Lorenzo Insigne helps Toronto FC reach Canadian Championship final

TORONTO — It didn't matter to Toronto FC that they were trailing 2-1 on aggregate heading into the second leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal.

They're always playing to win.

Lorenzo Insigne's goal early in the second half carried TFC to a 1-0 win over Hamilton-based Forge FC on Tuesday and a berth in the Canadian Championship final. It was exactly the kind of score the Reds needed to dispatch the Canadian Premier League club and compete for their ninth Voyageurs Cup.

"It doesn't really change much, because we want to win every single game," said defender Henry Wingo, who made his debut as a Toronto FC starter. "Whether we're playing on the weekend in Major League Soccer, the mentality is always the same: we want to win.

"Whether we were ahead coming into this game, it doesn't matter. We still want to win. We're never playing for a draw, it's just the way we operate."

Toronto FC will face the Whitecaps in the championship final after Vancouver dispatched Pacific FC 1-0 on Tuesday night at BC Place. The Whitecaps also won the first leg 1-0. The Caps will host the championship match on Sept. 25.

"Anytime you have the chance to win a trophy, it's a huge honour," said Wingo. "I think the group, especially in these last couple of games, has showed the focus and the determination that it's going to take to hopefully win a trophy."

Kwasi Poku and Beni Badibanga scored for Forge in the semifinal's opening leg on July 10 at Hamilton's Tim Hortons Field before substitute Prince Owusu got a critical late away goal for TFC.

Although the final aggregate score was 2-2, Toronto FC got the edge because of Owusu's away goal in Hamilton.

"That's football, the game is played on margins," said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. "One team won one game, one team one another one. We still count away goals, the only confederation in the world.

"If we're playing in UEFA, we'd be in penalty shots right now, but we're not. This is where we are."

Toronto FC pressed from the outset, working to not just win the match but take the semifinal's lead on aggregate. The Reds possessed the ball 69 per cent of the first half and were especially aggressive in the first 10 minutes of play.

Owusu got TFC's best first-half chance in the 31st minute, putting his foot on a cross from Federico Bernardeschi, but it deflected over the crossbar despite being within a few yards of the goal.

Insigne earned a yellow card in the 37th minute after tugging on Badibanga's beard when they squared up after a second hard tackle took them both to the ground.

Forge's defence held strong, however, bending but not breaking under Toronto's constant attack.

"They made us work for it," said TFC head coach John Herdman. "It was never going to be easy. We had quite a few chances but it's where our team is at. We're fighting, we're really all fighting together."

Insigne finally got the offence Toronto FC needed in the 49th minute.

Midfielder Derrick Etienne Jr. made a short pass from the top of the box to Bernardeschi, who sailed a cross to a wide-open, streaking Insigne on the left wing. He volleyed the ball directly into the net, then sprinted to the stadium's west stand, cupping his ears to urge TFC fans to cheer louder.

The clock had been on Forge FC's side until the goal, but with a potential 1-0 Toronto victory eliminating them from the Canadian Championship, they had to start pressing themselves.

That opened play up for both sides, with TFC almost taking a commanding two-goal lead in the 64th minute.

Etienne found an unmarked Bernardeschi inside the right side of the box. He made a quick shot past Forge 'keeper Jassem Koleilat but it hit the far post and ricocheted away.

Five minutes later, Bernardeschi swung another cross through the box, this time from the left wing, that Owusu failed to head into the net.

Substitution Nana Opoku Ampomah almost equalized for Forge in the 79th minute. Although marked by a TFC defender in the box, he got a clean boot on a looping pass from midfield, sending it in on net. A diving Johnson punched it away, however, to maintain his clean sheet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2024.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press