First Thoughts
The Amway Canadian Championship kicks off on Wednesday night for the fifth year. The Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Edmonton will battle once again to lift the Voyageurs Cup and get the chance to represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League.
This year, the competition format is the same. The tournament starts at the semi-final stage, where teams will play a home and away series. The final is also a two legged tie. The 2012 installment of the championship sees the Montreal Impact face Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps playing against the NASL side FC Edmonton.
The last time Montreal and Toronto met in this competition was in 2010. Toronto FC beat the Impact twice and ended up winning their second straight Voyageurs Cup. The most debated resulted in the tournament was played between these two sides. On June 18, 2009, Toronto FC obliterated Montreal winning 6-1 at Saputo Stadium. TFC went on to win that year's competition by one goal over Vancouver.
Keep Thinking
The 2012 Amway Canadian Championship will be interesting for many reasons. With three teams in the Major League Soccer, expectations are high for every club. In league play, Montreal is coming off their second victory of the season and most importantly is still undefeated at home.
Toronto FC is off to their worst start in franchise history, tying the league record, having lost all seven matches of their MLS campaign. Their only competitive win came against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League on March 14.
Both teams are heading into this match going in opposite directions. The match will be played at the Olympic Stadium, where Montreal already beat Toronto FC 2-1 almost a month ago. Montreal took a two goal lead thanks to Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Andrew Wenger. TFC made the final minutes interesting when Danny Koevermans scored late.
In their last four matches, Montreal has only lost once. They find themselves in sixth position of the Eastern Conference. Coach Jesse Marsch seems to have found a regular starting XI. The back line of Valentin, Ferrari, Thomas and Wahl has been one of the main reasons for Montreal's consistent performance in the month of April. Matteo Ferrari has been a key component and anchor of the Impact's defense. The midfield pairing of Felipe and Collen Warner in the middle has also proven to be successful. At striker, Corradi seems to be the number one choice. He's scored in his last three matches.
To pick out a positive from Toronto's dismal start, the side has only lost their last five MLS matches by one goal. Going back this past Saturday's loss at Real Salt Lake, it took a 90'+3 goal from Jonny Steele to sink Toronto. Torsten Frings also missed a spot kick which would have levelled the score much earlier rather than Avila's goal in the 48' minute.
Looking forward to this Wednesday's Canadian Championship match, Toronto FC still has bragging rights over the Impact. The Torontonians are the defending champions, and have been for the past three years. To add to the mix, Montreal has never beaten their neighbours in this tournament yet. TFC is 5-0-1 against the Impact since the Championship debuted in 2008.
To beat Toronto, Montreal should look at the template they already executed almost a month ago. While Toronto FC has looked better offensively, their weakness remains in defending. Both fullbacks in Richard Eckersley and Ashtone Morgan have been struggling of late and letting Ubiparipovic have another go at the left back might be a good idea. The return of Adrian Cann in central defence has improved the physical play in the middle, but if caught out far enough, the Impact, and specifically Sanna Nyassi, can easily leave the likes of Cann, Miguel Aceval and Logan Emory in his wake.
In terms of lineups, it would not be surprising if both teams made changes from the weekend lineups. Montreal probably will not make many changes, but they do have a date with the MLS leaders Sporting Kansas City on Saturday. Toronto FC is dealing with injuries and has yet to find a winning starting XI. As well they will be looking to not become the all-time record holder for worst start in MLS history and that might be on their minds as DC United and former captain Dwayne De Rosario will be at BMO Field Saturday afternoon. Both coaches, Jesse Marsch and Aron Winter, have some tough decisions to make in regards to their starting lineups.
Regarding style of play, Montreal is a possession based team. They love to move the ball around quickly and force it out on the flanks, where crosses generate most of the scoring opportunities. Like Toronto FC, finishing has been a problem for the Impact. Defensively, Jesse Marsch has the team playing physical. Montreal is the MLS leader in fouls committed with 137. The men in blue are aggressive when winning the ball back. With an in-form back line, Toronto is going to have to find away to take control of this match and make the most of their chances.
In The End
As always, when these two rivals meet, the occasion is much more than a simple match of football. No matter what form these teams are in, the only thing that matters is a victory. This derby has already seen some memorable encounters and some to forget. The Impact is up 1-0 in the season series and will look to defend their win on April 7, also at the Big O.
Prediction
Montreal Impact 1-1 Toronto FC
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