And so it all begins again, with four teams vying to become the kings of Canadian soccer.
But how badly do they want, and what kind of starting lineups will they employ?
That’s one of the more interesting storylines ahead of the Canadian club championship which kicks off Wednesday, with Toronto FC hosting the Montreal Impact and FC Edmonton welcoming the Vancouver Whitecaps in the opening leg of the semifinals.
Wednesday programming alert: Watch Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact (live on all four Sportsnet channels at 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT) and FC Edmonton vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (live on all four Sportsnet channels at 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT) in the first leg of the Canadian club championship semifinals.
For TFC, Wednesday’s home tilt will be Game 2 of a six-game run during an 18-day period. The Reds, who are coming off a 1-1 draw against Houston in MLS play last weekend, will have to quickly regroup after this one and refocus on their next home game, against New York on Saturday.
Not surprisingly, coach Ryan Nelsen admitted the need to rotate players into the starting lineup during this gruelling run of games.
“We know we have a heavy fixture list coming up,” Nelsen said after practice Tuesday. “So yes, of course, the squad’s going to be used to its capacity.”
Nelsen confirmed that Stefan Frei will start in goal against the Impact ahead of No. 1 goalkeeper Joe Bendik. Defender and team captain Darren O’Dea, midfielders Reggie Lambe and Jeremy Hall, and striker Robert Earnshaw are expected to be given a rest.
That could lead to playing opportunities for defender Ashtone Morgan, and midfielders Kyle Bekker, John Bostock and Jonathan Osorio.
Defenders Logan Emory (ankle) and Darrel Russell and Richard Eckersley (both hamstring) have been ruled out. Emory told sportsnet.ca that he could be ready to play in Saturday’s home MLS game against New York.
Canadian midfielder Terry Dunfield remains sidelined with a knee injury. On Monday, he told sportsnet.ca that he is two weeks away from returning.
Like TFC, Montreal has a heavy slate of games looming, including a home contest against the Chicago Fire on Saturday. Even though the Impact have been off since April 14, coach Marco Schällibaum has reportedly left a number of key players at home for the first leg contest, including leading scorer Marco Di Vaio, veteran defender Alessandro Nesta and starting goalkeeper Troy Perkins.
Matteo Ferrari, another veteran defender, is sidelined with a calf injury, which means with him and Nesta out, Schällibaum will have to field a makeshift back four.
Regardless of the starting lineup, midfielder Patrice Bernier is expecting an intense affair.
“It’s Toronto. Every game against them is difficult, with lots of duels. It’s physical,” Bernier told reporters this week. “They want to prove something, and they do very well in that competition. Both teams will change players, so both (starting lineups) will be fresh. It could lack synchronization, but there’ll be lots of vigor and intensity.”
With Perkins out, goalkeeper Evan Bush will start his first game of 2013.
“If I try to go out and showcase myself or try to do something out of my capabilities, that’s going to lead to bad things,” Bush said. “I know what I’m capable of and I think it’ll be enough to go out and have a good performance.”
Toronto is unbeaten in eight Canadian club championship games against Montreal, with six wins and two draws. Last season, Toronto won 2-0 at home after playing to a 0-0 draw in Montreal.
Vancouver coach Martine Rennie will also be making some changes to his starting lineup as the Whitecaps prepare to compete on two fronts at the same time. Defender Jordan Harvey and goalkeeper Brad Knighton, who haven’t played a single minute in MLS this season, are expected to start for the Whitecaps against Edmonton.
After winning their opening two games of the MLS season, the Whitecaps have gone winless in their last five matches, including dropping a 2-0 decision to Dallas on Saturday.
“The results haven’t gone our way the last couple of weeks. This is one step in the right direction – if we get a result then we can use that as a turning point in our season and get back on the right track,” Knighton told reporters this week.
Unlike the three other teams in this tournament, Edmonton competes in the second-tier North American Soccer League, one division below MLS. Not only that, they have lost all four matches they’ve played in the Canadian club championship since first competing in the tournament in 2011.
Interestingly, Edmonton has several players on their roster who came up through the Whitecaps youth system. And Edmonton centre back Carlyle Mitchell is on loan from Vancouver this season, which means he will be ineligible to play against his parent team.
“This is a massive match, not only for myself and the players that have connections to the Whitecaps, but for the club and the city as well,” Edmonton coach Colin Miller said. “I know they’re coming to win and put the match away early, but we’ll be ready for them as well. It should be a great game!”
The second legs of the semifinals are scheduled for May 1 in Montreal and Vancouver. The two-legged final is slated for May 15 and 29.
Montreal won the inaugural Canadian championship in 2008. Toronto has won the last four Canadian tournaments, defeating Vancouver in the final the past two times. The Whitecaps have finished tournament runners up the past four years.
As always the tournament winner will represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League.
