Bleu-blanc-noir and Fury to compete for first edition of CapCity Cup in friendly game
OTTAWA, Ontario – The Montreal Impact will play a friendly game against Ottawa Fury FC, its affiliated club in USL, this Friday night, at 7pm at TD Place in the Canadian capital. The winner will lift the CapCity Cup for the first time.
“It’s a game that will allow those without much playing time to earn some minutes,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. “There is a certain number of players coming back from injury or that have spent a lot of time on the bench. We’re going to prepare for it very seriously, while keeping in mind our game against Philadelphia.”
This will be the fourth game in Ottawa in Impact history, and the second in two years against the Fury FC. In the 90’s, the Bleu-blanc-noir won two games against the Toronto Lynx. Last year, the Impact won its game 1-0 against the capital’s club.
Opportunity for minutes
The short drive down the 417 will allow certain players that haven’t had much playing time to earn some minutes, before the team embarks on its final stretch in MLS regular season play.
“We’re approaching this game the same way we would an MLS game,” said midfielder Ken Krolicki. “It doesn’t matter who we play, we always need to have the same intensity and commitment on the field. We put everything on the line and try to win.”
Maxime Crépeau, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère and Michael Petrasso are currently on loan with Ottawa, while Michael Salazar and Shamit Shome also took advantage of the partnership between both clubs through short loan stints, earlier this season. Former Academy players Clément Bayiha, Daniel Kinumbe, Gabriel Balbinotti and Jimmy-Shammar Sanon signed USL contracts with the Fury this season, and their MLS rights still belong to the Bleu-blanc-noir. Former Impact players Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé and Maxim Tissot are also with the Ottawa club.
“We have to take it seriously and build off what we created against the Red Bulls,” said midfielder Shamit Shome. “We want to continue that rhythm and hopefully have a great performance. We have a bye week and it’s important that we stay sharp and get a full 90 minutes in.”
An opponent in a playoff race
Just like Montreal, Nikola Popovic’s group, currently ninth in the USL’s Eastern Conference, is fighting for a playoff spot and will take on Toronto FC II on Thursday night. The Fury FC lost its last two games by a 2-0 scoreline.
Upcoming games
After the international break, the Impact will travel to Pennsylvania to face the Philadelphia Union, also battling for a playoff spot, on Saturday, September 15, at 7:30pm (TVA Sports, 98,5fm). The following week, the Bleu-blanc-noir will be back in Montreal to face New York City FC at Stade Saputo on Saturday, September 22, at 7:30pm (TICKETS – TVA Sports).
