Vancouver Whitecaps 2, Toronto FC 1 | Canadian Championship Match Recap

Colin Stephenson

The Vancouver Whitecaps were seconds away from securing a second consecutive Amway Canadian Championship, but a miscommunication between goalkeeper David Ousted and defender Kendall Waston left a rebound for Will Johnson's stoppage time goal that stole the championship for Toronto FC Wednesday night in BC Place.

Vancouver won the game, the second leg of the final, 2-1, and the score was tied, 2-2 on aggregate. But Toronto, which had won the first leg last week at BMO Place in Toronto, won the championship and captured the Voyageurs Cup based on away goals.

It was a stunning end for Whitecaps FC, who had gotten goals from halftime sub Nicolas Mezquida, in the 47th minute, and defender Tim Parker, in the 68th, to fashion a 2-0 lead and a 2-1 aggregate lead.

When the 90 minutes of regulation were up, the officials indicated four minutes of stoppage time were to be added on, and the added time had just gone over four minutes when the ball came into the box and Ousted came for it and collided with Waston, who was going up to head it away. The ball fell to Johnson, who blasted it into the vacant net for the series-winning goal.

Box Score

47' - VAN - Nicolas Mezquida (Jordan Harvey)
68' - VAN - Tim Parker (Matias Laba)
90+5' - TOR - Will Johnson
Full box score
Stats

Three Things

1. TIMEKEEPING ISN'T ALWAYS EXACT: When the officials indicated four minutes of added time, naturally, Vancouver went into slow motion, time-wasting mode. But the referee may have chosen to give Toronto FC a few seconds back that he felt Vancouver may have wasted. The four minutes had elapsed before the fateful ball came into Vancouver's penalty box, but the ref let Toronto finish the play. And boy, did they finish it.

2. GOALKEEPERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
With their No. 1 keeper, Clint Irwin, out for an extended period because of a thigh strain, Toronto FC went with their backup, 2015 first round pick Alex Bono. Bono had come on for Irwin in Saturday's loss to Orlando and given up two goals without making a save. He gave up two goals again here, and got another loss, but of course, this loss won TFC a championship. Meanwhile, Vancouver coach Carl Robinson played his backup, Paolo Tornaghi throughout the ACC, then turned to his No. 1, David Ousted, for the second leg of the final, which did not deliver the trophy in the end.

3. NO INSURANCE: It didn't seem like they would need it, but Vancouver had a chance to get a little insurance just before Toronto FC got the series-winning goal. In the first minute of added time, Vancouver sub Blas Perez, who entered the game in the 83rd minute, got a semi- break and fired a shot that got past Bono, only to hit the goalpost and stay out. If that had gone in, it would have given the 'Caps a 3-0 lead, and Johnson's goal four minutes later would have been meaningless.