Vancouver Whitecaps FC win the 2023 Canadian Championship

Vancouver Whitecaps FC are back-to-back Canadian Championship winners after a 2:1 victory over visiting CF Montréal in the 2023 Final. Whitecaps FC won the match and lifted the Voyageurs Cup after second-half goals by Brian White and Ryan Gauld.

The match featured 20,072 spectators for the Final at BC Place on Wednesday 7 June. Julian Gressel was named the recipient of the George Gross Memorial Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament while Ali Ahmed won the Toyota Best Young Player Award.

White opened the scoring early in the second half after a Gressel ball into the box tricked goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois and fell into the path of White and the empty net. Gauld scored the 2-0 goal from the penalty spot while Montréal’s Sunusi Ibrahim got one back in the 83rd minute on a pass from Mathieu Choinière. Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka was sharp in the dying moments making several important saves, including a leaping save on an Ibrahim header in the 92nd minute.

Early in the match, Sirois was on point for Montréal as he made an excellent save on a Triston Blackmon header in the sixth minute and then an even better leg save in the seventh minute on a shot from Levonte Johnson.

In the last few minutes before the break, Sirois made a terrific hand save on a Brian White shot, then stopped a high shot from Gressel. Down at the other end on a run by Whitecaps, Ariel Lassiter tried to Takaoka through his legs, but the Vancouver goalkeeper made the save.

The 23 players that helped Vancouver Whitecaps FC win the 2023 Canadian Championship across three rounds were Ali Ahmed, Simon Becher, Sebastian Berhalter, Tristan Blackmon, Javain Brown, Déiber Caicedo, Sergio Cordova Andrés Cubas, Ryan Gauld, Julian Gressel, Thomas Hasal, Levonte Johnson, Mathias Laborda, Luís Martins, Jean-Claude Ngando, Ryan Raposo, Alessandro Schöpf, Yohei Takoaka, Russell Teibert, Ranko Veselinović, Pedro Vite, Brian White and Karifa Yao.

2023 Canadian Championship Final

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 : 1 CF Montréal
2023-06-08  Vancouver, BC, CAN
OneSoccer ; BC Place, att. 20,072
Referee / arbitre : Filip Dujic (Michael Barwegen, Lyes Arfa, Yusri Rudolf)

Goals / Buts :
VANC 57′ Brian White (right foot / pied droit) 1-0
VANC 65′ Ryan Gauld (PK left foot / pied gauche) 2-0 
MONT 83′ Sunusi Ibrahim (right foot / pied droit) 2-1 (a.Mathieu Choinière)

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC : 18 GK Yohei Takaoka, 23 Javain Brown, 4 Ranko Veselinović, 6 Tristan Blackmon, 27 Ryan Raposo (14 Luís Martins 59′), 19 Julian Gressel (7 Déiber Caicedo 89′), 20 Andres Cuba, 31 Russel Teibert capt.(45 Pedro Vite 59′), 28 Levonte Johnson (16 Sebastian Berhalter 73′), 25 Ryan Gauld, 24 Brian White (9 Sergio Cordova 89′). Coach / entraîneur Vanni Sartini.  Unused subs / substituts non utilisés: 1 GK Thomas Hasal; 29 Simon Becher.

CF MONTRÉAL : 40 GK Jonathan Sirois, 25 Gabriele Corbo (10 Bryce Duke 84′), 4 Rudy Camacho, 16 Joel Waterman, 2 Victor Wanyama (21 Lassi Lappalainen 67′), 22 Aaron Herrera (15 Zachary Brault-Guillard 67′), 11 Ariel Lassiter, 29 Mathieu Choinière, 7 Ahmed Hamdi (19 Nathan Saliba 67′), 14 Sunusi Ibrahim, 9 Chinonso Offor (13 Mason Toye 78′). Coach / entraîneur  Hernan Losada. Unused subs / substituts non utilisés :41 GK James Pantemis; 24 George Campbell.

Canadian Championship

Canada Soccer’s Canadian Championship, also known as the Battle of the North, is the nation’s highest men’s domestic competition featuring clubs from coast to coast across the country, notably professional teams in Major League Soccer and the Canadian Premier League as well as league winners in League1 BC, League1 Ontario and League1 Québec.). Winners of the Canadian Championship lift the Voyageurs Cup and qualify to the annual international competition, Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. Winners of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League then qualify to the FIFA Club World Cup.

The Voyageurs Cup has been awarded to the Canadian Championship winner since 2008. Created by the Voyageurs Canadian Supporters group, the trophy represents Canadian fans’ commitment to the game in our country. At the completion of the competition, the tournament MVP is named as the George Gross Memorial Trophy Award winner. The Young Canadian Player Award is awarded to the best Canadian player in the competition 23 years of age or under.

Canadian Championship Past Winners
2023 : Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2022 : Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2021 : CF Montréal
2020 (2022) : Toronto FC
2019 : Impact de Montréal
2018 :Toronto FC
2017 : Toronto FC
2016 : Toronto FC
2015 :Whitecaps FC de Vancouver
2014 : Impact de Montréal
2013 : Impact de Montréal
2012 : Toronto FC
2011 : Toronto FC
2010 :Toronto FC
2009 : Toronto FC
2008 :Impact de Montréal