TFC’s Giovinco to sit out first leg of Canadian Championship final

Sebastian Giovinco. (Chris Young/CP)

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps won’t have to worry about the Atomic Ant in the first leg of the Canadian Championship final.

A Toronto FC spokesman has confirmed that Sebastian Giovinco did not make the trip to Vancouver for Wednesday night’s game at B.C. Place Stadium.

The Italian striker is coming off a busy week that saw him make an appearance at the MLS all-star game in Atlanta, where Toronto subsequently rallied for a 2-2 comeback tie with league-leading Atlanta United on the weekend.

Giovinco has seven goals and 11 assists in 19 MLS games this season.

Toronto (6-11-5), needing to pick up points to climb the league ladder, hosts New York City FC (13-5-5) on Sunday.

TFC, unbeaten in its last five games (4-0-1) in all competitions, is in the midst of a five-game, 15-day stretch.

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