Hot on the heels of their MLS Rivalry Week showdown last month, Toronto FC and the Montreal and their latest matchup in the 2013 Canadian Championship tournament are the topic of this edition of Counter Attack. These two Eastern conference teams are the only two teams to have won the Canadian Cup competition and both would like nothing better than to earn a trip to the Canadian Championship final at the expense of their closest Canadian rivals.

There are two sides to every coin, or for every point, a counter point. Looking at the play of Canada's two Eastern Conference MLS team thus far, Armen Bedakian (AB) and Steve Bottjer (SB) discuss four major questions surrounding the battle to move on in Canada’s premier club competition.

Let’s get this started:

1. Who is the favourite heading into the match-up?

AB: It’s tough to pick a favourite for a game considering the different seasons the two clubs are experiencing. On one hand, Toronto FC has been dropping many, many points in the dying moments of each match, but has also looked a side reborn under Ryan Nelsen. The movement, passing, positioning and awareness is much, much stronger this year than last – one can say it’s miles improved from the two teams’ first encounter in league play just last month.

I’d argue that Toronto FC is the favourite for one key reason; they are the titleholders for four years now and have been ruled out and underestimated before. This seasons’ Toronto FC is a much more dangerous side and a team that knows how to win this tournament. Heck, the Voyageurs Cup has stayed in Toronto so long that removing it from BMO Field is almost like snatching it from its home! Besides the sentimentality, however, Toronto FC is also a team that has punched above their weight in picking up points against the likes of Los Angeles, Houston and Dallas.

SB: I agree with you that it is hard to pick a favourite, just by virtue of the truism that anything can happen in a Cup competition and you generally can throw the league standings out the window. That said, Montreal is also a very different team from the one TFC eliminated from the competition last year. I would also argue that they are also a much more confident side this year. The Impact currently sit one point back of first place Sporting Kansas City and have played two less games and their success has not been due to luck or an easy schedule. The manner in which they have started the season means they are the team coming into this tournament with the most positive momentum. Toronto have suffered the aforementioned late game collapses and Vancouver have endured their own struggles as well.

Furthermore, in addition to current form, I’d have to say Montreal are the favourites due to the relative fitness of their squad and the fact the players will be well rested due to two recent bye weeks. Matteo Ferrari is out injured and will both Canadian Championship matches, but the rest of Montreal’s key players are fit. By contrast, Toronto is a battered and bruised squad, with Richard Eckersley, Darel Russell and Terry Dunfield likely to miss both matches against Montreal. In addition to being important defensive players, Eckersley and Dunfield are key heart and soul guys who will be missed for their intangibles in these types of matches against a rival.

2. What will the key individual match-ups be?

SB: No less an authority than Thierry Henry has touted how important Patrice Bernier is to the Montreal Impact machine. The work that he does shielding the back four and transitioning the Impact from defence to offense makes him Montreal’s key player. Can Jeremy Hall match a player of Bernier’s calibre and form? He has been getting better with each match and he is coming off a Man of the Match performance against Dallas. That said, my guess is he will still come out second best in any matchup with the veteran Canadian International.

Another important matchup will be Alessandro Nesta vs. Robert Earnshaw. The latter has undoubtedly been a great acquisition for Toronto. That said, if there is one defender who has the requisite experience to keep the Welsh striker in check, it is probably the Italian World Cup winner.

AB: You nailed it right on the head with your matchup of Nesta and Earnshaw; it will be the key battle and one that Toronto FC will dominate. See, Nesta, for the legendary status he boasts, doesn’t have 90 minutes of pure speed and running endurance left in him. Nesta’s performances have been solid, because he relies on the defensive traits he is capable of executing, like solid positioning, a good read of the game and a great jump. However, Earnshaw is unique in this league, in that he is arguably the only striker apart from Columbus’ Dominic Oduro, that has pace to burn and a goalscoring touch.

