Tag: Canadian Championship

CF Montreal closes Toronto FC away section after brawl between fans

Ugly scenes at BMO Field mean no away fans at Stade Saputo

The latest meeting between Canada’s biggest rivals was marred by ugly scenes in the stands, and that has consequences.

CF Montréal’s Canadian Championship quarterfinal win over Toronto FC on Tuesday saw animosity in the stands boil over, with supporters from both teams brawling during the match.

With both teams set to meet again on Saturday — this time at Stade Saputo in an MLS league match — Montréal said that it would close the away section for the game.

“The incidents that occurred on Tuesday night in Toronto are unfortunate and unacceptable,” read a Montréal club statement. “CF Montréal condemns all acts of violence, and an investigation is underway. The safety of our fans and supporter groups is of paramount importance to the club. No violence of any kind is tolerated at Stade Saputo, nor at any other stadium to which our fans travel.”

“We have consequently made the decision to close the visiting supporters’ section at Stade Saputo for Saturday’s game against Toronto.”

TFC said that the club is “actively investigating” the violence during the match.

“Toronto FC and [Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment] have a zero-tolerance policy for violence, and we continue to prioritize the safety of our fans, players, and staff,” read their statement. “We are committed to ensuring BMO Field is a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

Canada Soccer has released a statement of its own, promising to investigate and saying that they expect to announce a decision on any disciplinary matters next week.

Montréal has acted on this front before, banning one of its own supporters groups in 2021 for what it said were acts of violence, intimidation, vandalism, and the use of unauthorized pyrotechnics.

Tensions have been high at both clubs, as Montréal struggled mightily to start the 2023 season before an uptick in form over the last month has resulted in five straight wins across all competitions.

Toronto, meanwhile, were expected to contend at the top of the Eastern Conference, but have won just twice in the league and sit in 13th place.

That may help explain why the unfortunate scenes weren’t entirely disputes between opposing sets of fans. After the match, video emerged showing a TFC fan — following an apparent verbal altercation with Mark-Anthony Kaye — hurling a megaphone from the stands at the Canada midfielder (note: video contains vulgar language).

Montréal’s win pushed them through to the semifinal of the Canadian Championship, where they’ll face Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League.

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Vancouver Whitecaps win Canadian Championship, Vanni Sartini loses shirt

If you win a trophy, you get to pop your shirt off

The Vancouver Whitecaps are the champions of Canada, lifting the Voyageurs Cup after defeating Toronto FC on penalties at BC Place late on Tuesday.

Brian White put the Whitecaps ahead in the 19th minute, nodding in a Ryan Gauld cross after Vancouver had two chances to recycle a corner kick. TFC—featuring Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi—had a set piece answer of their own, equalizing in the 75th minute. Bernardeschi’s outside-foot service on a short corner picked out Lukas MacNaughton for a point-blank header to level the scores.

Neither side found a late winner, setting the stage for penalty kicks. Vancouver converted all of their first four opportunities, while Jonathan Osorio struck the post in the third round for TFC. Tristan Blackmon went down the middle as Alex Bono leapt left on the Whitecaps’ fifth, setting off wild celebrations at BC Place.

None were wilder than Vanni Sartini, though. The Whitecaps head coach appeared to very quickly go left as Blackmon’s penalty hit the back of the net, in what turned out to be a sort of barrel roll on the BC Place turf.

Sartini got in several fist-pumps from his knees before hopping up to to acknowledge Toronto’s Bob Bradley before taking off towards the rest of the Vancouver bench, popping his shirt off and windmilling it, and then adding in a couple of jumps and a particularly strong fist-pump for good measure.

Sartini then found himself shirtless for a bit longer than planned, as his “Home Is Vancouver” shirt was inside-out, and Whitecaps staffers kept coming over for hugs while he tried to get things sorted out. The shirtlessness lasted for a solid 30 seconds before Sartini could get back into all of his clothing.

The victory means Vancouver are the sixth team to qualify for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, joining Haiti’s Violette AC (who won the Caribbean Club Championship) and four Liga MX representatives (Atlas, Tigres, Léon, and Pachuca).

Celebrate Sartini’s celebrations

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