After a wild opener, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC will play the second leg of the Canadian Championship final at BMO Field on Wednesday tied 2-2, with a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League at stake.

“We’ve set ourselves up well for the second leg, but the job is far from done,” said Toronto FC defender Drew Moor.

Toronto FC, the two-time defending Canadian champions, are trying to get back to the Champions League competition for the third consecutive year.

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“The guys are motivated, they understand what tomorrow means, it’s an important game in our season,” said Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney.  “They are motivated to go out and do what they have to do.”

Toronto FC reached the final of the 2018 tournament, before bowing out on penalties at the hands of Chivas Guadalajara.

“Our players always want to try to measure their value and where they’re at with the best teams in our region, which typically come from Mexico and the way to do that is through Champions League,” said Vanney.

“It’s another trophy, but it’s also the one trophy that has eluded in the modern version, all of the MLS teams.  The first team to get that and get to the Club World Championship would be a huge statement for our league and the progress of our league.”

The Whitecaps have been runner-up at the Canadian Championship six times, including four occasions since the tournament switched to a two-leg knockout format.

Their only triumph came thanks to a 4-2 aggregate victory over Montreal Impact in 2015.  

The Whitecaps were seconds away from a repeat in 2016 when Will Johnson’s stoppage time marker at BC Place gave Toronto FC the title thanks to away goals.

For the second leg, they will be without Felipe, who was sent off in the first leg in Vancouver after a hard foul on Toronto FC midfielder Marky Delgado. 

Despite being down a man, the Whitecaps looked like they were going back to Toronto with a one goal advantage in hand as the last seconds of the game ticked away. Unfortunately for them, defender Doneil Henry headed the ball past his own keeper for an own goal that sent the match into the second leg deadlocked.

Alphonso Davies limped off the field in the final 10 minutes of the first leg and his participation in Wednesday game could also be in doubt.  He practiced on Tuesday and though he said he felt good, his head coach had a different opinion.

“It was his first day back, he took part in a little bit of training but I pulled him out at the end because he was feeling it, so, not great,” said Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson

Both sides saw MLS action between legs with the Whitecaps cooling off the Portland Timbers and ending their 15-match unbeaten streak with a 2-1 victory, while Toronto FC was forced to play with 10 men for 80 minutes and lost 3-2 to NYCFC.