The CONCACAF Champions League might not have the glamour of its European counterpart, but it does have a special place in the heart of Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo.
The 48-year-old executive has very fond memories of the first leg of the Champions League quarter finals in 2009 when the Impact beat Mexican giants Santos Laguna 2-0 in front of a packed and boisterous crowd of 55,571 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The game proved to be an unprecedented spectacle for the Impact, and the win arguably remains the club’s most memorable and crowning achievement to date.
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.
Unsurprisingly then, qualifying for this year’s edition of the Champions League is a top priority for the Impact and, like they did in 2008, they will have to win the upcoming Amway Canadian Championship in order to do so.
The tournament kicks off for the Impact on Wednesday with the first of two semifinal legs being played at BMO Field against Toronto FC, who have won the last four tournaments.
Impact head coach Marco Schällibaum told reporters last week that he would be making a few alterations to his lineup for the first leg as he tries to preserve his team for what will be a congested schedule of six games in 19 days.
“We’re going to mix things up a bit since we play on Wednesday, then on Saturday, and so forth,” Schällibaum said in French. “We have to find the right combination in order to be competitive. And we also have to find some rest in order to be ready.”
What changes Schällibaum will make aren’t exactly clear, but one certainty is that backup goalkeeper Evan Bush will be getting the start ahead of Troy Perkins. It was decided before the season began that Perkins would start in MLS, whereas Bush would play in the Canadian Championship and – if they were to qualify – the Champions League as well.
For Bush, whose only start this season was against the New York Red Bulls in a reserve game, Wednesday’s fixture with Toronto is one that the 27-year-old has been tirelessly preparing for.
“The coach feels that I’m capable of doing the job and I’m glad he feels that way because I’ve been putting in the hard work,” Bush said. “These are the times in the season where everyone has to be ready. Not just the top 11”.
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In the first six games of the season, the Impact played with the same 4-1-4-1 formation, and it worked well for the initial four. However, in the team’s last two games where they lost to Kansas City and drew with Columbus, the Impact showed signs of becoming a bit too predictable.
Schällibaum has hinted in recent weeks that he would be open to a change in formation and Wednesday’s game with Toronto could very well provide an ideal opportunity to try different solutions.
New Impact signing Daniele Paponi, who received his international transfer certificate on Monday, will be available against Toronto and could partner the Impact’s leading goal scorer Marco Di Vaio up front in a 4-4-2. The two players have already played together during their time with Bologna in Serie A, and Schällibaum has been testing the partnership in training over the last few days.
Another player who could get the start is Impact academy product Maxim Tissot. In what was his first appearance in MLS, the Montreal native came on in the dying minutes for the Impact against Columbus and operated on the left hand side of midfield. If the Impact do switch to a 4-4-2, he could potentially take up that role again or start at left fullback where he can offer the Impact some much needed width and attacking flair going forward.
Alessandro Nesta will be available for Wednesday’s game, but could start on the bench as the Impact may decide to save the Italian defender for Saturday’s important league game against Chicago, one that the Impact will want to win before going back on the road for difficult tests against San Jose and New York. With two matches in quick succession this week, it would be difficult for the 38-year-old to sufficiently recover physically between the two.
As midfielder Patrice Bernier explained, with a slew of games approaching, the Impact’s depth will be put to the test.
“With many games coming up, everyone will get a chance to prove their worth, and the team will get a chance to show that we have a roster that can hold strong until the end of the season,” Bernier said. “If it all leads to a Champions League spot, we’ll have a team that can fight on both fronts.”
After Wednesday’s match at BMO Field, the Impact will lock horns with Toronto seven days later in the second leg at Saputo Stadium in Montreal. The winner over the two legs will play the winner of the other semifinal between the Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Edmonton of the NASL in May.
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