Montreal Impact open Canadian Championship at Toronto FC

The Reds are making a drive for five but the Impact are riding high in the Major League Soccer (MLS) rankings. Who will take the advantage in tonight’s Canadian Championship Semi-Final first leg? Al Dannity gives his take.

The Impact and Toronto FC sure do see a lot of each other. With five meetings this season, you might think some games are less heated than others. No chance, not with these stakes. The Impact head to BMO Field looking to put a big dent in Toronto FC’s push for a fifth straight Canadian Championship. The Impact lifted the Voyageurs Cup back in 2008, the only time a team other than Toronto claimed the title. Now, in their second season in MLS, Montreal are well-placed to reclaim the prize of top dog in Canadian Soccer.

The Reds are slight favourites in our sportsbook but this is a game where anything could happen. Toronto rode an awful losing streak into the same match-up last year and ended up taking the win over two legs before beating Vancouver in the final. Toronto look a lot better than last year but so too do the Impact. Let’s start with the hosts, despite dropping plenty of points they look like a new team under Ryan Nelsen. It’s the New Zealander’s first gig as a head coach and he seems to be having a tremendously positive effect on the roster. That said, the confidence in Montreal is sky high. This second-year club is getting results that nobody could have expected. It’s still remarkably early in the season but it would be a shock if the Impact don’t make the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Injuries have taken their toll on the Toronto squad and that has to be a concern for fans of the Reds. Richard Eckersley, Darel Russell, and Terry Dunfield are likely to miss both legs while Montreal’s only key absentee is Matteo Ferrari. The key match-ups, between Patrice Bernier and Jeremy Hall and between Alessandro Nesta and Robert Earnshaw would both seem to favour the visitors.

The motivation for Montreal will be to get the job done tonight or at least have a foot in the final. While a score draw would give them the away goals edge, you have to think they want to leave Toronto with the W. Toronto have to attack tonight and they will but I see them hitting a wall. It’s going to be tight but I like Montreal to sneak a narrow win on the road.