Canada and Finland have already featured in new tournament
The Impact has finally been given a break from the MLS Cup playoff race in the Eastern Conference, being off this weekend following its 3-0 win against the Columbus Crew SC, last Saturday at Stade Saputo.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any soccer of interest for Bleu-blanc-noir supporters, as four of our players will be joining their national sides for important games all over the world.
While midfielder Saphir Taïder joins Algeria for two Africa Cup of Nations qualifying games, Jukka Raitala, from Finland, and Canadians Samuel Piette and James Pantemis joined their respective national sides to play in the brand-new Nations League.
The Nations League, for those unfamiliar with the new tournament, was invented to bring a little more meaning to international friendly games. After UEFA announced the creation of the Nations League, Concacaf followed suit shorty after. You can consult Impact Media’s summary of the tournament for more information.
For the players, this new tournament gives international football a new edge.
“The competition is increased,” said defender Jukka Raitala. “It’s great, because now every national team game matters. There are no friendlies anymore. I spoke with my teammates, and we’re very happy with this new competition.”
Raitala’s Finland started the new competition with two wins in two games in the last international window and will look to build on those results when it takes on Estonia and Greece in the new few days. Victories would increase Finland’s chances of finishing first, giving them an extra shot at qualifying for the European Championship, while ensuring it’s promoted to League B in the tournament’s next edition.
“Starting with two victories was fantastic,” added Raitala. “The last time Finland started a qualifying campaign this well goes back about forty years ago. We got a lot of confidence from those results. Our goal now is to win the group, and if we can do that, we qualify for the playoffs. It’s still a long way to the European Championship, but it’s a positive start for our team.”
Canada to face Dominica in Nations League action
Across the Atlantic and much closer to home, Samuel Piette, James Pantemis, and the Canadian Men’s National team are preparing for their second Nations League qualifying game against Dominica next Tuesday.
Concacaf’s version of the tournament is a little different that its European counterpart, but the essence remains the same. After this qualifying phase, the 10 best teams will qualify directly to the 2019 Gold Cup.
“There’s an extra motivation given that the stakes are higher,” said midfielder Samuel Piette. “It makes things more interesting to be able to fix ourselves objectives through these four qualifying games.”
Following the international break, it’ll be back to the playoff race for the Bleu-blanc-noir, as it’ll get set to host its biggest rival, Toronto FC, in the last 2018 regular season home game. Excellent tickets remain available on impactmontreal.com
