Sports Interaction
Promotions
Sports Interaction
Promotions

Soccer: Whitecaps Prioritize Canadian Championship

  • Al Dannity's Author profile. Al Dannity

Add Sports Interacton as Your Preferred News Source

They have been to the well three times in the last three years and come up empty. Now the Vancouver Whitecaps have set lifting the Voyageurs Cup as their chief priority. Al Dannity looks ahead to their epic two-legged final with the team that has crushed their dreams for three seasons running. It’s the Whitecaps against Toronto FC for the Amway Canadian Championship!

It’s about status
Right now in MLS play there’s no question which team is better. The Whitecaps have a 5-2-3 record compared to the miserable 0-0-8 of Toronto FC, a 17 point gap in the standings. That’s something for Vancouver to be proud of but it’s not something they can use to make a statement to the Canadian Soccer community. For three years it has been Toronto FC that has stood tall, raising the Voyageurs Cup as champions of Canada. In all three of those finals, it has been the Whitecaps that came out on the losing end. This year the tide could finally turn.

The Caps have been in stunning form on home turf at BC Place and they will receive a raucous reception on Wednesday night for this match-up. The fans know the prize at stake. Not only will they earn bragging rights for the next year, Vancouver will also lock up a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. Big time continental Soccer could be coming to BC and that’s a reason to get excited.

The breakdown
Toronto’s biggest problem has been the sheer number of mistakes they make week in, week out. Aron Winter’s team has some talent but the lack of discipline and organization in this outfit makes it tough for fans to believe. Right now the only reasons for Toronto fans to get excited surround rumors of Michael Ballack joining the team. That fantasy is a long way off however and it’s time to focus on the cold reality of the season at hand. Making the MLS playoffs already looks a daunting prospect, meaning the Voyageurs Cup could be the only realistic goal for Toronto FC in 2012.

Having a target to aim for is not the same as hitting it and it’s not as if the Whitecaps lack motivation. A changing of the guard is due in Canadian Soccer and quite frankly it’s needed at this stage. As the original MLS franchise north of the border, Toronto FC has failed to make any serious inroads in the league to date. The Reds need their hegemony challenged in order to freshen up their approach. The Caps could be just the team to do the job.

Follow Sports Interaction on Twitter.