Third straight goalless game sets Caps' record, makes road to Nutrilite title a rough -- and improbable -- one
By Marc Weber
The scoreless drought now stands at three games and the Vancouver Whitecaps will have to be road warriors to win this year's Nutrilite Canadian Championship.
Vancouver and Toronto FC played to a 0-0 tie at Swangard Stadium on Wednesday night. The Whitecaps carried the play, they generated plenty of chances, but again the net didn't ripple.
This third consecutive 0-0 tie -- a club record in front of 4,928 fans -- leaves the Whitecaps 0-0-2 in the Nutrilite competition, while TFC moves to 2-0-1.
It means for Vancouver to claim its first-ever Voyageurs Cup -- to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time -- they'll need to win in two tough venues: Montreal's Saputo Stadium on May 26 and at BMO Field in Toronto on June 2.
Anything less and TFC will be Canadian champions for the second straight season.
"I feel we played extremely well in all departments, we controlled the game. Basically, the only thing missing was a goal," said Caps' head coach Teitur Thordarsdon. "It would have been nice to have at least one tonight; it was such an important game. I think it's just a matter of time."
But time is not on their side. Neither is history.
Last season, the Whitecaps were 1-3 in Montreal and lost their only game in Toronto, 1-0. Overall on the road last season, the Whitecaps were 3-9-8.
They did, however, beat Toronto at BMO Field in the 2008 Canadian championship.
The optimist's line of thinking goes like this: Montreal (0-2-1) has already been eliminated from contention and will having nothing to play for. Perhaps they won't care too much, or they'll send out a lesser squad, like they did in last year's 6-1 loss to Toronto that took the crown off Vancouver's head based on goal differential.
"I'm expecting them to send out the junior team," quipped Thordarson.
"It's a nothing game for them," added captain Martin Nash, "so maybe we go there, get a goal and get some confidence heading into Toronto."
The truth is, it doesn't matter what their opponent does. It's up to Vancouver to find some killer instinct.
They had 10 corners on Wednesday -- many of them nasty, curling, dipping balls off Ricardo Sanchez left foot. None of their towering players could get on the end of them cleanly.
They had 10 shots on Jon Conway, who was seeing his first minutes of the season for TFC. It didn't matter.
Vancouver's best chance was probably a shot that never came -- Toronto's Dwayne De Rosario ever-so-slightly deflecting Sanchez's 19th-minute free kick to keep a charging Marcus Haber from a sure goal.
The Whitecaps were the aggressors most of the night. TFC mounted a late surge in a game where a tie would suit them fine, and they played like it.
They almost stole three points and rendered the final two games of the competition meaningless when Amadou Sanyang struck a 25-yard shot that just missed the top right corner in the 79th minute.
Toronto FC was without central midfielder Julian de Guzman due to a hamstring injury. Caps' captain Martin Nash, who was doubtful with a back injury, came off the bench in the 66th minute.
Jay Nolly made two saves for Vancouver; Conway three for TFC.
"We're becoming dangerous," said Caps' Wes Knight, who played well at right back.
True enough. But now they're in deep danger of missing out on Champions League play again.
-CONCACAF announced on Wednesday the preliminary-round pairings for the 2010-11 Champions League. The Canadian winner will take on Motagua of Honduras in a home-and-away series at the end of July with a spot in the 16-team group stage on the line.
mweber@theprovince.com © Copyright (c) The Province
