MONTREAL – The task facing the Montreal Impact is daunting.
After losing 2-0 to Toronto FC at BMO Field last week in the first leg of the Canadian club championship semifinals, the Impact will need to beat TFC by three goals in the return leg in Montreal on Wednesday in order to progress to the final, where a place in the CONCACAF Champions League will be on the line.
Wednesday programming alert: Watch Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC (live on Sportsnet ONE at 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT) and Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Edmonton (live on Sportsnet ONE at 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT) in the second leg of the Canadian club championship semifinals.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, assistant coach Mauro Biello expressed his belief that the Impact could storm back at Saputo Stadium and get the result they need to advance.
“For us it’s an important game and we want to go out there and win,” Biello said. “Obviously after the defeat in Toronto we want to bounce back. Yes, we’re down 2-0, but we’re very confident with our team and, if we get an early goal, things can change quickly.”
The main question for the Impact going into the game is whether or not the team’s regulars will play from the start. Very few did in the first leg as coach Marco Schällibaum rested players for Saturday’s league game against the Chicago Fire, which Montreal won comfortably 2-0.
Schällibaum’s decision led to backlash. The Impact’s Ultras fan group, which usually chants in support of the team throughout the entirety of matches in the west-end stands of Saputo Stadium, held a powerful moment of silence during the Chicago contest in protest of the team’s dire and seemingly indifferent performance in Toronto.
Throughout the silence, they also held up several banners. Preceded by the date of the first leg, one sign read, “We took it seriously,” suggesting that the Impact didn’t and also alluding to the fact that a busload of Ultras made the long six hour trek to Toronto to attend the game and support the team in frigid conditions.
Biello acknowledged that the supporters had every right to voice their disappointment with the result of the first game, but defended the team’s roster selection, explaining that they were forced to rest older players given the team’s heavy schedule.
“People are allowed to say what they want: (the fans) are paying customers, they have an opinion and that’s fine,” Biello said. “For us, we have a job to do and that’s to play the best team possible that we can (while) considering all the other factors and trying to win the game.”
“We have a lot of games in this time of the year and for us every game is important. We try to balance the team to the best of our ability (in order) to save some guys, because the reality is that certain guys cannot play three games in a week.”
The Impact’s physical fragility was on display against Chicago as Alessandro Nesta and Andrea Pisanu picked up injuries. Nesta re-strained his adductor – the poor field conditions didn’t help – and Pisanu injured his quad, which will likely keep both players out of Wednesday’s game.
Matteo Ferrari, who returned to training with the Impact on Monday, will also miss the return leg and told reporters that he hopes to be ready in time for Saturday’s away fixture against San Jose.
With Nelson Rivas still nursing injuries of his own, the Impact will likely start a similar defence to the one that played in the first leg.
Left fullback Dennis Iapichino and defensive midfielder Wandrille Lefèvre will, however, also be in contention for a spot in the back-line on Wednesday. Against Chicago, Iapichino earned his first start since suffering a calf strain in the beginning of the season, while Lefèvre, in what was his MLS debut, came on for the injured Nesta at centre-back in the second half, and performed well in the process.
A clean sheet would certainly help the Impact in their quest to overturn the tie, but they will also need to show much more attacking flair than they did in the first game. It’s difficult to ascertain who exactly coach Schällibaum will opt for in the attack, but Marco Di Vaio, the Impact’s top scorer this season, will likely once again be rested for Saturday’s game against the Earthquakes, though he may at least start on the bench this time around.
The last time Montreal won this tournament was in 2008, and as one of the Ultras’ banners on Saturday bemoaned, they haven’t made much of an impact since. Schällibaum’s players will certainly need to be at their best on Wednesday in order to keep their hopes alive of winning another Canadian title.
