2018 Canadian Championship final explained

2018 Canadian Championship Final
Event:	2018 Canadian Championship
Team1:	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Team1score:	4
Team2:	Toronto FC
Team2score:	7
Details:	On aggregate
Firstleg:	First leg
Team1score1:	2
Team2score1:	2
Date1:	August 8, 2018
Attendance1:	16,833
Secondleg:	Second leg
Team1score2:	2
Team2score2:	5
Date2:	August 15, 2018
Stadium2:	BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario
Attendance2:	14,994
Next:	2019

The 2018 Canadian Championship Final was the deciding series of the 2018 Canadian Championship. The series was contested by rivals Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer.^[1] It was the fourth final series to be played between Vancouver and Toronto, with Toronto having won all previous encounters. Toronto FC successfully defended their 2017 title with a 7–4 aggregate victory over Vancouver, obtaining their seventh national championship title and qualifying for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League.^[2]

Teams

Team	League	City	Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners)
	MLS (West)	Vancouver, British Columbia	5 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016)
Toronto FC	MLS (East)	Toronto, Ontario	5 (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017)

Path to the final

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

The Whitecaps had a bye into the semi-finals where they met fellow MLS side Montreal Impact. After losing their first match in Montreal by one goal, Vancouver would make a comeback in the second leg with an early goal from Yordy Reyna and winning penalty kick from Kei Kamara.^[3]

Toronto FC

As the defending champions, Toronto FC gained a bye to the semi-finals where they would have to play the winner of the second qualifying round. In the semi-finals, they cruised past the Ottawa Fury FC winning both legs of the series. However, Toronto FC were forced to terminate the status of their Inebriatti supporters' group for setting fire to TD Place Stadium during the away match.^[4]

Results summary

Vancouver Whitecaps FC				Round	Toronto FC
Opponent	Agg.	1st leg	2nd leg		Opponent	Agg.	1st leg	2nd leg
Bye				First qualifying round	Bye
Bye				Second qualifying round	Bye
Montreal Impact	2–1	0–1 (A)	2–0 (H)	Semifinals	Ottawa Fury FC	4–0	1–0 (A)	3–0 (H)

Match details

First leg

Starters: width=25 ! width=25 GK 1 Stefan Marinovic RB 28 Jake Nerwinski CB 4 Kendall Waston (c) CB 2 Doneil Henry LB 17 Marcel de Jong RM 13 CM 31 Russell Teibert CM 8 LM 67 FW 29 Yordy Reyna FW 23 Substitutes: MF 20 MF 66 FW 19 FW 11 Nicolás Mezquida DF 3 Sean Franklin FW 9 Anthony Blondell GK 12 Brian Rowe Manager: Carl Robinson

Starters: width=25 ! width=25 GK 1 Clint Irwin RB 13 Eriq Zavaleta CB 6 Nick Hagglund LB 23 RM 96 LCM 18 CM 4 Michael Bradley (c) RCM 21 Jonathan Osorio LM 5 FW 87 FW 17 Substitutes: DF 2 MF 54 DF 12 FW 22 Jordan Hamilton GK 25 Alex Bono MF 27 Liam Fraser FW 11 Jon Bakero Manager: Greg Vanney

Second leg

Starters: width=25 ! width=25 GK 1 Clint Irwin RB 2 Justin Morrow CB 13 Eriq Zavaleta CB 23 LB 5 RM 14 CM 4 Michael Bradley (c) LM 21 AM 18 Marky Delgado FW 10 FW 17 Substitutes: DF 6 MF 54 FW 87 GK 25 Alex Bono MF 46 Tsubasa Endoh DF 9 Gregory van der Wiel Manager: Greg Vanney

Starters: width=25 ! width=25 GK 1 Stefan Marinovic RB 28 Jake Nerwinski CB 4 Kendall Waston (c) CB 2 Doneil Henry LB 17 Marcel de Jong RM 13 CM 66 Ali Ghazal CM 31 Russell Teibert LM 67 FW 29 Yordy Reyna FW 23 Substitutes: MF 20 FW 11 FW 19 GK 12 Brian Rowe MF 6 Efrain Juarez DF 3 Sean Franklin FW 9 Anthony Blondell Manager: Carl Robinson

Notes and References

1. Web site: Toronto to Face Vancouver in 2018 Canadian Championship Final Round. Canada Soccer. July 26, 2018.
2. Web site: Altidore hits hat trick as TFC thump Vancouver to win Canadian Championship. Neil Davidson. CTV News. August 15, 2018. November 24, 2023.
3. Web site: Vancouver 2–0 Montreal: Match Summary. July 7, 2018. Major League Soccer.
4. Web site: TFC terminates Inebriatti’s supporters group status. sportsnet.ca. 23 August 2018.