By Randy Phillips
MONTREAL — The Montreal Impact will try to spoil things for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship for the second year in a row.
Montreal plays host to the Whitecaps at Saputo Stadium Wednesday night in its fourth and final match of the three-team double round robin to decide the country’s representative in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League tournament.
The Impact has been eliminated in the championship, but Vancouver needs a win in Montreal and another against Toronto FC of Major League Soccer on June 2 in Toronto to win the title for the first time in its three-year history.
Vancouver’s hopes were dashed last year when TFC thrashed the Impact 6-1 in the final game of the championship at Saputo Stadium. The Whitecaps were in attendance and fully expected to be awarded the trophy, figuring there was no way the Impact would allow Toronto the four goals it needed to edge Vancouver for the title on goal differential.
The Impact, which failed to win a game in the championship last year after winning in 2008 and making it all the way to the quarter-finals of Champions League, didn’t co-operate.
This year, the Impact suffered 2-0 and 1-0 losses to TFC and in its first game against the Whitecaps in Vancouver on May 5, the club settled for a 1-1 draw.
“We may be eliminated, but we want to finish the tournament as high in the standings as possible. We’ll be playing for our fans (Wednesday),” Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos said Tuesday. “There’s a great rivalry between these two teams, especially after two tough matches against each other this month.”
It will be third time the teams have met this season, including once in league play in the United States Soccer Federation Division 2 Pro League in Vancouver May 15, a goalless tie.
The Whitecaps fought Toronto to a goalless draw in tournament play May 19 in Vancouver.
“We want to win,” said Impact midfielder Rocco Placentino. “We are expecting the Whitecaps to be flying on the field because they are still in the race. But we are playing at home and we don’t want to lose in front of our fans. At the same time, a good result would be good for the morale of the team before our next regular season game against Carolina.”
The Impact is unbeaten in the last three games its played, including g a 1-1 result against visiting ACF Fiorentina of the Italian Serie A in an international friendly Sunday.
The club is second to Vancouver in the USSF’s NASL Conference standings by one point with a record 3-1-2. The Whitecaps have played one more game and are 3-1-3.
Injuries to defender Simon Gatti (knee) and striker Roberto Brown (groin) will keep both out of the Impact lineup Wednesday. Vancouver is expected to be without the services of defenders Blake Wagner (foot) and Mouloud Akloul (ankle).
The Impact returns to league play against the visiting Carolina RailHawks Sunday.
Montreal Gazette
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