Vancouver Whitecaps FC visit Stade Saputo for the first leg of the Canadian Championship semi-final
MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact continues its stretch of seven games in 22 days when it begins its quest for a 10th Voyageurs Cup, this Wednesday at 7:30pm, by hosting the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Stade Saputo (canadasoccer.com, Yahoo Sports Canada, 98,5fm). Excellent tickets are still available on impactmontreal.com
“This is an important competition, but we aren’t the only ones involved with the intention of winning it,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. “We’re in it to try and win it. This matchup comes in the middle of an intense series of games. I still haven’t decided what the team will look like. There’s a reflection to be made that isn’t finished yet.”
IMFC Summer will once again shine bright in the stadium’s corridors, from the second the doors open at 5:30pm. The 2-for-1 special on all drinks will be in place until 6:30pm, and a DJ, accompanied by a host, will set the atmosphere.
The MLS 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 expected in the Sherbrooke/Pie-IX/Pierre-de-Couberton/Viau area, as Viau Street will be closed southbound between Beaubien Street and Rosemont Boulevard. The Impact strongly suggests using public transportation to get to the stadium and exit at Viau metro station. Drivers are welcome to use P1 parking lot, on Pierre-de-Coubertin, P3 on Pie-IX, and P4 on Sherbrooke.
Translate MLS form to the Canadian Championship
The Bleu-blanc-noir, who has won six of its last eight league games, will need to plan for a home-and-away matchup for the first time this season. Montreal will have to manage the semi-final’s first leg at home by keeping in mind the first tiebreaker, away goals, but also with the obligation of starting three Canadians, as stipulated in the competition’s rules. Let us remind you that the Canadian Championship won by the Impact in 2014 allowed the team to qualify for the Concacaf Champions League in 2014-15 and, ultimately, participate in a historic final against Club América.
In its history, the Impact is still unbeaten at Stade Saputo in the Canadian Championship, boasting a record of five wins and four draws. Against the ‘Caps at home in that competition, the club has won once and drawn twice; Montreal has won two of its three series against its British-Columbian compatriots, most notably last year, in a spectacular confrontation that ended 5-4.
“It’s hard to determine what the line-up will look like for each team,” said defender Daniel Lovitz. “For us, this is a very busy month, and for other teams as well. There’s a lot of shuffling around in some cases and you can’t always predict who’s going to be on the field. We remember the game against them in March, and we’ll look to make things right on Wednesday.”
Nacho Piatti, in one career Canadian Championship game, has two goals, both from the penalty spot, while Anthony Jackson-Hamel, through four appearances in the national tournament, has two goals and one assist. Midfielder Samuel Piette, on his end, could play his first ever Canadian Championship game tomorrow.
“It’s a tournament we want to win to bring the Voyageurs Cup back to Montreal,” said Piette. “It isn’t a tournament with 100 games to win, there are only four games to play to make it until the end. It’s an important game tomorrow, but we’re going to prepare the same way as always.”
Upcoming games
The Impact has two games coming up on the continent’s West Coast next week; first off, the team will be back in action in MLS at Providence Park against the Portland Timbers on Saturday, July 21 at 11pm EDT (TVA Sports), before playing the second leg of the Canadian Championship semi-final at BC Place, against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday, July 25 at 10pm EDT (canadasoccer.com, Yahoo Sports Canada, 98,5fm).
