It would be a bit disingenuous to suggest that tonight's MLS match between Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps is nothing more than an appetizer for Saturday's Voyageurs Cup main course.
After all, tonight's game will likely be seen by a larger crowd, as league matches have tended to fare better on the attendance sheet than Nutrilite Canadian Championship fixtures due in no small part to the fact that the general populace still doesn't "get" the tournament like they do MLS play.
On top of that, TSN will be broadcasting the game tonight -- complete with a half hour pre-game show -- while Rogers Sportsnet ONE is the broadcaster for the V's Cup finale on Saturday afternoon. TSN's reach as the number one all-sports network in Canada is undeniable, while Sportsnet ONE is still struggling to find a home on many cable/satellite packages across the country.
So it's a no brainer which game is the bigger of the two, right?
Actually yes, it's the one that takes place on Saturday.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Let's face it. Tonight's match is -- at best -- a mid-season, mid-week regular season kickabout between two awful MLS teams going nowhere fast. Sure, they may both be ambitiously awaiting the transfer window to open for reinforcements to arrive, but at the moment Toronto and Vancouver are the dregs of Major League Soccer, and tonight's game at BMO Field will be a reflection of that -- even more so if either one or both of the coaching staffs decide to rest their prize fighters for the weekend main event.
That said, there are still a few reasons to watch.
First off, TFC have some bodies coming back from injury, including early season midfield pairing Julian de Guzman and Tony Tchani. Neither have featured for TFC in what seems like forever, and it's been even longer since they've played alongside one another. Look for Aron Winter to give both of his preferred central midfielders at least some playing time on Wednesday night ahead of the Nutrilite final, as the coach seeks to rebuild the competition for spots that he sees as vital for a healthy club.
Also, watch out for the new system put in place by Vancouver interim coach Tom Soehn -- more specifically, we'll get to see first hand how it matches up versus a Toronto side that Teitur Thordarson's tactics (limited as they may have been) had seemed to have figured out. Will Soehn's tactical shift, along with his "new" players injected into the 'Caps side, be as successful against the home-bound Reds as Thordarson's tried-and-true game plan was over the years? (The answer may be a sub-plot in these next two games.)
The third thing to watch out for -- and this may only be applicable on Saturday, depending on how much stock Soehn puts into the NCC vs. MLS debate -- is the match-up between Toronto's central defenders and Vancouver's Eric Hassli. The Reds are literally down to their last options at centre back (who could have foreseen Doneil Henry and Ty Harden as a starting CB pairing?), and while a highly-touted 18-year-old should be getting some minutes as he develops, he may be in over his head going up against the 'Caps behemoth DP striker, especially with a third-string journeyman as his on-field mentor.
Ultimately, this match will likely be forgotten as soon as the final whistle is blown. Regardless of which team comes out on top (if any), those who tend to remember mid-season results will likely be far more focused on what happens on Saturday, while the average fan will probably care about neither of this week's matches by the time the end of the season rolls around.
With that in mind, there is one thing that both teams could strive to achieve in tonight's game, and every match going forward: pride.
It's something that both sides will be playing for quite often for the rest of 2011, if things stay the course.
Toronto FC v. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011. 7:30pm EDT.
BMO Field. Toronto, ON.
Watch: TSN
Listen: FAN590.com, TeamRadio.ca
Rudi Schuller occasionally contributes Toronto FC and Canadian national team content to the 24th Minute. He manages the Euro File here at Canadian Soccer News, and is MLSsoccer.com's beat writer for all things concerning Canada's men's national teams. Follow Rudi on Twitter, @RudiSchuller.