This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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Both Clubs Play Again in Toronto on Saturday in Final Leg of NCC Twice as nice.
After his first successful attempt was called back, Toronto FC forward Nick Soolsma calmly converted a penalty kick once again to give the home side a 1-0 lead over the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the second half. It was an advantage the Reds would never relinquish in a much needed victory and three points in front of 19,816 fans at BMO Field.
“Yeah, I think the three points were very necessary,” said Soolsma. It feels very good and I think that it is the return from ties and losing, and now start to win games.”
The goal by Soolsma in the 54th minute brought the fans to life and helped kick-start what was an uninteresting game up until that point. Both teams created chances in the final half hour but were unable to finish in the final third.
The victory also gave Toronto (3-7-9) some revenge over its Canadian rivals after dropping its first game of the season in decisive fashion, a 4-2 loss in Vancouver. That game in March marked a successful debut for the Whitecaps (2-8-8) but the club has only won one league match since.
The two clubs also faced each other in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship (NCC) final in May with the first leg in Vancouver ending in a 1-1 draw. The return leg in Toronto was called off in the second half due to torrential rain and severe thunderstorms. The Whitecaps were up 1-0 at the time and were very frustrated with the result. The game was rescheduled and barring any more severe weather disturbances, the winner of the Voyageurs Cup should be crowned on Saturday afternoon in Toronto. The game will kickoff at 12:30pm at BMO Field.
“They are also in a situation where things are not going well especially now,” said Head Coach Aron Winter. “I think this third time we played against them, and also in the other games, we were the better team but the only thing we forgot to do was to make goals.” “We were giving away the goals. The third time it was the opposite. We were the better team, got the three points and scored. When we made the first goal we also had a lot of opportunities to score a second because in the first half we had three or four good opportunities but at those moments, at the moment of being in front of the goal we have to be sharper.”
Vancouver rested some of its usual starters and this move seemed to suggest that the club was placing more importance on the NCC. The Whitecaps left Eric Hassli, Camilo, midfielders Terry Dunfield, Nizar Khalfan and Jonathan Leathers all on the bench to start the game. Hassli, Camilo and Khalfan came on in the second half as substitutes to add some punch to a listless offence. Vancouver had a couple of players out with injuries as well with Davide Chiumento, Jay DeMerit and Alain Rochat being unavailable.
Toronto, on the other hand, had a depleted lineup with several starters out with injuries, including Dicoy Williams, Jacob Peterson, Alan Gordon, Julian de Guzman, Tony Tchani, Nana Attakora and Maicon Santos.
“I think for them at this moment the game for Saturday, if you saw the players on their bench, that the game on Saturday is more important than the one this evening,” added Winter.
“For me, its always important, every game, if you lose like they have done this evening this means that in the coming days when they are together, this does not motivate the players for the next game. I don’t worry about it because it’s not my problem, it doesn’t matter to me if they play the whole team with their best players or the team they played with this evening.”Whitecaps midfielder Dunfield believes his team can bounce back on Saturday and did admit that the NCC has been a goal for Vancouver from the beginning of year.
“It’s been a goal of ours since the start of the season,” said Dunfield. “Saturday is an opportunity to win a medal and a trophy so that is something that we want to do.”
“I think we will still go into this game confidently. We’ve got some talented players and we just need to all come together. What a great opportunity is this weekend to go out and win a trophy on Toronto’s turf. That would be huge for us and the club.”
Help on the Way
Toronto made a big announcement prior to the game last night with the signing of two players – German international midfielder Torsten Frings and Dutch international forward Danny Koevermans as designated players. Both players signed multi-year contracts, but as per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed. Neither can suit up for the Reds until July 15 when Major League Soccer’s transfer window opens. Soccer fans will mostly recognize Frings because he featured in the starting XI for Germany in two World Cups, including its run to the 2002 finals. He was also part of the team that finished second in Euro 2008. Despite playing at a high level in Europe as well as on the international stage in the past, he is past his prime at 34 years of age.
Koevermans is not much younger, being 32 years of age. He has scored a lot of goals playing with Sparta Rotterdam and AZ Alkmaar early in his career but his production has tailed off in the past four seasons with PSV Eindhoven. The forward has 136 goals from 253 matches in his career which is an impressive stat, but he only scored one goal in 14 matches this past season.
Winter continues to re-build the team he inherited and also promised more changes in the future as he puts his stamp on the club. Toronto will no doubt rely on the experience and leadership skills of both players to help develop a young squad.
"We have added two very important players with significant experience and technical ability," said Winter. "Torsten and Danny will make an immediate impact at our club. Signing Torsten and Danny is a very important step in building a team that our fans are proud to support.
”Torsten and Danny are excellent leaders both on-and-off-the-pitch," added Paul Mariner, Director of Player Development for Toronto FC. "We know our current roster and young Academy players will learn and benefit from their arrival in Toronto." As Mariner stated, the current roster should benefit by simply being around experienced players who have both had success in Europe. However, it’s clear that these signings are not for the future. Instead it seems more like a band-aid solution to help the team right now in an attempt to sneak into the playoff picture and continue to put fans in the seats.
Game notes:
Scoring Summary :
54′ – TOR – Nick Soolsma (penalty)
Match Stats:
Shots: Toronto 9 – Vancouver 9
Shots on Goal: Toronto 2 – Vancouver 0
Saves: Toronto 0 – Vancouver 1
Fouls: Toronto 11 – Vancouver 11
Corners: Toronto 3 – Vancouver 7
Offsides: Toronto 1 – Vancouver 2
Cautions:
27′ – VAN – Michael Boxall (caution; Tactical Foul)
89′ – TOR – Joao Plata (caution; Unsporting Behavior)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Jay Nolly, Wes Knight, Greg Janicki, Michael Boxall, Blake Wagner, Peter Vagenas, Jeb Brovsky (Eric Hassli 45′), Gershon Koffie, Shea Salinas (Nizar Khalfan 77′), Omar Salgado, Russell Teibert (Camilo 58′)
Subs not used: Joe Cannon, Bilal Duckett, Terry Dunfield, Jonathan Leathers
Toronto FC
Stefan Frei, Dan Gargan, Richard Eckersley, Ty Harden, Danleigh Borman, Gianluca Zavarise (Matt Stinson 73), Nathan Sturgis, Mikael Yourassowsky, Nick Soolsma, Javier Martina (Ashtone Morgan 87′), Joao Plata (Demitrius Omphroy 89′)
Subs not used: Milos Kocic, Oscar Cordon, Julian de Guzman, Doneil Henry
Referee: Mark Geiger
Referee’s Assistants: Steven Taylor; Anthony Vasoli
4th Official: Alex Prus
Time of Game: 1:53
Weather: Clear and 23 degrees
Attendance: 19,816
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