All hail the Montreal Impact, the undisputed kings of Canadian club soccer.
In grabbing a 2-2 draw in Vancouver on Wednesday night, the Impact not only clinched the Amway Canadian Championship on the away goals rule but further underscored the growing gap in quality between themselves and their MLS Canadian counterparts.
Twice the Impact trailed in Vancouver. Twice they clawed back, with Hassoun Camara heading home the equalizer in the 84th minute to hand the Impact their first Canadian title since 2008 and deny the Whitecaps for a fifth straight year.
Honestly, could you imagine the Whitecaps or Toronto FC, both hopeless on the road, fighting back to earn a result in a similar situation? Would TFC have found a way to grind out a draw at BC Place? Would the Whitecaps have done the same in Montreal?
They wouldn’t. Only the Impact could have pulled off such a comeback, a testament to their character and resolve, their skill and quality, and overall team chemistry.
But the Canadian championship is just a small notch on Montreal’s belt, as the second-year MLS club looks poised to clinch a playoff berth by season’s end.
Montreal has been one of the best and most consistent teams in MLS in 2013, boasting an impressive 7-2-2 record, a mere two points behind Eastern Conference leaders New York — and impressively, the Impact have four games in hand on the Red Bulls.
The Soccer Show with Nigel Reed: Tune in to Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s every Thursday at 8pm ET to listen to The Soccer Show, Canada’s foremost soccer weekly co-hosted by Nigel Reed and ex-NASL champion Bob Iarusci. For more details and to listen to past shows, CLICK HERE
It wasn’t supposed to play out like this.
Even though Montreal had a respectable expansion season in 2012 — missing out on the playoffs by nine points — more than a few soccer pundits predicted the Impact would come crashing down to reality in 2013. Several arguments were offered up.
Joey Saputo was an intrusive and interfering owner who imposed his will on the team and didn’t let his staff get on with its business. Nick De Santis is an inexperienced executive who can’t build a team. Marco Di Vaio wouldn’t be able to withstand the physical nature and travel schedule in MLS. Alessandro Nesta would be injury prone and the defence would suffer. New coach Marco Schällibaum wouldn’t adapt to MLS.
All of these myths have been dispelled.
Saputo has been pretty hands off this season, unlike in the past. De Santis bolstered a solid Impact side from a year ago by acquiring Argentine Andres Romero, who has pleasantly surprised and been a solid contributor during his loan stint.
De Santis also kept the faith in Justin Mapp after an average 2012 campaign and was duly rewarded with the influential midfielder rediscovering his best form this year. The fact that De Santis was able to renegotiate’s Mapp contract in the off-season, almost slashing it in half, and keep the core of a solid team intact speaks to his ability as a team builder.
Di Vaio is currently tied for first in the MLS scoring race with nine goals in 11 appearances, showing that there is still plenty of life in his 36-year-old legs. Nesta has missed games, but the defence has look solid, with Hassoun Camara, Jeb Brovsky and Karl Ouimette stepping up their respective games.
And then there’s Schällibaum, who was supposed to be another in a long line of European coaches who didn’t have a clue about MLS and would be a bust in this league. All he’s done, aside from becoming famous for his sideline and press conference histrionics, is earn the respect of his players, have them buy into his system and philosophy, and get the very best out of the likes of Mapp (often criticized for being inconsistent) and Patrice Bernier (deploying him in more of a midfield holding role), as well as Brovsky and Camara.
Described by several players as a passionate and charismatic manger, Schällibaum has brought a winning mentality to the team. Bernier likes the Swiss manager’s hands on approach.
"He’s demanding but fair," Bernier told sportsnet.ca back in March. "He coaches a lot, and what I mean is he explains what he wants. It’s not just a demand; he explains the way he wants it."
Captain Davy Arnaud explained Schällibaum’s greatest asset has been his motivational skills.
"For me, that’s been his biggest influence. He’s a big motivator for everybody," Arnaud said. "He’s coached at a lot of big clubs, but for me the way he inspires a team to go out and give everything on the field has been very good."
Schällibaum will have to continue to be inspirational if the Impact are to weather the dark storm ahead. Winning the Amway Canadian Championship means Montreal will begin competing in CONCACAF Champions League in August.
That means the Impact will have to compete simultaneously on two fronts just as the MLS playoff race is heating up, with six additional Champions League games added to their itinerary, and probable road trips to Mexico and Central America.
But chances are that Di Vaio and Nesta won’t be making those road trips, and will be rested and saved for MLS, with the Impact prioritizing a post-season berth over progressing in the Champions League. If they do, the Impact will likely secure a playoff spot by September in only their second season in the league, while the Whitecaps and TFC will be playing out the string.
Regardless, surely now the Montreal Impact have done enough to earn the proper respect that they are long overdue.
Sportsnet World Online: Now you can watch all the best international soccer from wherever you are live on your computer. Sportsnet World Online is a new online only service that you can subscribe to, and there are many different subscription options. For more details and to subscribe, CLICK HERE