MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact plays the deciding leg of its Amway Canadian Championship semifinal tie, this Wednesday night at Stade Saputo, hosting rivals Toronto FC at 7:30pm EDT (RDS2, TSN2, 985sports.ca [pregame show at 7:15pm] & CJAD 800 [pregame show at 7pm]).
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Excellent tickets are still available for this game on impactmontreal.com. The Impact advises supporters to get to Stade Saputo early and to use public transit. Pie-IX Blvd. will be partially closed in the northbound direction, from Pierre-de-Coubertin Ave. to Mont-Royal Ave., preventing vehicles from turning right on Sherbrooke East St. Traffic disruptions are also scheduled on Pierre-de-Coubertin Ave., between Viau St. and Pie-IX Blvd., until the end of the season.
Down 4-0 with five minutes to play, last Wednesday in the away leg, the Impact showed character by scoring twice before full time to return to Montreal with a two-goal deficit. The Bleu-blanc-noir now has to pick up a win by three goals or more, a 2-0 win or a 3-1 win to directly progress to the final, without extra time being played.
“We’ve highlighted the positives – the score, the two late goals – that can help us when we’re back here at home,” said head coach Mauro Biello. “We have to attack in a balanced way as well as defend in a balanced way. With this approach, we can get the result.”
Canadian clubs can only qualify for continental competition through the Canadian championship. The winning team will lift the Voyageurs Cup and represent Canada in the 2017-18 CONCACAF Champions League. The Impact was a finalist in the 2014-15 edition.
A two-goal gap to close down
With its two late goals, last Wednesday night, the Impact must overturn a 2-4 deficit against Toronto.
“We want to achieve something good,” said defender Hassoun Camara. “We’re going to have our crowd behind us. We’ll do everything to relive great moments. We’ve learned from the loss, and we’ll try to use the lessons to progress in the best way.”
The Bleu-blanc-noir will welcome back some key elements on Wednesday night. Ambroise Oyongo, who helped Cameroon qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations last week, and Víctor Cabrera, who has recovered from an injury, will both be available for selection.
Centre back Laurent Ciman, meanwhile, remains with the Belgium national team, which will begin its Euro 2016 campaign in France next Monday, against Italy, while full back Donny Toia has returned to light training only.
In midfield, Johan Venegas is still at the Copa América Centenario with Costa Rica (which takes on the United States on Tuesday), while captain Patrice Bernier is suspended as he was sent off in the first leg in Toronto. Ignacio Piatti will miss the next three weeks of action due to a hand surgery. Calum Mallace (foot) and Marco Donadel (ankle) are also unavailable.
TFC’s youth on display
From the four TFC Academy products that started last Wednesday’s game, two stood out by scoring a brace: midfielder Jonathan Osorio and forward Jordan Hamilton, who are tied for first in the competition’s scoring charts.
Never had TFC scored four goals at its BMO Field home in Canadian Championship play. Toronto’s task will be complicated in Montreal, however, as the Impact has only conceded two goals to MLS opposition at home in the Canadian Championship since joining MLS in 2012.
Michael Bradley, TFC’s leader in midfield, is currently at the Copa América Centenario, with the United States. On the injury list, Jozy Altidore (hamstring) remains unavailable, while Sebastian Giovinco (adductor), Tsubasa Endoh (leg), Will Johnson (hip flexor) and Josh Williams (undisclosed) may be at Stade Saputo on Wednesday night.
“Wednesday can’t come soon enough,” said Dominic Oduro. “Practice has been really sharp, and everybody’s really excited to fix this. We want to fix this. We know the rivalry between us and Toronto. We want to make it right, and we want to show it on the field on Wednesday.”
In the other semifinal, Vancouver Whitecaps FC will host Ottawa Fury FC this Wednesday at 10pm EDT at BC Place. Ottawa won the first leg by a 2-0 score line.
Following game
The Impact will return to MLS play on Saturday, June 18, in Columbus against the Crew SC at 7:30pm EDT (TVA Sports, 98,5fm & TSN Radio 690). The next home game will be played on the following Saturday, June 25, at 7:30pm as the Impact will host Sporting Kansas City (TVA Sports, 98,5fm & TSN Radio 690). Excellent individual tickets for that game are still available on impactmontreal.com.
