Toronto to open Canadian defense on April 28

February 6, 2010

Toronto FC will begin defense of its Nutrilite Canadian Championship on April 28, hosting the Montreal Impact as it attempts to return to the CONCACAF Champions League.

Thursday’s release of the 2010 tournament schedule comes nearly a month after the U.S. Soccer Federation sanctioned a merged league between the United Soccer Leagues and the offshoot North American Soccer League, which cleared the way for the competition to go forward.

With the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact breaking away from the second-division USL to join the NASL, neither league was in position to gain the USSF’s sanction.

Canadian Soccer Association General Secretary Peter Montopoli, however, was confident the third edition of the championship would go forward.

“The future of this competition was solid,” he said. “Certainly we had the right to play this competition no matter what the resolution would be, so this competition was moving forward. So in our mind it was really not in doubt.”

The three-team, six-game tournament will finish on June 2 with Toronto hosting Vancouver. The winner qualifies for the Preliminary Round of the Champions League, set to begin the final week of July.

“I’ve been in North America for over 20 years and been part of a U.S. (Open) Cup and in the U.S. Cup there’s not really much passion and just being here and hearing about the Canadian Cup there seems to be a lot on the line,” newly hired Toronto coach Preki said. “People are excited to watch the games and support the teams.”

This will be Vancouver’s final year to compete as a team from a second-division league. The club is set to join Toronto in Major League Soccer in 2011.

This year’s schedule has all the games played on six consecutive Wednesdays, a move intended to improve television audiences.

Montreal won the inaugural tournament, parlaying that success into a surprising run to the Champions League quarterfinals. Last year, Toronto FC captured the title, but was eliminated from the Champions League by the USL’s Puerto Rico Islanders in the Preliminary Round.

2010 Nutrilite Canadian Championship
Wednesday, April 28
Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact
Wednesday, May 5
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Montreal Impact
Wednesday, May 12
Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC
Wednesday, May 19
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC
Wednesday, May 26
Montreal Impact vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Wednesday, June 2
Toronto FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

TORONTO -

By Vijay Setlur

Tags: american soccer, canadian soccer association, champions league quarterfinals, concacaf champions league, game tournament, general secretary, inaugural tournament, Major League Soccer, Montreal, montreal impact, nasl, North American, north american soccer league, offshoot, Peter Montopoli, preki, Puerto Rico, secretary peter, soccer federation, television audiences, Toronto, toronto fc, U.S, U.S. Cup, U.S. Soccer, united soccer leagues, Vancouver, vancouver whitecaps, Vijay Setlur, Whitecaps

New North American league sets 2010 debut

November 11, 2009

A new seven-team North American professional soccer league will begin next April after several clubs withdrew from the United Soccer Leagues first division to begin a club owner-operated circuit.

The Vancouver Whitecaps, set to join the premier-level Major League Soccer in 2011, will be part of the as-yet-unnamed league in 2010 along with teams in Miami, Atlanta, Carolina, Montreal, Minnesota and St. Louis.

“We have united some of the best owners, teams and markets around a new vision for a professional soccer league in North America,” Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo told the Miami Herald.

Saputo, set to chair the new league’s board of governors, said in a statement released by his club that talks remained ongoing with United League officials but the new league had to move so it could seek approval from US and Canadian soccer officials to keep the breakaway option viable.

The circuit would be a division two level just as the United league, one step below MLS.

MIAMI (AFP)

Tags: Atlanta, breakaway, canadian soccer, Carolina, club owner, joey, league officials, Major League Soccer, Miami, miami herald, Minnesota, mls miami, Montreal, montreal impact, new vision, North America, North American, professional soccer league, s board, saputo, soccer officials, ST. LOUIS, U.S., united league, united soccer leagues, Vancouver, vancouver whitecaps

Toronto, Islanders have issues heading into clash

July 29, 2009

TORONTO – Toronto FC has injury problems. Puerto Rico is in the midst of a grueling road trip. Neither kick off their CONCACAF Champions League hopes Wednesday at the most opportune moment.

For Toronto, it hosts its first competitive international match missing Honduran international midfielder Amado Guevara, who bruised his ribs in Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Columbus. Also absent will be Canadian international defender Adrian Serioux, who picked up an unspecified knock on Saturday, and defender Nana Attakora (hamstring).

Despite the loss of three regulars, Toronto coach Chris Cummins remained upbeat about the three-year-old club and its first game on the international stage in the Preliminary Round.

“If we can beat Puerto Rico and get through to the group stage it can only be good for the club,” Cummins said. “We are looking to go in and win every game. If we can make it to the next stage, you never know we might be facing the likes of Man U or Barcelona [at the Club World Cup].”