As for Patrice Bernier versus Jeremy Hall, I think it’s a matchup that Bernier might have some trouble with. See, Hall isn’t the problem, it’s the combination of Luis Silva, Reggie Lambe and Justin Braun that caused Houston so much trouble. Toronto’s midfield is no longer being passed over (literally, the defenders don’t boot the ball over their heads) and this is something that will preoccupy Bernier tremendously.

Finally, speaking of Braun, his battle up top against Evan Bush will be one to watch, too. Braun, who was a Montreal Impact player last year, returns to face his former club, and a goal against the Impact must surely be on his mind.

3. Which team has the mental edge?

AB: As usual, Toronto FC boasts the most Canadian players, giving the team a mental edge in pre-game build up. There’s a different mentality that comes from playing for your teammates who have a vested interest in being called champions of Canada, something Toronto FC can draw upon that Montreal just can’t. However, Toronto FC also bares the scars of last season and much of this season, too. Still, winning breeds winning and Toronto FC know how to win this tournament.

Many of the players who were involved in winning it last season can help the newer players adapt, too, a luxury Montreal doesn’t have, either. Finally, Toronto FC doesn’t just win the tournament, they also advance into the finals, something Montreal hasn’t done for the last three tournaments. All these factors combined gives Toronto FC a distinct mental edge over the Montreal Impact, who are inexperienced in winning this tournament as of late while Toronto FC has made a habit out of lifting the Voyageurs Cup over their heads with pride.

SB: It’s easy to point to Toronto as having more motivation due to the fact that they have more Canadian players, but look below the surface and I don’t believe that is really a valid truth. With Terry Dunfield out injured, Toronto’s Canadian contingent is made up of a group of young players who have not been able to establish themselves as regular players under Ryan Nelsen. With respect to Dwayne De Rosario, Montreal has the best Canadian player in the league on their team, as well as young Quebec born players Karl Ouimette, Maxim Tissot, Wandrille Lefèvre and Maxime Crépeau. In terms of Canadian content, I call this one a draw. It will make for an interesting battle of young players from Ontario vs. players from Quebec should the coaches decide to rotate their squads significantly.

I agree that Toronto FC have shown an uncanny ability to over perform and excel in this tournament. If they were facing off against Vancouver, I would give them a clear mental edge. However, Montreal were the first winners of this tournament in 2008 and they would clearly love to get back to the CONCACAF Champions League, where they were the first team to excel and make it to the knockout stage.

4. Who will face off against Vancouver in the Championship?

SB: I have a lot of respect for the job that Ryan Nelsen has done so far and the improvements that Toronto have made in a very short period of time under him are clear to see. However, I still see Toronto’s run as Champions of Canada coming to end in the opening round of this year’s tournament. Montreal have a healthier team, more confidence and the superior momentum heading into the first match. I do believe that TFC will continue to get better as the season progresses and as they add new players and see the eventual return of Danny Koevermans to the lineup. If this round was actually held three months from now, I think TFC would be much better placed to repeat as champions. Ultimately, I expect to see two former NASL rivals in Montreal and Vancouver renewing that rivalry in the final round of this year’s Canadian Championship.

AB: The fact that this tournament ended up being drawn exactly the same as last years affair tells you how the results will go; as the question assumes, Vancouver will knock out FC Edmonton again and, so, Toronto FC will do the same with Montreal. I do agree that Montreal has a lot of momentum going into this first round, but they had that same momentum going into last year’s match up, too. TFC is not a team barely scraping out a draw – this is a team that has gone head to head with each and the top three teams in the league, in LA, Dallas and Houston, and looked dominant and comfortable, late goals forgotten. Statistics say that, eventually, Toronto FC is due for a win, and having come so close so many times now, it’s inevitable that Toronto will pick up a positive result soon. For a side that is yearning so desperately for something to be happy about to match their impressive performances, a chance to best the Impact is a gift wrapped in a bright blue bow, a present Toronto FC will surely unwrap come Wednesday!