Impact hosts Toronto FC in first leg Wednesday
“There’s a final on Wednesday, and it’s not every day you get to play in a final.”
These were the words spoken by goalkeeper Evan Bush Saturday night, following a 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati at Stade Saputo. It was a tough loss, in the sense that Wilmer Cabrera’s men remain on the outside looking in regarding the playoff picture, three points behind the New England Revolution, in seventh.
Montreal’s playoff hopes are definitely still alive with three games to go in the MLS regular season, and there’s still everything to play for. But this week, the focus shifts to an equally important objective: beating Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship final, winning a 10th Voyageurs Cup, and booking a ticket to the 2020 Concacaf Champions League.
Some would say it isn’t the best time to face our biggest rival in a final of this magnitude: Toronto FC has been hot as of late, losing just one game since late July, a sequence that’s allowed Greg Vanney’s men to climb to fourth in the East with just a handful of games to go. The Impact, on its end, has lost three of its last four games in league play, including a difficult 2-1 loss to TFC at BMO Field.
But perhaps that’s what makes it the perfect time to take on the Reds. A win against a hated opponent on the biggest stage may be exactly what the team’s confidence needs to finish the season positively and fight for a playoff spot until the very end.
“It’s important for us to remember how we feel coming off the field after a game like this. It’s important to play with that anger,” said goalkeeper Evan Bush. “We have a chance to get out of league play and focus on something other than the form we’ve been in. They’re going to come in licking their chops, and we can use that to our advantage.”
And if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the high emotion games against the Ontarian enemy, it’s that anything can happen.
“We need to see this as an opportunity,” said midfielder Samuel Piette. “Every time we play Toronto, they’re always different games. It’s our direct rival and a team we don’t like. If we can win this championship, it’ll be a positive point in our season, one we didn’t get to experience last year.”
You can purchase tickets for the first leg of the final, taking place at Stade Saputo on Wednesday, September 18, at 7:30pm, by visiting impactmontreal.com. The second leg will take place the following Wednesday, September 25, at BMO Field, where the Voyageurs Cup will be presented to the victor.
