Toronto FC were down 2-1 on aggregate heading into the second leg of the Canadian Championship semi-finals, but it didn’t matter.
They are always competing to win.
A late second-half goal from Lorenzo Insigne gave TFC a 1-0 win over Hamilton’s Forge FC on Tuesday and a place in the Canadian Championship final. It was exactly the score the Reds needed to defeat the Canadian Premier League club and compete for a ninth Voyageurs Cup.
“We want to win every game, so it doesn’t change much,” said defender Henry Wingo, who made his debut as a starter for Toronto FC. “Whether we’re playing Major League Soccer on the weekend, our mentality is always the same. We want to win.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re ahead in this game, we still want to win. We never look for a draw. It’s just the way we operate.”
Toronto FC will face the Whitecaps in the championship final after Vancouver defeated Pacific FC 1-0 at BC Place on Tuesday night. The Whitecaps also won the first leg 1-0. The Caps will host the championship game on September 25.
“Anytime you get the chance to win a trophy it’s a huge honour,” Wingo said. “I think the group, especially in the last few games, has shown the focus and determination to hopefully win the trophy.”
In the first leg of the semi-final at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on July 10, Forsey’s Kwasi Poku and Beni Badibanga scored, while substitute Prince Owusu added a late away goal for TFC.
The final aggregate score was 2-2, but Toronto FC took the lead when Owusu scored an away goal in Hamilton.
“That’s football. The game is played on the margins,” said Bobby Smyrniotis, Forge FC’s head coach. “One team wins one game, one team wins another. We still count away goals, and we’re the only federation in the world that does that.
“If we were playing in UEFA, we’d be taking a penalty shoot-out right now, but we’re not. This is where we are.”
Toronto FC pressed from the start, looking to not only win the game but also take the semi-final lead on aggregate. The Reds had possession for 69% of the first half and were particularly aggressive in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Ousu had TFC’s best chance of the first half in the 31st minute, latching onto Federico Bernardeschi’s cross with his foot but it bounced over the crossbar despite being just yards from goal.
Insigne was shown a yellow card in the 37th minute for pulling Badibanga’s beard during a scuffle after a second strong tackle sent both of them to the ground.
But Posey’s defense was strong and, despite being caught up in Toronto’s relentless onslaught, it did not crumble.
“They made us work for it,” TFC head coach John Herdman said. “It’s never going to be easy. We’ve had our fair share of chances, but that’s where our team is. We’re fighting. We’re all fighting together.”
Insigne finally gave Toronto FC the attack they needed in the 49th minute.
Midfielder Derek Etienne Junior played a short pass to Bernardeschi at the top of the box, who crossed to Insigne, who was wide on the left wing. He volleyed the ball into the net and then ran to the west stand, urging the TFC fans to cheer louder.
The clock was ticking in Forge FC’s favour before the goal, but they had to push harder as a 1-0 win for Toronto would have seen them eliminated from the Canadian Championship.
This gave both teams a chance to get into the game, with TFC almost going two goals ahead in the 64th minute.
Etienne found Bernardeschi unmarked on the right side of the box. He fired a quick shot past Posey goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat, but it bounced off the far post.
Five minutes later, Bernardeschi crossed into the box again from the left wing but Ousu could not head the ball home.
Substitute Nana Opoku Amphoma almost equalised for Posey in the 79th minute. Marked by a TFC defender in the box, he looped in midfield and put on a clean boot to slot into the net. However, a diving Johnson punched away to keep the clean sheet.
