At last, Vancouver have won their prize.
Five times a runner up, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC won the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship after a 4-2 aggregate win in the national final.
The Whitecaps now have their name engraved on the Voyageurs Cup for the first time. They've also booked a spot in the 2016/17 edition of CONCACAF Champions League.
"We put on a thoroughly professional performance this evening in a big game," said ‘Caps head coach Carl Robinson. "We hadn't won this trophy and I kept getting reminded. So [while] we tried to down play it a bit, it was a massive game for the club."
The Whitecaps lifted the trophy after defeating the Montreal Impact 2-0 at B.C. Place Aug. 26 in the return leg of the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship final.
The first leg was a 2-2 draw on Aug. 12 at Stade Saputo in Montreal.
Canadian midfielder Russell Teibert was named the George Gross Memorial Trophy winner as most valuable player of the championship. Both Teibert, 22, and teammate Gershon Koffie, 24, have played in a record five editions of the Amway Canadian Championship (tied with Toronto's Doneil Henry).
"It is hard to put into words," said Teibert. "I have been here for so long and we have had so many heartbreaks with this tournament. It's about time we won it for the fans and for the club. It's an unbelievable feeling."
After Darren Mattocks and Pedro Morales scored in the first leg earlier this month, Octavio Rivero opened the scoring in the 40th minute of the second leg. Rivero was on the spot to guide the ball over the line after Cristian Techera intercepted an errant pass and fired a shot that trickled past the goalkeeper.
Montreal had already been reduced to 10 men after Argentine debutant Victor Cabrera was shown a second yellow card in the opening 30 minutes.
Up 3-2 on aggregate goals, Vancouver scored a fourth series goal for good measure in the 53rd minute. This time, it was rookie centre back Tim Parker heading home a Pedro Morales corner kick.
"We talked about this game all week — how the fans and the organisation really deserved it," said Parker. "This is a great feeling."
The match drew 19,616 fans to B.C. Place, the seventh biggest crowd in the championship's short history since 2008. Before winning the 2015 title, Vancouver had finished in second place five straight years from 2009 to 2013.
As for Vancouver coach Robinson, he became the first person to lift the Voyageurs Cup as both a player (2009 with Toronto FC) and head coach. All the other Vancouver players and staff were lifting the trophy for the first time in 2015.
