Jun 16 Montreal Impact Take Game 1 Vs the Whitecaps at the CONCACAF Qualifier

Although this was not a regular season game and did not count towards the USL standings, 10,054 fans came out to support their team in what they hoped would be a second straight win at home for the Montreal Impact. The Impact would have their hands full yet again as they went from beating the 2nd place Charleston Battery last Friday to another faceoff against the 1st place Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Montreal Impact played their second game of four of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. Although this game did not count towards the USL standings, the winner, you will recall, of the 2 game playoffs between the Impact, Whitecaps and Toronto FC will move on for a berth at the CONCACAF Champions league where they will have to face the Nicaraguan champions in a home and away scenario. Montreal's 1st game was a 1-0 loss to Toronto FC in an Impact dominated game. 

Making a return from the disabled list and made his presence felt when he fed the ball to Mauro Biello who, in turn crossed it through the box before it was kicked out in the knick of time by the Whitecaps defender.

From this point on, the play went back and forth with the Impact being pressured early in the half by a hard pressing Whitecaps team that had the Impact defense working on overdrive. But towards the 20 minute mark the Impact got their legs back and returned the favour to the Whitecaps. at the 22 minute mark, Rocco Placentino "dipsey doodled" past Whitecap defender Omar Jarum and had it not been for the extended leg by Jarum that sent Placentino sailing, he would have been home free. Jarum was assessed a yellow card for this infraction. Jarum would not endear himself much more to coach Teitur Thordarson when moments later, at the 25 minute mark, a cross inside the box by the impact caromed of his body and instead of being directed out, landed squarely on the foot of Severino Jefferson who punted it by 'keeper Jay Nolly for his 1st of the season. Matt Jordan came up big at the 30  minute mark when he stopped a point blank bullet from Alfredo Valente. How did his teammates repay him? At the 36th minute, Captain Mauro Biello carried the ball straight down centre field and threaded the ball through a Whitecaps defender's legs to the right side to a waiting Joey Gjertsen who didn't waste any time releasing it past a beaten Nolly for his 2nd of the year.

In a 1st half full of chances by both teams, Matt Jordan had to come up big yet again as the Whitecaps were not swayed  by the two goal deficit. In the 43rd, deep inside the 18, Vancouver's Lyle Martin fed a waiting Justin Moore and were it not for a sprawling save at the far, bottom corner of the net, the Impact would have ended the half with only a one goal lead.

The 2nd half started out slowly with the Impact dictating the play while proving that the best defence is an aggressive offence. Not that they had many legitimate scoring chances, but ball possession was mainly at the foot of the Impact players. Until the 60th minute, the only real highlights of the half were the substitutions by both teams ( Sita-Taty Matondo for Joey Gjertsen and Diaz Kambere for Alfredo Valente). But the fans were both elated and hushed within the same breath at the 67th minute when Jason Jordan found himself in a foot race with Matt Jordan (no relation) and Matt just got a piece of the rocketed projectile headed his way, sending it over the crossbar but sending himself to the ground in a heap of pain. Play was stopped while he picked himself up, much to the relief of the 10,000 plus on hand. But the Impact did not escape this game unscathed. Recently returned from the injured list, defender Cédric Joqueviel was replaced by former Trois Rivieres Attak member Davy Uwimana when Joqueviel had to be carted off on a stretcher after a scrum in the box.

So after having gone 5 straight games without a win, the Impact have recently beat both the 2nd and first place teams in their last two. The are now 1-1 for the Canadian Championship League palyoffs and the sky is the limit for new coach John Limniatis' Impact who have got to be feeling pretty good about themselves right about now... and why not?

Their next test is this Sunday in an afternoon game at Saputo Stadium where they will meet the 8th place Carolina Railhawks. With a win, the Impact could leapfrog over Carolina in the standings for sole possession of eighth place while their quest for 7th place and final play-off spot becomes a bigger and bigger target.

Tags: concacaf \ game \ montreal \ Montreal Impact \ qualifier \ soccer \ USL \ Vancouver Whitecaps

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