Montreal Impact vs Toronto FC
2017 Canadian Championship Finals, 1st Leg
Stade Saputo - Montreal
Wednesday, June 21 - 7:30 pm ET
WATCH: TSN, RDS (in Canada)
Toronto FC are one aggregate victory away from winning their second straight Canadian Championship and clinching a spot in next year's CONCACAF Champions League knockout stage. The Montreal Impact still have something to say about that, though, starting with Wednesday's first final leg at Stade Saputo.
Because of a change to the CCL format, TFC – the 2016 champions – need to go back-to-back to avoid a playoff date with the Impact for a spot in the 2018 CCL field.
Balanced against those high stakes is the reality of a short turnaround time. Both sides are coming off MLS action this weekend, meaning Impact boss Mauro Biello and Toronto's Greg Vanney will have some serious lineup decisions to make come Wednesday.
Montreal Impact
Montreal last won the Canadian Championship in 2014 (their third title) en route to being the first Canadian team to reach a CCL final, but the Impact have been on the outside looking in since then.
They have the firepower to get back to the top this season, especially since the addition of Swiss international Blerim Dzemaili and with Ignacio Piatti on 10 goals across all compeitions. The Impact are also in decent form at the moment, on a five-match unbeaten streak across MLS and Canadian Championship action.
But as Saturday's 3-3 away draw to Orlando City SC in MLS play showed, keeping the ball out of the back of the net hasn't always been easy for Montreal. That marked the ninth time across all competitions that they've given up two or more goals -- and that could prove deadly against the high-powered Reds.
- Suspended: None
- Int’l Duty: None
- Injuries: OUT – D Ambroise Oyongo (right knee surgery); M Hernan Bernardello (undisclosed injury), M Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla (undisclosed injury), M Louis Beland-Goyette (undisclosed injury)
Projected lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Evan Bush – Chris Duvall, Laurent Ciman, Kyle Fisher, Daniel Lovitz – Patrice Bernier, Marco Donadel, Blerim Dzemaili – Dominic Oduro, Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Ignacio Piatti
Notes: Montreal have not lost at home since a 3-2 defeat to Columbus Crew on May 13 and are 3-0-0 with a plus-6 goal differential at Stade Saputo since then.
Toronto FC
Barring a couple of backfires, the Reds have been hitting on all cylinders since mid-April, with only two losses across all competitions since then. The five-time Canadian champions also come into Wednesday's match with a lot of momentum, after taking down D.C. United 2-0 over the weekend.
And far from depending solely on strikers Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco of late, Toronto's balanced scoresheet includes 10 different names across all competitions since the April surge began.
Still, the Reds can be had on the road. All three of their losses across all competitions have come away from home, including a 2-1 setback to USL side Ottawa Fury FC in the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal.
- Suspended: None
- Int’l Duty: None
- Injury Report: OUT – D Nick Hagglund (torn MCL), F Tosaint Ricketts (hamstring strain)
Projected Starting XI (3-5-2): GK: Alex Bono – Eriq Zavaleta, Drew Moor, Justin Morrow – Steven Beitashour, Marky Delgado, Michael Bradley, Victor Vazquez, Raheem Edwards – Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore
Notes: This will be Toronto's first meeting with the Impact since beating Montreal 7-5 on aggregate in last year's Eastern Conference final. The two sides play three times in MLS this season, but the first match in league play is not until Aug. 27.
All-Time Series
Toronto lead the all-competition series in the 401 Derby with 16 victories to Montreal's 9. That includes a 9-3 advantage in Canadian Championship play. There have been eight draws in the series, four of those in the Canadian Championship.
Referees
To follow…
