For the second year in a row Toronto FC are Voyageurs Cup Champions! Montreal’s 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps clinched the title for Toronto FC who now have only one match left in the tournament, a dead rubber against the Whitecaps. Toronto FC will become the first team to lift the trophy with a game to spare when they face off against Vancouver next week.
Few can say that Toronto FC don’t deserve the title of Voyageurs Cup champions. In the two previous editions of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship the gap between the USL teams and Toronto FC was little to none. This year it has been much more evident. Toronto put together a dominant performance against the Impact in Toronto against a ten man team to start off the tournament. It was a professional performance from Toronto who were far from brilliant but managed a win over their biggest rivals without much hassle. Chad Barrett’s clinching goal, probably the nicest goal of the tournament so far, was worthy of winning any match and gave Toronto FC the three points.
Then it was time for Toronto to hit the road a place they’d struggled all season, but against Montreal once again Toronto FC looked like potential champions. They didn’t play well but held off the Impact all night and forced a scrappy goal through the industry of Chad Barrett and an easy finish by Dwayne De Rosario. Toronto had won their first home game of the season and they were on the brink of the Voyageurs Cup.
A win in Vancouver would have won the title for Toronto FC, but they were heading into their third away match of the week and expectations were probably a little high. Still Toronto FC managed to pull out a 0-0 result at Swangard putting them in the driver’s seat heading into the final stretch. Vancouver needed to win their final two matches in Montreal and Toronto in order to win the Voyageurs Cup anything less would not be enough. Of course any Vancouver hope was ended with the 1-1 draw at Saputo.
Preki came to Toronto FC with the goal of making them a team that was difficult to score against. So far he has clearly done that. In the Voyageurs Cup this season Toronto FC have not conceed a goal on the road to becoming champions. With Attakora, Cann, Garcia, Gargan, Harden, Usanov, Gala and Hscanovics all getting time at the back during Toronto’s three matches it was the team mentality that really ensured the run of clean sheets. They were well-organized and contained dangerous opponent players like Peter Byers and Marcus Haber well. Adrian Cann being the constant at centre back for Toronto FC has to be a candidate for the George Gross Memorial Trophy for MVP of the tournament.
Many Toronto FC supporters were worried that Preki would not regard the tournament as highly as they did. Preki silenced the doubters by starting De Guzman and De Rosario in their opening game even though it meant resting the pair in the following league match against Real Salt Lake. Although Preki did manage to give a young Canadian a few opportunities to play in these matches with Gabe Gala who was very good throughout. His man management was planned to perfection.
Last year Toronto FC’s championship was overshadowed by the controversy of Montreal’s weakened squad which Toronto dismantled 6-1. This year Toronto can thank the Impact for getting a result against the Whitecaps, but there is little doubt that Toronto FC deserved this years title. Toronto were consistent solid and ruthlessly effective. So congratulations to the 2010 Voyageurs Cup Champions, Toronto FC .
