The Vancouver Whitecaps were able to rally from a two-goal first-half deficit to win their semifinal series with the Ottawa Fury 3-2 on aggregate and move on to face Toronto FC in the final of the Amway Canadian Championship on Wednesday night at BC Place.
The Whitecaps came at the Fury fast and early, and it was that pace which earned them a quick penalty kick. Nicolas Mezquida was knocked over from behind after beating his marker on the run, and Pedro Morales buried the resulting penalty with ease. Mezquida later got on the board himself, scoring the Whitecaps' second goal, which tied the series on aggregate.
The decisive goal came early in the second half, when Morales found Octavio Rivero on a corner kick reset, and Rivero was able to angle his shot in off the inside of the far post for a great goal.
Box Score
- 3' - VAN - Pedro Morales (PEN)
- 20' - VAN - Nicolas Mezquida (Octavio Rivero, Pedro Morales)
- 52' - VAN - Octavio Rivero (Pedro Morales)
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Three Things
- THE FUTURE IS NOW: 15-year-old Alphonso Davies has been one of the main stories from this Canadian Championship tie, coming off the bench in the first leg and getting the start on Wednesday. He performed well and held his own against the bigger bodies out there. He even had the crowd on its feet:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Wow. 15-year-old Davies just brought the crowd to its feet with that fancy footwork. Good effort too just off the far post. #VWFC#canChamp</p>
— Farhan Devji (@farhandevji) June 9, 2016</blockquote></li><li><strong>BACK IN THE FINAL AGAIN: </strong>Since the tournament went to a two-legged knockout format in 2011, the Whitecaps have participated in the championship match more than any other Canadian team. Last year the 'Caps won the Cup for the first time after coming up just short three times, and this year they'll get a chance to repeat against the team with the most Voyageurs Cup wins. </li><li><b>THOU SHALL NOT PASS</b><strong>:</strong> Vancouver made wholesale changes to the team that went on the road to Ottawa, and the result was obvious on the attacking side. Defensively, Ottawa were held without a successful pass inside the penalty area, according to Opta, as the Whitecaps defenders kept the game in front of them for ninety minutes. </li></ol>
They Said It
Next Up
- VAN: June 18 vs. New England Revolution (7 pm ET, TSN, MLS LIVE)
