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Impact earn spot in CONCACAF Champions League with Canadian Championship win

Felipe

By RYAN TOLMICH

For the second straight season, the Montreal Impact will represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League.

The Impact won their second straight Canadian Championship Wednesday night by knocking off Toronto FC 2-1 on aggregate behind a stoppage time Felipe strike.

With both teams suffering from nerves throughout the night, the last ten minutes proved frantic with both teams creating a slew of chances. The Impact nearly took the lead through Marco Di Vaio and Hernan Bernardello in the 85th and 87th minutes, while Toronto FC missed out on chances from Jonathan Osorio in the 83rd and Kyle Bekker in the 90th.

However, it was Felipe who capitalized for the Impact with a stoppage time winner to earn the Impact the Voyageurs’ Cup. Di Vaio proved to be the catalyst for the winning sequence, with the Italian forward striking the crossbar one minute into stoppage time, paving the way for Felipe’s half-volley finish on the rebound.

With the victory, the Impact join the New York Red Bulls and El Salvador’s Club Deportivo FAS in Group 3 of the CCL.

The Impact will be back in action Wednesday when they host D.C. United at Stade Saputo, while Toronto FC will look to rebound Saturday when they host the San Jose Earthquakes.

Comments

  1. Why not make CONCACAF CL a true knockout competition all the way through, with MLS and Liga MX teams entering at the round of 32? That’s the way the Champions League (then the European Cup) operated when it built its popularity. I figure a lot of teams are barely breaking even on the CONCACAF league as is. Also, play the final in Miami every year. Central for everyone and the HQ of CONCACAF is there.

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  2. CONCACAF Champions League is the property of Liga MX. So, it does not matter who or how many of the other teams qualifiy.

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    • it should be the property of SUM or some forward thinking enterprise. So we get Villa, Robinho, and Kaka, and CCL is the international club competition in which these guys will be showcased? Thats pretty bad. I seriously doubt Henry wants to travel down to Mex/Central America. ‘ve been hoping for years that MLS would get 3 slots in Copa Lib, and maybe it will happen after a very profitable copa americana centenario. No alternative has worked- Superliga, Pan Pacific- but that doesn’t mean MLS should give up on trying to create another international club competition with cache. Invite Colombian teams? What if each group in CCL had an international invite, and those games counted? Who we got coming this year? Athletic Madrid, Real Madrid, Inter….just thinking

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      • The scheduling for the Libertadores wouldn’t work out well but the Copa Sudamericana would be perfect.

  3. Pretty messed up this happened while half of TFC’s squad was gone at World Cup duties, really wrong. TFC would have represented MLS much better than Montreal will sadly.

    Also, why aren’t these their home jerseys? O_o so much better than that bland blue

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    • The only player they were missing was Bradley (and Cesar who is done at tfc)

      We all wanted MB, Defoe and DeRo in the CCL but thats why we play these games.. TFC needs to continuing building a deeper roster a couple of quality drafts and more seasons for their HGP’s and they will be the team they think they are.

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  4. Not a lot of hope for MLS in this round of CCL with the teams we are sending (plus RBNY and Montreal in the same group means either one or neither will advance).

    DC looks better than last year, but are still a fairly middle of the pack team (yes currently in 5th but can they maintain that?).

    Portland looks much WORSE than last year. SKC has taken a step back to middle of the pack too but may be able to get better by the time the competition starts.

    And now we have Montreal, having a poor season, getting in by upset over better teams.

    Meanwhile Mexico sends its best teams from 2014 (and one 2013 runner up), not mostly 2013 results with significant roster turnover since qualification.

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    • Not looking good for MLS, NYRB could get a 3rd dp and iron out some of their issues

      Maybe we could get a Rafa Marquez return to RBA in a Leon-NY match up…

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