A few days only after the end of the epic run in Champions League, the Montreal Impact is set to defend its two consecutive Canadian Championship against Toronto FC.
The first leg of the semifinal series will be played on Wednesday at Stade Saputo, and a few changes in the tournament’s schedule will come into effect.
Following the semifinal series that will be played over the next two weeks, the 2015 edition of the Amway Canadian Championship finals will shift to an August timeframe, after completion of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, held in Canada, and respecting CONCACAF Gold Cup dates. This year’s champion will represent Canada in the 2016/2017 CONCACAF Champions League.
Previously, the Canadian Champion qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League beginning the same year. As the Impact was last year’s champions, the team embarked on its Champions League journey last summer with group play against the Red Bulls and El Salvador’s CD FAS, qualifying for the knockout stages earlier this year, in January.
Given the revised timeframe for the 2015 event, the competition will not be played in time to determine the Canadian representative for this year’s Champions League tournament. As a result, the participating clubs agreed that the Canadian team with the most points at the end of the 2014 MLS regular season, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, would be appointed as Canada’s representative for the 2015 Champions League.
Starting in 2016 and for subsequent editions, the Amway Canadian Championship will resume its format and be played in a new, more club and fan friendly timeframe of June and July.
After IMFC’s recent historical run in Champions League, the club and its fans will have to wait until next year for another shot at continental glory. To avoid a two year layoff from the CONCACAF tournament, winning the 2015 Canadian Cup, for a third year in a row, will be essential, beginning with the semifinal series starting this Wednesday at 7:30pm EDT (ticketmaster.ca).
