Second-division side Ottawa Fury picked up a win over an MLS team for the second consecutive year, as the USL outfit defeated Toronto FC 2-1 in the Canadian Championship on Tuesday.
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In the middle of a hectic May schedule, Toronto elected to rest several starters in Tuesday's match in Ottawa, which was the first leg of the semifinal round. The MLS club looked comfortable on the TD Place turf in the first half, and a possession advantage eventually led to the game's opener thanks to a nice give-and-go sequence between Jordan Hamilton and Benoit Cheyrou.
35' Goal 2016 #CanChamp MVP Benoit Cheyrou scores @OttawaFuryFC 0:1 @TorontoFC pic.twitter.com/yvyt2LZrKH
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 23, 2017
The Fury turned the tables in the second half, however, and the hosts' constant pressure forced some ugly turnovers and defensive errors by TFC. Pinned in its own half and unable to deal with an Ottawa corner, Toronto gave up a penalty kick that Ryan Williams calmly slotted past Clint Irwin in the 57th minute.
56' Goal Ryan Williams. Ottawa Fury FC 1:1 Toronto FC pic.twitter.com/5KmUhjA7by
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 24, 2017
Less than 15 minutes later, an egregious cross-field ball by TFC put Fury forward Tucker Hume alone in on Irwin. The Toronto defence managed to get back in time to stop the initial threat, but the ensuing goal-mouth scramble saw Sito Seane nudge the ball off a defender and into Irwin's net, sending the 7611 in attendance into raptures.
72' Goal Sito @OttawaFuryFC 2:1 @TorontoFC #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/hwMryyHLwg
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 24, 2017
In the first leg of the other semifinal, the Vancouver Whitecaps rode a dominant first half en route to a 2-1 win against the visiting Montreal Impact at BC Place.
Alphonso Davies opened the scoring in the 13th minute after a strong run down the right flank by Brek Shea, who hit a low cross that eventually found the teenager streaking in on goal.
Calm, cool and collected, @AlphonsoDavies bags the first of the match! #VANvMTL #canChamps pic.twitter.com/HDN7kXAizk
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) May 24, 2017
Davies played a part in Vancouver's second goal as well, taking on his man on the left flank and getting into the Montreal penalty area before Nicolas Mezquida latched on to the ball and sidefooted past a diving Maxime Crepeau.
33' @AlphonsoDavies with the hustle, and @nico_mezquida with the clinical finish. 'Caps up 2-0. #VANvMTL #BattleoftheNorth pic.twitter.com/vSUix8w0QQ
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) May 24, 2017
After one-way traffic in favour of the Whitecaps in the opening 45 minutes, Montreal looked the better of the two sides over the course of the second half, although it wasn't enough to overcome the home team's early advantage.
The Impact grabbed a crucial away goal through David Choiniere in the 62nd minute after fellow Montreal homegrown Anthony Jackson-Hamel nodded a cross into his teammate's path. Choiniere made no mistake in smashing the ball home to give the visitors life.
61' 'Caps concede the away goal but still lead 2-1 #VANvMTL #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/RVfu49YnKb
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) May 24, 2017
Montreal had a chance to equalize in the 73rd minute after a blistering Ballou Tabla run caused a handball in the Whitecaps 18-yard box. The ensuing penalty was taken by veteran Patrice Bernier, but his low effort was stopped by Vancouver goalkeeper Spencer Richey.
71' @spencerichey18 , just HUGE. #VANvMTL #canChamp pic.twitter.com/YYgoDbZdJ3
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) May 24, 2017
With the Impact pouring on the attack, Richey again denied Bernier deep into stoppage time to preserve the win. The Montreal captain hit a point-blank half-volley from eight yards out after a corner kick and forced Richey into a reaction save to send the Impact home without a second away goal.
Both semifinal second legs will be played next week, with Vancouver visiting Montreal's Stade Saputo on May 30 and Toronto hosting Ottawa at BMO Field a day later.