Victory is the only outcome if Vancouver wants to survive
By Marc Weber
The Montreal Impact will rest some starters for today's Nutrilite Canadian Championship clash. The Vancouver Whitecaps won't rest their hopes on that.
"In a way, they've got nothing to play for," said Whitecaps captain Martin Nash, "but if they give some different guys a chance, they'll have something to prove, which can be dangerous.
"We can't expect them to be taking it easy. We've got to win and we're going to go for it."
Two games remain in this year's tournament -- tonight and June 2 when Vancouver visits Toronto FC.
For the Whitecaps, there's no complex math. No goal-differential tiebreaker to worry about. Win, win again, and they're in. Anything less and Toronto hoists their second straight Voyageurs Cup.
On the line is Canada's berth into the CONCACAF Champions League qualification round, a path that eventually leads to the FIFA Club World Cup.
Whitecaps fans might well feel that the Impact owe them one.
In 2008, Montreal started the tournament poorly, but Vancouver took four points from Toronto and opened the door for the Impact to advance.
In 2009 -- a story whose retelling should mercifully come to an end this week regardless of the outcome -- a weakened Montreal side, already eliminated, lost 6-1 to Toronto in the final game, allowing TFC to steal the crown from the Whitecaps on goal differential.
Impact coach Marc Dos Santos took plenty of heat for his lineup; his players for their performance.
But something of a reverse scenario doesn't look so bad to a west coaster now.
"For sure some key elements will rest because the most important game is Sunday against Carolina," Dos Santos said. "But the team is going to be very competitive. We've got a lot of depth this year and a lot of players who could be starters. Our mentality has changed a lot.
"We have to respect people who come to the stadium, who buy tickets."
The lineup might factor into the outcome but, more likely, it will simply come down to the question that's plagued the Whitecaps through the early season: Can they score?
They did, finally, against Rochester on Saturday, after 274 minutes of goalmouth constipation. They did it twice, in fact, with 20-year-old Cornelius Stewart emerging as the hero.
Now the stakes are much higher, and the foe more menacing. Montreal has a hex over Vancouver.
The Impact are 5-0-2 in their last seven against their Canadian rivals and the Whitecaps have just one win in seven tries at Saputo Stadium since 2008 -- though it came in this very competition last season.
Vancouver's attacking form has markedly improved the last three games, and they haven't allowed a goal since April 29. But Montreal appears to be on the upswing, too. The Impact tied Serie A side Fiorentina 1-1 in a friendly Sunday.
"We defended very, very well," Dos Santos said.
Nash and coach Teitur Thordarson both expressed the feeling that they've outplayed the Impact over the last year, with the exception of the 2009 USL-1 final when Vancouver was down to 10 men for about 90 minutes combined over two legs.
Certainly, the head-to-head meetings have been closer than the record suggests.
"It was lapses defensively and not putting our chances away," said Nash. "They're a good defensive team, always have been, but if we're playing like we can, I don't think there's many teams that can defend us."
Anything less than a victory tonight, and Toronto defends its title. mweber@theprovince.com
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