The road to the Concacaf Champions League and the Voyageurs Cup continues
MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact continues its route towards the Voyageurs Cup and a place in the Concacaf Champions League, this Wednesday at 7:30pm at Stade Saputo, in the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinals against Cavalry FC. Excellent tickets remain available on impactmontreal.com.
“We must react,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. “We did it in the first half of the season, when we’d lose games and always manage to bounce back. We have no choice. It’s what we need to do as of the next game. Cavalry is a well-organized team, who didn’t eliminate Vancouver by chance. This is a serious opponent.”
Stade Saputo's gates will at 5:30pm, allowing you to take advantage of the summer. From 5:30pm to 6:30pm, the 2-for-1 special on all drinks will be in place. A new pregame ritual, during which supporters will be able to welcome players in the stadium's North stand, will take place as of 6pm, 90 minutes before kickoff. Please note as well that our new IMFC grilled cheeses made by chef Danny Smiles will henceforth be on the concessions' menu at Stade Saputo, starting as low as $2.83 (plus tax).
The usual bag policy will be in place for this game. Backpacks, camera bags, and big tote bags, as well as any bag larger than 35cm x 35cm x 15cm will not be accepted inside the stadium.
Also, please note that more traffic than usual is to be expected in the Sherbrooke/Pie-IX/Pierre-de-Coubertin/Viau area, as well as to access the different parking lots around Stade Saputo due to roadwork in the area, and because of a concert from the Montreal Symphony Orchestra on the Esplanade of Olympic Stadium.
The Viau metro station is undergoing an important renovation project. Construction on the new bus rapid transit corridor (BRT) on Pie-IX Boulevard has begun, and as such, traffic on Pie-IX between the A40 and Pierre-de-Coubertin Street will be impeded, while bus routes may be diverted. The P1, P2, P3, P4 parking lots are available. The P5 parking lot is reserved for Members with a parking pass.
Canadian Championship expanding
With the arrival of the Canadian Premier League, the Canadian Championship’s format was revisited and expanded this year. 13 clubs stemming from five different leagues now compete through five different rounds for the Voyageurs Cup and a chance to qualify to the Concacaf Champions League. The Montreal Impact and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC enter the fray in the third round, while TFC, winners of the 2018 edition, have a bye until the semifinal.
With nine Voyageurs Cups to its name, Montreal is the team that’s most often lifted the Canadian trophy. Its last championship, in 2014, propelled the Impact all the way to the Champions League final, in 2015.
“We’re still in the driver’s seat,” said full-back Daniel Lovitz. “There’s still lots of soccer left to be played and a lot of exciting things coming up. There’s a Canadian Championship to win. We want to progress in this competition and win a trophy at the end of the season, it would be great. It should energize us and help us advance in the right direction.”
Another CPL opponent
The Impact will face another CPL opponent after eliminating York9 FC in the quarterfinals. This time, it will be the Alberta representatives, Cavalry FC, who eliminated the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2-1 on aggregate, who are in Montreal’s way.
Since it joined MLS, the Impact is unbeaten at Stade Saputo in Canadian Championship action, with a record of seven wins and four draws. Designated Player Nacho Piatti leads all active players in terms of goals scored in the competition with three, all from the penalty spot.
In the last round, goalkeeper James Pantemis and midfielder Clément Bayiha became the 11th and 12th Homegrown players respectively to feature in the competition.
“We need to stay more focused on what we want to achieve, and the group needs to show the same togetherness it did in the beginning of the season,” said striker Maxi Urruti. “These moments happen in a season as long as the one in MLS. There are ups and downs. We need to fight for each other. We’re still in the race for the MLS Cup playoffs and the Canadian Championship.”
Upcoming games
The Impact continues a very busy sequence as of this Saturday at 9pm EDT, when it visits the Chicago Fire at Seatgeek Stadium (TVA Sports 2, 98,5, TSN 690). Montreal will then head to Calgary for the return leg of the Canadian Championship semifinals against Cavalry FC on Wednesday, August 14 at 9:30pm EDT at Spruce Meadows, before returning to Stade Saputo on Saturday, August 17 to host FC Dallas (TICKETS – TVA Sports).
