The Vancouver Whitecaps (pictured) celebrate after winning the Amway Canadian Championship on August 26, 2015. (Photo: Bob Frid/Whitecaps FC)

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps became the first team to qualify for the 2016/17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (SCCL) after earning a 2-0 win over the visiting Impact de Montreal in the second leg of the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship final before 19,616 at BC Place. 

The result gave the host – which is also competing in the current SCCL -- a 4-2 aggregate triumph for its first-ever title in the competition after five runner-up finishes. 

"We put on a thoroughly professional performance this evening in a big game," said Vancouver Whitecaps FC manager Carl Robinson, the first person to lift trophy as a player (2009, Toronto) and as a head coach. "We hadn't won this trophy and I kept getting reminded. So (while) we tried to down play it a bit, it was a massive game for the club." 

Canadian midfielder Russell Teibert, 22, was named the George Gross Memorial Trophy winner as the tournament’s most valuable player. Both Teibert and teammate Gershon Koffie, 24, have played in a record five editions of the Amway Canadian Championship (tied with former Toronto FC star Doneil Henry). 

"It is hard to put into words," said Teibert. "I have been here for so long and we have had so many heartbreaks with this tournament. It's about time we won it for the fans and for the club. It's an unbelievable feeling." 

Vancouver’s Octavio Rivero opened the scoring in the 39th minute, guiding the ball over the line after Cristian Techera intercepted an errant pass and fired a shot that trickled past the goalkeeper.

Only nine minutes earlier, Montreal had been reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Victor Cabrera for his second yellow card. 

In the 53rd minute, Vancouver netted an insurance goal thanks to center-back Tim Parker’s header off a Pedro Morales corner kick. The first-year player also scored for the Whitecaps in a 1-1 SCCL draw with the visiting Seattle Sounders on August 5. 

"We talked about this game all week: how the fans and the organization really deserved it," said Parker. "This is a great feeling."  

August 26, 2015: BC Place – Vancouver, Canada (A: 19,616)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (Octavio Rivero 39’; Tim Parker 53’)

Impact de Montreal 0 

Vancouver Whitecaps FC: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker, Jordan Harvey, Gershon Koffie (Matias Laba 84’), Russell Teibert, Cristian Techera, Pedro Morales (Mauro Rosales 67’), Kekuta Manneh, Octavio Rivero (Darren Mattocks 72’). Head Coach: Carl Robinson 

Impact de Montreal: Eric Kronberg; Ambroise Oyongo, Victor Cabrera, Laurent Ciman, Donny Toia, Calum Mallace, Marco Donadel (Eric Alexander 73’), Nigel Reo-Coker, Johan Venegas (Andres Romero 64’), Dominic Oduro (Anthony Jackson-Hamel 64’), Justin Mapp. Head Coach: Frank Klopas 

AMWAY CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

All-Time Champions 

2008 – Impact de

2009 – Toronto FC

2010 – Toronto FC

2011 – Toronto FC

2012 – Toronto FC

2013 – Impact de Montreal

2014 – Impact de Montreal

2015 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC