Here are a few things you should know ahead of Tuesday when the Montreal Impact face Mexican side Pachuca in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal.
Impact make their debut
Tuesday’s game will mark Montreal’s first competitive outing of 2015—the Impact opened training camp on Jan. 23 in Montreal and have been in Mexico since Feb. 8, where they played three exhibition matches.
While some familiar faces will likely start for Montreal, including goalkeeper Evan Bush (5-2-1 with four shutouts in eight Champions League starts since 2013) and midfielder Patrice Bernier, the Impact have undergone a lot off-season changes after finishing dead last in MLS in 2014.
Tuesday programming alert: Watch Pachuca vs Montreal Impact in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals live on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet World. Coverage starts at 10:00 pm ET. || Sportsnet World NOW || Broadcast schedule
Newcomers include English veteran Nigel Reo-Coker, Italian midfielder Marco Donadel, forward Dominic Oduro (acquired in a trade with Toronto FC), and Belgian defender Laurent Ciman and fellow centre-back Bakary Soumare of Mali.
Montreal has been here before, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League when it bowed out to Mexico’s Santos Laguna. Bernier believes this two-game series against Pachuca is not only a chance for the Impact to achieve continental glory, but can also better prepare them for the upcoming MLS campaign.
“The good thing about this year is that we start with this very important CONCACAF quarterfinal. We have a chance of repeating club history and creating a new chapter in history, too,” Bernier told Sportsnet.
Eric Alexander ineligible for Montreal
One newcomer who won’t be available for Montreal is midfielder Eric Alexander.
Alexander joined the Impact last month from New York as part of a blockbuster trade that saw Brazilian Felipe go to the Red Bulls. The American veteran has been training with his new team in Mexico but he is ineligible for this two-game series—he’s cup tied after already appearing for New York in the group stage of this season’s Champions League.
“I would love to play. I played in Mexico a few times and it’s a great environment. Obviously, it’s a big game for us and nobody wants to sit out for that. It’s a bummer,” Alexander told Sportsnet.
Some good news for Montreal is that influential Argentine midfielder Ignacio Piatti, returning from off-season knee surgery, is fit to play. Also fit is midfielder Justin Mapp, who missed time earlier in camp. Midfielder Andres Romero is doubtful through injury.
Pachuca no easy touch
Club de Fútbol Pachuca—C.F. Pachuca for short—is one of the top team’s from the Mexican first division.
Nicknamed Los Tuzos (The Gophers), Pachuca was founded in 1901 and is one of the oldest teams in Mexico. It’s also one of the most successful Mexican clubs, winning five national championships and four CONCACAF Champions League titles and Champions’ Cups.
While Montreal is in pre-season mode as it prepares to kick off a new MLS campaign on March 7, Pachuca has been involved in its domestic season for some time now. With a 3-3-1 record, Pachuca sits 10th in the table spot and is coming off a 2-1 win over Leon on Saturday.
Players to watch include teenage midfielder Erick Gutiérrez, Argentine strikers Ariel Nahuelpán and Darío Cvitanich, and young wingers Jurgen Damm and Hirving Lozeno.
“They’re in season now so they have an advantage; they’ll have a rhythm that we won’t have,” Montreal midfielder Maxim Tissot told Sportsnet.
Other challenges
Altitude will be a factor in Tuesday’s contest, as Pachuca’s Estadio Miguel Hidalgo is at 7,000 feet above sea level.
“We got here two weeks ago so we have acclimatized to the altitude and the air,” Oduro told the Impact’s official website.
“However, we are still trying to find our level as a team. The game against Pachuca will be a good test for us to prove how good we are.”
Also, Montreal is attempting to become the first Canadian club and only the third MLS team to earn a victory on Mexican soil (2-26-8) in this competition.
What’s next?
The return leg of this home-and-home set is scheduled for March 3 at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.
“It’s good for MLS. A game like that is a big event and Montreal lives on these types of events. It’s shortened our pre-season prep but we have to be ready to go,” Bernier told Sportsnet.
The winner of this series advances to the semifinals where it will face either D.C. United of MLS or Costa Rican side Liga Deportiva Alajuelense.
Soccer Central podcast: SPORTSNET.CA’s Soccer Central podcast, hosted by John Molinaro and James Sharman, takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues. To listen and subscribe to the podcast, CLICK HERE.
