Two away goals set the tone for Impact
York9 FC certainly put up a valiant effort, Wednesday night in its York Lions Stadium, when it hosted the Impact for the first leg of the Canadian Championship quarterfinal. Earning a draw in its first game against an MLS club is certainly something they can be proud of, but Montreal’s two away goals – including the one scored in second-half stoppage time – should be advantageous for Rémi Garde’s men heading into the second leg, on Wednesday, July 24 at 7:30 pm at Stade Saputo (TICKETS – 98.5, TSN 690). A win would see the Impact qualify for the next round, where they’ll take on either CPL side Cavalry FC or the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Both teams fought to a scoreless draw in their first leg on Wednesday night.
“We will simply have to battle for 90 minutes,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde, addressing the media following the draw in the Toronto suburb. “As we saw in this one, there were ups and downs for both teams. I think things could have gone better for us. We had a chance to take control, but we lacked focus and we paid for it at the end.”
The Impact managed to open the scoring in the second half when Omar Browne pounced on a defensive error, but two quick goals from the home side in the last 10 minutes gave York9 FC the lead, forcing the Montreal side to pick up the pace in the final minutes.
“Right now, we’re in a period of the season where we concede too many goals that look the same,” said Impact midfielder Samuel Piette. “I think we need to correct this. But we fought hard and so did they. In a home-and-away series, scoring two away goals is very beneficial.”
The Impact will now return home for an MLS clash with its biggest rival, Toronto FC.
“We played against a good team, but we need to be better at home,” said centre-back Rudy Camacho. “Better in our engagement, technically, and in the runs we make. We need to be better, and we owe it to our supporters to win the second leg.”
