Trillium Cup

Trillium Cup

Inaugurated	2008
Teams	Columbus Crew Toronto FC
Overall Series Score	3-1 (Crew)
Length	2 games (Points during series)
Current Champions	Toronto FC
Current Season Schedule	April 23rd, 2011 1-1 September 10th, 2011 2-4
Current Series Score	4:1
Stadium(s) Used	Columbus Crew Stadium BMO Field

The Trillium Cup is an annual, two-team rivalry between the Columbus Crew and Toronto FC (TFC) of Major League Soccer (MLS). The Trillium Cup is named after the trillium, which is both the official flower of the Canadian province of Ontario, and the official wildflower of the U.S. state of Ohio. The rivalries draw on the team's similarities: two teams are geographically near the Great Lakes that border the United States and Canada and both teams also play in soccer-specific stadium that have been built in the central city, as opposed to other MLS clubs that have built their stadium mainly in the suburbs. The cup is awarded to the team that wins the most points from the series at the season's end. In the event of a draw on points, the first tiebreak is determined by the away goals rule, then by the team with the largest overall goal differential at the conclusion of the match.

The Trillium Cup was instituted in 2008, the second season of Toronto FC's play in MLS. The inaugural game of the Trillium Cup was played on March 29, 2008 at Columbus Crew Stadium.

The initial rivalry between the Trillium teams was supported by the mayors of the respective cities. In 2008, Mayor Michael Coleman of Columbus and Mayor David Miller of Toronto started a small wager on their respective team for the first installment of the Trillium Cup - the mayor of the losing team was required to wear the winning team's jersey.

The rivalry became more intense when TFC fans bought 2,500 tickets to the inaugural game at Columbus Crew Stadium, with buses organized for fans from Toronto heading to Columbus for the first game on March 29, 2008. The Crew won 2-0 over their new rival. The second and third meetings, at Toronto's BMO Field, were ties; 0-0 and 1-1, respectively. The Crew claimed the inaugural Trillium Cup with a 5:2 score on points earned.

As of the end of the 2010 MLS season, the result of the rivalry has been somewhat one sided. The Columbus Crew happen to be the only MLS team that Toronto FC has never defeated, with a record since joining the MLS in 2007 of 0 wins, 5 losses and 6 ties in their matches with Columbus (0-3-5 since the 2008 start of the Trillium Cup).

In 2011, Toronto FC defeated Columbus 4-2, recording their first ever win against the Crew and securing their first Trillium Cup.

Winners by year

Year	Winner	Score +-
2011	Toronto FC	4:1
2010	Columbus Crew	4:1
2009	Columbus Crew	5:2
2008	Columbus Crew	5:2

+ Points based on Wins (3), Ties (1) & Losses (0)
- Tiebreakers: 1) Away Goals For, 2) Goal Differential, 3) Previous Year Winners

A Trillium, the provincial flower of Ontario and the state wildflower of Ohio

Series Results

2011

Venue	Date	CLB score	TFC score
BMO Field	23 April	1	1
Columbus Crew Stadium	10 September	2	4

2010

Venue	Date	CLB score	TFC score
Columbus Crew Stadium	27 March	2	0
BMO Field	16 October	2	2

2009

Venue	Date	CLB score	TFC score
Columbus Crew Stadium	28 March	1	1
BMO Field	2 May	1	1
Columbus Crew Stadium	25 July	3	2

2008

Venue	Date	CLB score	TFC score
Columbus Crew Stadium	29 March	2	0
BMO Field	17 May	0	0
BMO Field	13 September	1	1

See Also

• Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup, a preseason match played between FC Dallas and Columbus Crew
• MLS rivalry cups
• Columbus Crew
• Toronto FC