Toronto FC 5, Vancouver Whitecaps 2 | 2018 Canadian Championship Recap

Alicia Rodriguez

Toronto FC won their seventh Canadian Championship, and third in a row, after capturing the 2018 edition of the Voyageurs Cup following a 5-2 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the second leg of the final at BMO Field on Wednesday. The result gave Toronto a 7-4 aggregate win across the two legs.

TFC took the lead on the night in the 39th minute, as Marky Delgado's nifty flick in the box was finished by Jozy Altidore following a diagonal run into the box. They added a second goal just five minutes later, as Sebastian Giovinco turned in Jonathan Osorio's cross with a deft header, becoming the all-time Canadian Championship leading scorer in the process.

Shortly after the halftime break, Altidore scored his second goal of the night, and then completed a 14-minute hat trick in the 53rd minute with a near-post header off a corner kick.

Kei Kamara scored a consolation goal for Vancouver just after the hour mark, catching TFC's defense on the back foot, and substitute Brek Shea scored another in the 77th minute to give the visitors a faint hope. But another substitute, Tosaint Ricketts, scored shortly after to help smooth out Toronto's nerves late.

Toronto will continue their chase for an MLS Cup Playoffs spot, but their next crack at silverware comes in a month’s time on September 19 when they take on Tigres UANL in the inaugural Campeones Cup, pitting the champions from Liga MX and MLS in a single winner-take-all match.

Goals

39' – TOR – Jozy Altidore | WATCH
44' – TOR – Sebastian Giovinco | WATCH
49' – TOR – Jozy Altidore | WATCH
53' – TOR – Jozy Altidore | WATCH
63' – VAN – Kei Kamara | WATCH
77' – VAN – Brek Shea | WATCH
80' – TOR – Tosaint Ricketts | WATCH

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE: After a trying eight months, TFC will likely feel a huge boost from winning their first trophy of the year. Will there be more where that came from? To be determined, but passage back to the Concacaf Champions League will be big for the team. Vancouver, meanwhile, will be disappointed they couldn't win their second Canadian Championship, but will have to turn their attention back to the MLS Cup Playoffs race.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Altidore's third goal sealed a hat trick and offered the biggest boost of the night, essentially sealing the Voyageurs Cup for TFC.
MAN OF THE MATCH: After a weekend where a petulant kick out led to a very early shower, Altidore comes back in a cup final to score a hat trick and ensure a trophy and passage to the CCL.