Trophy on the line for Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place tonight

The Voyageurs Cup will be hoisted at BC Place tonight, as the Vancouver Whitecaps gun for a third-consecutive Canadian Championship victory.

Standing in their way is Toronto FC, a club that is looking for revenge after losing the 2022 final in Vancouver in a dramatic penalty shootout.

Fans may recall the raw emotion that Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini showed that night when he took his shirt off to celebrate.  

CANADIAN CHAMPION VIBES 🏆 👏 🇨🇦

Vancouver Whitecaps FC head coach Vanni Sartini goes tarps off after winning the Voyageurs Cup on penalties 😂

(📹: @onesoccer) #CanChamp #VWFC pic.twitter.com/ieo4Ytcp5V

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) July 27, 2022

“If we do it, it would be a historical three-peat,” Sartini recently told Footy Prime The Podcast. “Maybe I can do like a… you know, a stripper with the pants, poof.” 

Unfortunately, it does appear that Sartini was joking about the pants-off celebration. 

“I’m not planning anything,” Sartini confessed when asked by Daily Hive this week. “All the celebrations that I’ve done in my life, none have been planned. The only thing that I can say candidly in case we win, I will be extremely happy. The happiness can be shown by taking off your top like running around or jumping or like last year, trying to go hug Javain [Brown]. Javain killed me with that hug. He put me in a knockout for a week.”

If Sartini does go sans pants, he would not be the first MLS coach to do so. Sam Adekugbe played for coach Ronny Deila when he was with Valerenga Fotball in Norway. Deila took his pants off after winning the 2021 MLS Cup. 

“I mean, it’s happened,” Adekugbe told Daily Hive. “There was a thing actually with my old club where the coach won something, Ronny Deila was my old manager and he did it when he won with New York City. It’s something that I’ve not, not seen before.”

Ronny Deila… absolute legend! 😂#NYCFC x #MLSCup pic.twitter.com/Ra7UapGgdu

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 12, 2021

If Vancouver wins, would Adekugbe welcome a pants-free Sartini? 

“I’m not going to comment if I want to see Vanni’s underwear,” Adekugbe laughed. 

On the other side of the pitch, John Herdman will be back at BC Place for another Voyageurs Cup final, only this time he will be on the touchline with Toronto FC.

Herdman was at the 2022 final when Sartini caused a commotion with his celebration. 

If Toronto FC is able to pull off an upset, how will Herdman celebrate? 

“Oh wow,” Herdman paused as he spoke to Daily Hive ahead of the final. “I’ll be pretty excited, to be honest, but I haven’t been thinking about my celebrations, I’ll tell you that. Let’s see what comes to us in the moment. [With Vanni], I think it was a forward roll and then the shirt off and then there was a bit of trouble… Vanni’s just a class act. He’s passionate, fun, and he’s tactically one of the best in the league. [I’m] excited to come up against him. I don’t think I’ll be antagonizing him. I know we’ll be shaking hands after the game regardless of who wins.”

Herdman gets asked how he plans to celebrate if his team gets the job done tomorrow night 😂

“I’ll be pretty excited, to be honest. But I haven’t been thinking about my celebrations; I’ll tell you that.” 🤣#TFCLive #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/WcolYsSGSE

— Touchline TFC (@TouchlineTFC) September 24, 2024

The respect between the two coaches extends to players on both teams. Adekugbe, Ali Ahmed, Ryan Raposo, Ralph Priso, Levonte Johnson, Jonathan Osorio, and Richie Laryea know each other. 

Whether it’s from playing against each other growing up or representing Canada, there are bragging rights on the line and friendships that will be put aside for 90 minutes. 

“On both sides, we’re just preparing for this game,” Osorio told Daily Hive on Tuesday. “When we see each other maybe after things get brought up in a respectful way. We have a really good relationship with all those guys that you mentioned. Of course, there’s bragging rights and you want to beat your friends or even your family. We love those guys that we play with on the national team, but that’s all out the window as we’re both trying to win this championship.” 

Toronto FC is the only Canadian franchise to win three consecutive Voyageurs Cup titles and they have accomplished this feat twice. Osorio recognizes what the Whitecaps have won with Sartini at the helm, but it’s been noted that Toronto has much more history. 

“It can’t go unnoticed the things that they have accomplished and the Canadian championships they have won in the last two years,” Osorio said. “At the same time, we are Toronto FC and with all respect to the other clubs, we are historically the biggest club in Canada. That title is up for grabs every year and we both have a chance to take that title.”

The Whitecaps earned a 4-0 victory over Toronto FC in their lone meeting this season on April 6 at BC Place. The winner of the 2024 Voyageurs Cup will earn a spot in the 2025 Concacaf Champions League. 

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