PREVIEW – The Vancouver Whitecaps host CF Montreal for the Canadian Championship Final this Wednesday, June 7th, in what will be another all-MLS affair for the Voyageurs Cup. The Whitecaps last won the trophy last year in a stellar shoot-out win over Toronto FC at home to claim their second Voyageurs Cup, and now have the opportunity to win it back-to-back for the first time in their history. Meanwhile, Montreal will look to win it for a sixth time, with their last trophy victory coming in 2021 when they also beat Toronto FC in a 1-0 win.
History On The Line: Whitecaps vs Montreal Match Predictions
Whitecaps Current Run of Form
GOAL 🏔️🏔️🏔️#VWFC take a 3-0 lead over #PacificFC as Simon Becher rounds out another strong forward drive 💪
🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgRAE pic.twitter.com/ihK7ai4RHy
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 25, 2023
The Vancouver Whitecaps have been in decent form lately across all competitions. They have won three, drawn one, and lost one game in their five matches, and currently sit sixth in the Western Conference. ‘Caps reached their seventh Voyageurs Cup Final after beating York United 4-1 in the Quarter-Finals and Pacific FC 3-0 in the Semi-finals. They did not have to play in the first round since they were finalists last year. Whitecaps have been one of the strongest teams at home in the MLS, going undefeated in their last nine games. Their last match at home was a rollercoaster as they managed to equalize in the last moments of the match against Sporting Kansas City last Saturday. Whitecaps fans will be hoping that they see improvement from that match where it felt like the team was not clicking as usual, in the final on Wednesday.
CF Montreal Current Run of Form
Zachary Brault-Guillard 🇨🇦 opens the scoring for @cfmontreal on a swift counter attack!#CanChamppic.twitter.com/n1L3N8Km3g
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 9, 2023
CF Montreal, on the other hand, has been in mixed form this season. They have two wins, two losses and one draw in their last five, and sit tenth in the Eastern Conference, one place outside playoffs. They began the season poorly, winning only one of their first seven, with the other six matches all being losses. Head Coach Hernan Losada has managed to turn it around though, with the crucial game being that 2-0 win over Vaughn Azzuri in the first round of the Canadian Championship. Since then, they went on a five-game winning streak before coming back down to earth in a loss against Eastern Conference leaders FC Cincinnati in mid-May. Part of that run was a 2-1 victory over Voyageurs Cup juggernauts Toronto FC in Toronto in the quarter-finals of the competition before they swept past Forge in a 2-0 win at home. CF Montreal fans will hope that the sacrifice of the loss to Philadelphia Union this past Saturday, where they heavily rotated ahead of this match, was worth it to upset the home crowd and take home their sixth Voyageurs Cup.
Recent Head-to-Head
The last time these two teams met was on April 1st when Montreal were made to look the fools after being thumped 5-0 at BC Place by the Whitecaps. Rudy Camacho got a red card early in the first half, which eased the challenge for Vancouver in that match. These two teams have faced 16 times since both entered MLS, with Vancouver edging out the rivalry with eight wins to Montreal’s seven, meaning they only have one tie between them. The last time Montreal won in BC was in 2020, in a thrilling 4-2 victory that saw two red cards and an own goal for Camacho. However, since then, Whitecaps have won three straight games at home, with a cumulative goal difference of 10 to 1. The last time these two teams faced in the Canadian Championship was in the semi-final of the 2018 iteration, where the Whitecaps beat Montreal 2-1 on aggregate before going on to lose to Toronto FC in the final 7-4 across two legs.
Whitecaps vs Montreal Predictions
Our journey to the Voyageurs Cup wraps tomorrow 🍁🏆
Don’t miss the finale at BC Place @ 7pm!#VWFC| #VANvMTL
— x – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) June 6, 2023
With it being a cup match, the old “magic of the cup” saying is in full force, as anything can happen. Historically, form has never been the best indicator for this competition, but it still remains one of the best ways to predict the game. The Whitecaps have the home advantage, which was a huge asset in their shoot-out win over Toronto last year, and also have the better form at home. However, Montreal has shown that they are able to upset a home crowd after defeating Toronto FC in the quarter-finals at BMO Field. Nevertheless, all signs point to a Vancouver Whitecaps victory but expect a tight final score like a 2-1 or a 1-0.
Photo Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports, of an Ali Ahmed Headshot and a Mathieu Choiniere Headshot, on April 1, 2023.
