Knight: The ball that decided it all

Globe and Mail Blog Post

July 23, 2008 at 1:56 PM EST

The ball came singing off the Montreal Impact goalpost on 89 minutes.[amp]nbsp; It fell dead at the feet of Toronto FC striker Jeff Cunningham, three yards out from goal, with gallant goalie Matt Jordan out of position – out of business.

Cunningham fluffed it.[amp]nbsp; Jordan got back.

On that ball rode the Voyageurs Cup, the Canadian men's pro soccer championship and a treasured place in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League.

1-1 final on the night. Montreal advances because they got six out of six possible points in games against the Vancouver Whitecaps, whilst Toronto brought home only one.

“I fail to understand how that man has scored 99 goals in this league,” a disbelieving TFC coach John Carver told a packed media room after the match.[amp]nbsp; It's one of the most stunning public putdowns – of a player, by a coach – that I have ever heard.[amp]nbsp; And for what little it's worth, I agree completely.

But this was Montreal's night, so this shall be Montreal's story.

They had about 50 fans, tucked into the highest, furthest northeast corner of Toronto's BMO Field.[amp]nbsp; They had a large banner saying “Make us proud.”[amp]nbsp; They had 20,000 red-clad maniacs chanting, stomping and singing against them.

Those fans saw Toronto take the early lead – right in front of them – when Jim Brennan looped a delicious lob pass across the Montreal area for a rising Rohan Ricketts to nod home perfectly.[amp]nbsp; At that point, TFC was in control, and “Impact” was something the visitors were receiving, rather than dishing out.

But the match was tied by halftime, thanks to a headed corner-kick conversion from Roberto Brown.[amp]nbsp; From then on, the main plotline was the stuttering TFC attack, crashing wave-on-wave on Montreal's game, determined and possibly just a little bit lucky defence.

Then Cunningham fluffed, and Montreal carried the day – despite standing second-to-last in the 11-team USL.[amp]nbsp; The TFC fans poured out quickly, and the distant singing of those 50 Montreal voices could – at last – be heard throughout the park.[amp]nbsp; They boogied in the white, wind-blown smoke of a single hand-held chemical device.[amp]nbsp; It was a party against the odds, and they were loving it.

When the Impact players finally got their hands on the Voyageurs Cup, they exultantly ran it over to the northeast corner as their happy fans poured down from the nosebleed seats.[amp]nbsp; All concerned leapt and cheered as rainclouds gathered and the raucous, noisy stadium fell quiet.

This victory – appropriately – is going to be good for Canadian soccer.[amp]nbsp; Not only does it give the Impact and their fans something to show up for in a season that had been sadly sliding away, it nicely raises the franchise's profile.[amp]nbsp; The Impact – and wealthy owner Joey Saputo – are actively pursuing top-flight status, hopefully as early as 2011.[amp]nbsp; Winning Canada's first legitimate professional cup final and carrying the maple leaf to Central America next month will not hurt their chances at all.

This three-team competition has proved an interesting study of the gap between top-flight MLS and its lower-ranked counterloop, USL-1.[amp]nbsp; We're learning that the gap is not really that wide.[amp]nbsp; Sure, there are better players at the top of MLS, but the salary cap squeezes mid-ranked players out, leaving lower-priced, less-talented practitioners to round out the rosters.[amp]nbsp; Those mid-cut players congregate in USL-1, and up and down the continent, in various cup competitions, USL sides are routinely dropping the MLS “big boys.”

For Toronto FC, this will be the one that got away.[amp]nbsp; The cup was there to be won – frequently – and in the end not even the crazed commitment of their dauntlessly devoted supporters could help them get it done.

The need for new strikers is now officially desperate.[amp]nbsp; Frankly, it's a job that should have been done by now.[amp]nbsp; What is the point of all those accumulated allocations, cash reserves, international roster spots and draft picks if there was no seasoned professional goal poacher out there to tap home that dying quail of a ball in the 89th minute?[amp]nbsp; Building for the future is fine and commendable, but this was The Game, and nobody was there to answer the bell when it finally – and desperately – rang.

And I have to say, as a fan, I hope Jeff Cunningham's whiff was his final act in a Toronto FC jersey – and I'm far from the only one.

Well done, Montreal![amp]nbsp; Go make us all proud in the Champions Cup.

Onward!

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