MLS Cup 2016: How Toronto FC Made History
By Tyler Fisher
Toronto FC has made MLS history, becoming the first Canadian club to reach MLS Cup Final.
Toronto FC pulled off the ultimate upset against rivals Montreal Impact. The Reds bounced back to become the Eastern Conference champions, defeating rivals Montreal Impact. It wasn’t easy how TFC got to where they are. They pulled off the same situation that the Portland Timbers did last year. It’s amazing.
Eastern Conference Wild Card
Toronto got dealt in with the Wild Card play-in match. This marked the first time the franchise made the MLS Cup Playoffs. They took on the Philadelphia Union in front of a sold-out BMO Field. The Reds would defeat the Union by a score of 3-1. This would see them through to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
Eastern Conference Semi Finals
Toronto would face second seed New York City FC for the first leg. TFC would win the first leg by a score of 2-0. NYCFC would have to bounce back and score three goals at home, in order to advance. Head coach Greg Vanney and company had other plans. NYCFC would be shocked at home after losing 5-0 (7-0) to Toronto. This would eliminate NYCFC, and see Toronto to the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Eastern Conference Finals
This series was nothing short of spectacular. TFC faced Canadian rivals Montreal Impact for the right to be crowned champions of the East. 60,000+ spectators packed Olympic Stadium in Montreal to see an extended version of the 401 Derby. It didn’t take long for the Impact to strike first in front of their crowd. Domini Oduro received a great pass from Matteo Mancosu to give the home side a 1-0 lead. Then the goals piled in after that. 3-0 at the half and Toronto looked to be in deep trouble. Give credit where it’s due, the Reds never backed down and scored two goals in the second half to give them life. Montreal had the 3-2 lead heading into the second leg.
Back at BMO field to wrap up the series, and this was one to remember. Just like the first leg, Oduro would get the Impact on the board first, increasing the aggregate lead to 4-2. Toronto would strike back with two goals of their own, just before the halftime whistle. 2-1 fo the game, 4-4 on aggregate.
Maestro Ignacio Piatti would strike fear into TFC again when he got his unusual goal in the 53rd minute, giving the Impact a 2-2 draw, 5-4 lead on aggregate. But that still didn’t stop the Reds as they fought back with a 68th-minute goal by Nick Hagglund. That would help give Toronto the driver’s seat, and it was all great from there.
The game went into extra time, seeing that the aggregate score was all tied up at 5-5. Coach Greg Vanney sparked his players during the break, and the energy and support from supporter groups gave Toronto the upper hand. Benoit Cheyrou would take matters into his own hands, and it paid off. A substitute coming into the game, and scoring the game winner is priceless. Toussaint Ricketts would replace Sebastian Giovinco due to cramps and would score to ice the cake for Toronto FC. 5-2 for the game, 7-5 on aggregate. Toronto FC is headed to MLS Cup 2016 to take on Seattle Sounders FC.
Toronto FC had a rough road ahead of them coming into the playoffs. They conquered all the obstacles in their way, and are now One Game To Glory.
You can catch MLS Cup 2016 on Saturday, December 10 on Fox. Pre-game show starts at 7pm EST, with kickoff at 8pm EST.