All–Canadian USL-1 Final Set
The USL Final is set and it will be an all-Canadian affair with the Vancouver Whitecaps taking on the Montreal Impact.
Portland 3-3 Vancouver (Whitecaps take the series 5-4 aggregate)
Brian Farber scored two first half goals for Commissioners Cup champion Portland Timbers but it just wasn’t enough as 14,283 fans watched from PGE Park.
The Whitecaps came back from being down 2-1 at halftime to tie the game with the Timbers. The final result was a high scoring affair with both teams logging 3 goals.
The 3-3 score left a final aggregate score of 5-4 to Vancouver’s favor. Vancouver had beaten Portland in Burnaby, BC on Thursday evening with a score of 2-1.
Montreal 2-1 Puerto Rico (Impact take the series 4-2 aggregate)
Montreal was outshot 6-1 in the first half of the second leg at Estadio Juan Ramón Lubriel in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. But that only shot from Montreal’s Peter Boyle was the only one that found the back of the net for either team in the first half of Sunday’s contest, leaving Montreal with a 1-0 lead at the half.
The Islanders continued to have the better of play the second half and drew the score even when a penalty was awarded to Puerto Rico in the 87th minute. Josh Hanson took the spot kick which pulled the Islanders even with Montreal.
In the last wild remaining minutes of the game, Montreal’s Eduardo Sebrango, who was subbed in at the 60 minute mark, redirected a ball into the goal from Leonardo Di Lorenzo. The goal was scored in stoppage time sealing the game at 2-1 for Montreal. The Impact took the series with a 4-2 aggregate score after a identical 2-1 victory on Thursday night in Montreal.
The unlikely finalists now head into next weekend’s first leg of the playoff finals. Vancouver was the 7th place team in the league and Montreal finished the season in 5th place, leaving a unexpected final of two Canadian teams that had very average seasons.
Game 1 is Saturday Oct. 10, in Vancouver at 9:30 p.m. Game 2 is Saturday, Oct. 17, at 5 p.m. at Saputo Stadium.
This is the first year that USL-1 has held a home and away final series with a total goals winner. Past championships have been single game contests.
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