MONTREAL – There’s one game injured Montreal Impact captain Patrice Bernier wants to be healthy for. And it’s not the last CONCACAF Champions League group stage game in New York on October 22.
Shooting down the notion that CCL provides Montreal with the one meaningful game they have left this season, Bernier is instead looking at October 18, at BMO Field against archrivals Toronto.
“In itself, it’s a game you don’t want to miss, but with how they’re doing late this season and with last year in mind, it's a game where I’d want to be,” Bernier told reporters on Wednesday.
Last year, Montreal ended their season in Toronto on October 26. On the hunt for a playoff-clinching win, they were beaten 1-0 by TFC, who were finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference no matter what.
The Impact had to rely on New York beating Chicago 5-2 the next day to make it to the Knockout Round – where they lost 3-0 at Houston Dynamo.
But times have changed. Montreal are bottom of the East, while Toronto are just below the red line with a game in hand, resting on two straight wins after a six-game winless skid. There is much soccer to be played still – and both teams will have another MLS game to play after October 18, but Bernier would love to play a part in this story.
“The Canadian in me wants a Canadian team to qualify [for the playoffs],” Bernier said. “But the Montreal guy, the Quebecer wouldn’t mind stopping them from making the playoffs.”
And, potentially, from representing Canada in CCL in 2015-16. Due to the scheduling of the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship, the best Canadian team in the 2014 MLS Regular Season will make it to CCL. Toronto and Vancouver are currently tied on 40 points, but Toronto have a game in hand there as well.
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In order to face Toronto in October, Bernier needs to recover from a plantar fasciitis tear that had him running on his toes in the lead-up to Canada’s win over Jamaica on September 9, after which he started resting. But there was progress on Wednesday, as Bernier ran without pain on the sidelines at Impact training.
“The goal was to start running again this week,” Bernier said. “Then, if all goes well, we’ll see. I’m going step-by-step given what I was told: there was an enforced break for two weeks, and then we need to try it out again and see where I’m at. I simply need the inflammation not to return to its previous level.”
