Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact
BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Amway Canadian Championship semifinals, second leg
May 13, 7:30 pm ET
CANADA: Watch on Sportsnet, TVA Sports
USA or MEXICO: Watch online using your MLS LIVE subscription. (Blacked out in Canada)
Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact will resume their Amway Canadian Championship rivalry on Wednesday, when the Impact will travel to Ontario to face TFC at BMO Field in the second leg of the tournament’s semifinals.
Montreal took the series’ first leg last Wednesday, getting a 69th-minute goal from forward Jack McInerney to top visiting Toronto 1-0 at Stade Saputo. Neither side ran out their first-choice lineup last week, with Impact head coach Frank Klopas not starting Designated Player Ignacio Piatti and regulars Andres Romero, Dilly Duka and Bakary Soumare and TFC resting stars Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco.
Toronto head coach Greg Vanney wasn’t overly concerned about the first leg defeat, telling reporters after the match that he views the series as a “180-minute game” and that TFC’s one-goal deficit is “not an issue.”
Both Montreal and Toronto are coming off of disappointing home losses in MLS action, with the Impact dropping a 2-1 result to the Portland Timbers on Saturday and Toronto falling 2-1 to the Houston Dynamo in the their home opener at the renovated BMO Field on Sunday.
Vanney indicated this week that his starting XI for Wednesday’s second leg would have some “mix-up” to it, in part due to injuries plaguing his squad. Center back Steven Caldwell and goalkeeper Joe Bendik remain out, and right back Mark Bloom – recovered from his previous injury – is now questionable due to back spasms.
Montreal – who are gunning for their third-straight Voyageurs Cup – haven’t said much about their plans for the second leg, but with the Impact needing some sort of spark to lift their spirits after their loss in the CONCACAF Champions League final and their slow start in MLS, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Klopas use his top available players on Wednesday.
Montreal vs. Toronto – Canadian Championship History
These two teams have dominated the Canadian Championship, with one or the other winning the title every year since the tournament began in 2008. Toronto FC has the overall edge, winning the Voyageurs Cup four times (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012), one more than the Impact’s three titles (2008, 2013, 2014).
Toronto and Montreal have met in six of the seven editions of the Canadian Championship. Toronto held a decided advantage over their rivals from 2008-2011 when the tournament was played as a three-team round-robin with TFC, Montreal and Vancouver, with Toronto posting a 5-0-1 record over Montreal during that span.
After not facing each other in 2011 (the first year that the tournament shifted to a bracket format), they met in the semifinals in 2012, with Toronto again beating the Impact en route to their fourth Voyageurs Cup crown. The Impact have gotten a measure of revenge on TFC in the last two years, smashing the Reds 6-2 on aggregate in the 2013 semifinals before beating them 2-1 in last year’s final.
