Eric Hassli's Injury Time Goal, Sets up a Thrilling Second Leg Match Next Week

The 2012 Canadian Championship final got under way last night at B.C. Place. The Vancouver Whitecaps hosted Toronto FC in the first leg of the two leg series. The highly anticipated first leg was an entertaining affair. The two teams traded chances for the majority of the match. The end result was a 1-1 tie between two bitter rivals.

 

The tie was only possible after Eric Hassli’s brilliant volley found top shelf past TFC goalkeeper Milos Kocic. The goal ignited the B.C. Place crowd after it became rather nervous when Ryan Johnson headed home his second goal in as many games in Canadian Championship competition.

The result favors Toronto FC for the most part. The 1-1 draw gives TFC the opportunity to sit back next Wednesday at BMO Field. However, Whitecaps fans should be breathing a sigh of relief that they salvaged a tie last night.

Despite TFC’s 0-8-0 record in MLS play, Toronto FC showed that their team is better than their record shows. The Whitecaps are currently competing for a playoff sport in the MLS Western Conference but Toronto FC played like they were just as capable of competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The way the Canadian Championship is formatted, it is a two-legged series where at the end of the two games both results of the two games will be added up. The team who has more goals combined will win the Championship. If the two teams are tied, the club with the most away goals will win the title. That is why TFC ‘s goal in the 66^th minute is so crucial. When the Whitecaps go to BMO Field next Wednesday they will have to score at least one goal. A 0-0 draw would give Toronto the title despite the teams tied 1-1 on aggregate.

 The entertaining match will just set up an amazing return leg. Pretty much any scenario is still in play. A win for either the Whitecaps or Toronto FC is still quite possible, while the thought of Extra Time and Penalty Kicks still remains a significant possibility. The only way the return leg goes into Extra Time is if the score is tied 1-1. Any other score-line and there will be a winner after the ninety minutes.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Aron Winter the Toronto FC coach and Martian Rennie the coach of the Whitecaps handle their league matches this Saturday.  Both teams have very tough games on Saturday. The Whitecaps will host I-5 rival Seattle, while Toronto will travel to Washington D.C. to take on D.C. United. My guess is that the Whitecaps will rest a few starters for Wednesday’s second leg. There will still be a lot of regulars in the lineup as the Seattle Sounders will be a great measuring stick for this Whitecaps club.