Photo Credit Mark Steffens
Regardless of what you might think about soccer and the player’s antics you have to admit that the Vancouver Whitecaps have the most entertaining coaches that we have ever seen.
Say what you will, he’s a breath of fresh air and however he does it, he’s got the team playing exceptional soccer that has the crowd continuing to get larger from one match to the next.
In a midweek game the Whitecaps FC were defending their Voyageurs Cup title against the visiting CF Montreal in the 2023 Canadian championship Final that had 20,072 spectators on hand.
If there was what some have mentioned a “let-down” it was that while it was live streamed many felt it should have also been shown on TV rather just have it on AM 730 alone.
If you’re not sure what the Voyageurs Cup is about you should know that it has been awarded to the Canadian Championship winner since 2008.
It was created by the Voyageurs Canadian Supporters group that has the trophy representing Canadian fans’ commitment to the game in Canada.
Following the completion of competition, the tournament MVP is named as the George Gross Memorial Trophy Award winner.
In addition the Young Canadian Player Award is also presented to the best Canadian player in the competition who has to be 23 years of age or under.
Julian Gressel was named MVP of the George Gross Memorial Trophy while Ali Ahmed won the Toyota Best Young Player Award.
The cup final must have a winner and if the score is tied after 90 minutes, the match will go straight to a shootout deciding the champion that saw Tristan Blackmon hit the winning shot at BC Place.
Let’s not forget the class shown by the Whitecaps who have Taegan Ruth as Kid Captain for the Canadian Championship Final.
Teagan was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma back in Nov 2022. Teagan has been through many biopsies, imaging scans, procedures, a major 10-hour surgery and many rounds of chemotherapy that includes at BC Children’s Hospital.
She has faced each of these encounter’s head on and with grace and gratitude towards her care team.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC managed a 2-1 victory and are back-to-back Canadian Champions after a 2:1 win in the 2023 Final.
Whitecaps FC won the match and lifted the Voyageurs Cup after second-half goals by Brian White and Ryan Gauld.
Vancouver opened the scoring early in the second half after a Gressel ball into the box tricked goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois and fell into the path of White and the empty net.
Gauld scored the 2-0 goal from the penalty spot while Montréal’s Sunusi Ibrahim got one back in the 83rd minute on a pass from Mathieu Choinière.
With the match drawing to a close, Cap’s “keeper’ Yohei Takaoka came up with huge saves which included a leaping save in the 92nd minute on an Ibrahim.
The 23 players that helped Vancouver Whitecaps FC win the 2023 Canadian Championship across three rounds were Ali Ahmed, Simon Becher, Sebastian Berhalter, Tristan Blackmon, Javain Brown, Déiber Caicedo, Sergio Cordova Andrés Cubas, Ryan Gauld, Julian Gressel, Thomas Hasal, Levonte Johnson, Mathias Laborda, Luís Martins, Jean-Claude Ngando, Ryan Raposo, Alessandro Schöpf, Yohei Takoaka, Russell Teibert, Ranko Veselinović, Pedro Vite, Brian White and Karifa Yao.
Canadian Championship Winners
2023 : Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2022 : Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2021 : CF Montréal
2020 (2022) : Toronto FC
2019 : Montréal Impact
2018 : Toronto FC
2017 : Toronto FC
2016 : Toronto FC
2015 : Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2014 : Montréal Impact
2013 : Montréal Impact
2012 : Toronto FC
2011 : Toronto FC
2010 : Toronto FC
2009 : Toronto FC
2008 : Montréal Impact
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