For Toronto FC's chase for the 2020 Canadian Championship (and with it, a berth to the Concacaf Champions League) to continue, they're going to need a little help from the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Vancouver host the Montreal Impact on Wednesday night (9:30 pm ET | TSN1/5, TVAS in Canada; MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US) with the visitors just needing a win to advance to the final of the 2020 Canadian Championship against a Canadian Premier League club. Toronto finished their six games with 12 points and Montreal currently sit with nine. While Toronto and Montreal would tie on points if the Impact win on Wednesday, Montreal would have the nod in whatever tiebreaker used. (If it's a one-goal win, it'd be the fourth tiebreaker of away goal difference. If it's more than a one-goal victory, they'd have the superior goal difference. It's confusing but here's more info on that.)
It's a difficult spot for TFC to be in, watching from home hoping for the right result.
“It’s out of our control, but I’d be lying if I said I won’t be watching," TFC head coach Greg Vanney told media on a virtual press conference Wednesday. "I’ll have anxiety because I won’t have any control over the way is going, even the last game I’m watching and having emotional reactions because I don’t have any power. But that’s part of why everybody loves watching sports."
It's a precarious situation for Toronto. They won two games and lost one to each Montreal and Vancouver, meaning they would have the superior record against both clubs if it were a best two-out-of-three series. Vanney, though, is disappointed his side didn't get the job done in their two losses.
"We beat both teams in a best out of three series but there’s still a possibility we won’t go through," Vanney said. "But that’s just how it’s set up. ... We missed some opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of that we lost so we wouldn’t be sitting in this situation. Part of it is on us, part of it is the way we’re set up.”
Toronto aren't shy about how CCL qualification is always a goal for the club. They missed out last year when Montreal won the Canadian Championship and are raring to return to the competition after losing in the final on penalties to Chivas de Guadalajara in 2018, coming painfully close to being the first ever MLS side to win the CCL.
"If Vancouver can come up with a result that helps us, we’ll be happy because we’ll have the opportunity to play in the final and to finally get to the Champions League," Vanney said. "It’s something we want to do always, it’s a passion and goal of ours to play in the Champions League."
