'It's an enormous game': Whitecaps relish chance to take on TFC for Canadian title

VANCOUVER — When the Vancouver Whitecaps next take the field, it will be for the club's most important game in years, says head coach Vanni Sartini.

The 'Caps have a chance to hoist the Voyageurs Cup on Tuesday when they host Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship final.

“I think it’s a big big big game for a club, especially a club like us that we haven’t won a trophy since 2015 and it would be only our second Canadian Championship," Sartini said. "So I think it’s an enormous game.

"And I think that besides winning a trophy, I think it would give us the boost to fight for the (Major League Soccer) playoffs until the end.”

Vancouver has won the tournament just once, in 2015, and hasn't back been to the final since 2018 when it lost to Toronto.

Striker Tosaint Ricketts was on that TFC squad and vividly remembers how it felt to lift the Cup. He's hoping to experience the feeling again Tuesday — this time with his Whitecaps teammates.

"(Winning) feels like you're the best team in Canada," Ricketts said. "That’s what it's about — it's bragging rights, all the motivation is there. We're playing a team that we come up against a lot of times, and that are considered our rivals and we want to win.”

Vancouver is coming off an ugly 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire in MLS play on Saturday. The 'Caps gave up a goal just 13 minutes in and struggled defensively, allowing the visitors ample scoring opportunities.

The team will need to take a different approach against Toronto, Sartini said, starting from kickoff.

“What we need to do is to be ourselves and to be very organized and to really not leave anything to their initiative and be the owner of the game from minute one," he said.

"Of course, (Toronto has) quality players, but the