VANCOUVER, BC – Old foes meet again.
This Wednesday, Vancouver Whitecaps FC will look to secure their third Voyageurs Cup as they host CF Montréal in the 2023 Canadian Championship Final at BC Place.
Wednesday's match won't be the first time the 'Caps face Montréal in the Final, with the two teams previously facing each other twice in the 2013 and 2015 editions when Montréal was known as Montréal Impact.
To celebrate the occasion, we look back at the last Final between the two teams from 2015, which secured the 'Caps their first-ever Voyageurs Cup title.
After progressing from the semifinal round with a 3-2 aggregate victory over FC Edmonton, the 'Caps travelled East for the first leg of the Final at Stade Saputo.
The first 45 minutes saw the two teams go into the halftime interval deadlocked at 0-0.
However, in the 65th minute, Whitecaps FC Homegrown midfielder Kianz Froese received the ball on the left wing and dribbled past a couple Montréal defenders. The Canadian then squared a cross into striker Darren Mattocks, who calmly tucked the ball into the back of the net to give the 'Caps the 1-0 advantage.
Just seven minutes later, the Blue and White doubled their lead thanks to a stunning free kick strike from attacking midfielder Pedro Morales that whipped past Montréal goalkeeper Eric Kronberg at the near post.
Montréal would grab a pair of goals late through defender Laurent Ciman and forward Anthony Jackson-Hamel to even the tie at 2-2 heading into the second leg at BC Place, with the 'Caps holding the narrow tiebreaker on away goals.
Even with the 2-2 aggregate score putting them ahead on away goals, the 'Caps went into the second leg pushing Montréal to the brink in the hopes of extending their advantage.
While the first half in Montréal saw little to no action between the two teams, the first half at BC Place proved to be quite the opposite.
It all started in the 30th minute, as MontrĂ©al defender Victor Cabrera picked up a second yellow and an ensuing red card for fouling 'Caps striker Octavio Rivero just at the top of the box, giving the home side another massive advantage.Â
Nine minutes later, 'Caps winger Cristian Techera got on the end of a Montréal turnover and found himself in a 1v1 situation with Kronberg. The diminutive Uruguayan's first effort was parried away but was able to get on the end of the rebound, dribble past Montréal defender, Donny Toia and deflect an attempt off Kronberg spinning towards the net. Rivero made sure the sequence ended in a goal as he blasted the ball past the goal line to give the 'Caps a 1-0 lead on the night and a 3-2 lead on aggregate.
Fast forward to the start of the second half, 'Caps winger Kekuta Manneh came close to doubling the lead as he sent a low drive towards the near post, forcing a save from Kronberg.
The Blue and White made their early second half pressure count, as defender Tim Parker headed in a corner kick from Morales to put the 'Caps firmly in the driving seat.
Once the final whistle blew at the end of the match, the moment BC Place had been waiting for all night arrived, as the 'Caps were crowned Voyageurs Cup Champions for the very first-time.
The festivities would go long into the night, with former defender Pa-Modou Kah's iconic hoverboard celebration still fresh in the minds of long-time 'Caps fans to this very day.
Secure your seats for the 2023 Canadian Championship Final at www.whitecapsfc.com/tickets to watch the 'Caps take on CF Montréal on Wednesday, June 7 at BC Place as they look to secure their third Voyageurs Cup title and a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Kickoff on Wednesday is set for 7 p.m. PT. Can't make it to the match? Catch all the action on OneSoccer, TELUS Channel 980, and fuboTV.
