at 19.30 and will be broadcast live on Rogers Sportsnet (22.30 ET / 19.30 PT).

Last year, Vancouver won the two-match rivalry with four points: a 1:0 win on 1 July in Toronto and a 2:2 draw on July 9 in Vancouver. This year, Toronto has the upper edge after a 1:0 win on home turf on May 13.

Toronto FC leads the 2009 competition with a perfect six points in two games. Whitecaps FC is second with six points in three games. Following the Vancouver-Toronto June 2 match, Toronto FC will be hosted by the Impact de Montréal on June 18.

Should Whitecaps FC win, it will finish with nine points and hope that Toronto FC fails to win on June 18 (finishing with six or seven points). If Whitecaps FC wins and Toronto FC wins on June 18, then both sides will consult the tie-breaking scenarios. The champion will be determined by:

1. Most points in all group matchs;
2. If two or more teams are tied, then the team with the greatest number of points in matches featuring tied teams;
3. If teams are still tied, then the greater goal difference in matches featuring tied teams;
4. If teams are still tied, then the greater number of goals scored in matches featuring tied teams;
5. If teams are still tied, then greatest goal difference in all matches;
6. If teams are still tied, then greatest number of goals scored in all matches;
7. If teams are still tied, then drawing of lots.

Toronto FC’s road is much simpler: it needs but a draw on Tuesday night to win the championship. If Toronto FC draws and both teams finish the competition with seven points (after an Impact win on June 18), then Toronto FC will win the championship on account of winning the Toronto-Vancouver series (four points to one).

A new champion – be it Toronto FC or Whitecaps FC – will be crowned champion come June 18 when the Voyageurs Cup is presented in Montreal.

Toronto Pre-Game
TORONTO, ON — Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC enter Tuesday’s Nutrilite Canadian Championship match in Vancouver with six points apiece, and for the Reds, their path to the national championship and netting the first trophy in the club’s short history is an easy one.

Just a single point from a draw — or, of course, a victory — and TFC clinch the Canadian Championship in advance of the tournament’s final match on June 18 between TFC and the Montreal Impact. A loss, however, and the tournament will likely be decided on goal differential.

“We never go into games looking for ties,” said Toronto interim head coach Chris Cummins. “We’ll be going for a win. We know it’s going to be a tough game; they’ll be trying to get the victory as well to keep themselves in the tournament.”

TFC are a perfect 2-0 thus far in the Canadian Championship, picking up 1-0 wins at BMO Field against Whitecaps and the Impact on May 6 and May 13, respectively. Vancouver rebounded from their loss in Toronto to pick up a 2-0 win in Montreal on May 20 and another 1-0 victory against the Impact last Wednesday at Swangard Stadium.

Full Story

Vancouver Pre-Game
VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2W-0L-1D) look to move to the top of the 2009 Nutrilite Canadian Championship standings when they host Major League Soccer club Toronto FC (2W-0L-0D) on Tuesday evening.

Teitur Thordarson’s side are aiming to end their tournament campaign in style with a third-straight victory, as the Blue and White need all three points at Swangard Stadium to have any chance of winning the Voyageurs Cup and Canada’s lone spot in the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League. They will also be looking for an improved performance after a less than stellar 2-0 weekend defeat at Portland Timbers in USL First Division action.

The ‘Caps put themselves back in the hunt to win the three-club competition after two straight wins over USL-1 rivals Montreal Impact, with those results pulling them level in the standings with TFC. The MLS club, meanwhile, are in a more comfortable position after claiming maximum points at home to Vancouver and Montreal last month. Chris Cummins’ side arrive on the Lower Mainland looking to avoid defeat, as they seek to become 2009 Canadian champions. They too will also be looking to redeem themselves after Saturday’s disappointing 3-0 defeat at Houston Dynamo in MLS.

The Whitecaps have a record of one win, one defeat, and one draw in their three meetings with TFC going back to last season. In the 2009 championship opener at Toronto’s BMO Field on May 6, an early goal from former Whitecaps player Kevin Harmse gave TFC their first-ever win over the ‘Caps.

It was less than a year ago when both sides last met at Swangard. Though TFC 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 earned Vancouver a 2-2 draw on July 9, 2008.

Full Story