Toronto, Vancouver advance to final of Canadian championship

The Canadian championship final will be an all-MLS affair.

Toronto FC made quick work of FC Edmonton while Vancouver needed extra time to put away the Montreal Impact in the final legs of their semifinal matchups Wednesday night.

Rookie Joao Plata set up Alan Gordon in the 21st minute for the lone goal in TFC's 1-0 victory over Edmonton. The Reds cruised to a 4-0 aggregate win over the NASL side and are in position to claim their third consecutive Voyageurs Cup.

Vancouver, meanwhile, yielded an 83rd-minute penalty kick to Montreal's Ali Gerba that forced their tie into extra time. The Whitecaps had won the first leg in Montreal, 1-0, and Gerba's goal leveled the aggregate score and gave each team an away goal.

After a scoreless first period of extra time, Vancouver's Mouloud Akloul finished a rebound off Alain Rochat's free kick in the 113th minute to put the Whitecaps back on top on aggregate, 2-1. They had to survive Gerba's header that hit the post in the final seconds to advance, though. Had Gerba scored, Montreal would have been through to the final via away goals.

The two-legged final begins May 18 at Empire Field and wraps up on May 25 at BMO Field, with the winner cementing a place in the 2011-2012 CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round.

In their only meeting in MLS play, Vancouver topped Toronto, 4-2, at Empire Field in the season opener for both teams. Eric Hassli scored twice for the Whitecaps, who also got goals from Russell Teibert and Atiba Harris. Then-TFCer Dwayne De Rosario leveled the score at 1-1, and Maicon Santos scored a late consolation goal for the Reds.

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Who do you see winning the Canadian championship? Surprised Vancouver had a difficult time putting away Montreal? Which team has a better chance at succeeding in the Champions League?

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