Rookie midfielder Sam Cronin returns after playing in two games for the United States at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, including in Sunday’s 5-0 loss to Mexico in the championship game.

The Reds defeated last year’s Champions League surprise quarterfinalist Montreal 6-1 in the final game of the Nurtrilite Canadian Championship on June 18 to advance to the Preliminary Round.

Canadian international midfielder Dwayne De Rosario leads the team with seven goals in Major League Soccer – not including the three against Montreal – with support from Danny Dichio, Chad Barrett and Pablo Vitti, who account for another seven combined.

Wednesday’s match against Toronto will mark the ninth consecutive road game for the Islanders after Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps, which took nearly four hours to complete due to severe weather.

The element of surprise coach Colin Clarke and the Orange Troop used to help reach the semifinals of last year’s Champions League is no more.

Defender Cristian Arrieta leads Puerto Rico with seven goals – and also ranks second among scoring leaders in the United Soccer Leagues First Division – while Jamaican international striker Nicholas Addlerly has contributed four.

The Islanders, which were noted for their defense last year, have allowed a goal a game in the USL thi season, and are still led by 2008 USL goalkeeper of the year Bill Gaudette, who currently leads the league in minutes (1890) saves (89), wins (9) and also has a second-best eight shutouts so far this season.

Puerto Rico will be without Clarke on the bench for the first and second legs of the Preliminary Round due to his expulsion from the title match of the CFU Club Champions Cup in May.

The two teams will then travel to Puerto Rico for the second leg on August 4.

By Peter Mallett

Tags: Adrian Serioux, amado guevara, chad barrett, chris cummins, club world cup, coach chris, colin clarke, concacaf champions league, concacaf gold cup, consecutive road, Danny Dichio, dwayne de rosario, element of surprise, opportune moment, severe weather, toronto fc, toronto toronto, vancouver whitecaps, vitti

De Rosario scores three, Toronto beats Montreal 6-1 to clinch Champions League berth

June 19, 2009

MONTREAL – Dwayne De Rosario scored three goals and Toronto FC defeated the Montreal Impact 6-1 on Thursday to win the Nutlite Canadian Championship and a berth in next year’s CONCACAF Champions League.

Toronto, which had only won one game by four goals in its history, needed a four-goal victory at Montreal or hand the title to the second-division Vancouver Whitecaps and miss out on the Champions League for a second straight year.

Second-half substitute Chad Barrett headed home an Amado Guevara corner kick in the 82nd minute to put Toronto ahead 5-1 and score the decisive goal that gave Major League Soccer a fifth and the final entrant in the 24-team Champions League.

De Rosario’s three goals came in a 20-minute span and Honduran international Amado Guevara added a pair to edge the Whitecaps on goal difference for the title

“We showed tonight we’ve got something special building at the club,” interim Toronto coach Chris Cummins said. “We’re not going to rest on it, we’re really going to kick off from this.

“I thought we thoroughly deserved it on the night . . . people say we can’t take our chances. Tonight we’ve taken our chances.”

The Impact, last year’s Canadian representative and semifinalists in last season’s Champions League, opened the scoring in the 24th minute after striker Peter Byers was fouled by Toronto defender Nick Garcia setting up a penalty kick.

Tony Donatelli converted the spot kick with a calm right-footed stroke past Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

“When they scored I looked around to every guy and not one of them had their head down,” De Rosario said.

A steady rain and slippery conditions were less than ideal, creating loose footing and uneven bounces throughout the match.

De Rosario started Toronto’s push with a dramatic bicycle kick in the 29th. Montreal goalkeeper Srdjan Djekanovic punched away a Guevara corner kick, but De Rosario, with his back to goal, pounced on the rebound with a lunging scissors kick to the delight of their hundreds of traveling supporters who had made the six- hour drive from southern Ontario.

De Rosario next converted a Pablo Vitti cross at the top of the penalty area in the 39th, with his hard shot first deflecting off Montreal defender Elkana Mayard, then off the Montreal goal post and into the net giving Toronto a 2-1 lead.

Three minutes into the second half, De Rosario collected a through ball, raced into the penalty area and slotted the ball past Djekanovic at point-blank range.

In the 67th, Guevara closed the gap further, bending a free kick from just outside the penalty area over the wall and past Djekanovic to incease the lead to 4-1.

Barrett, who entered the game to start the second half in place of Vitti, then scored the title clincher and set up an insurance tally by Guevara in the 90th.

Barrett back-healed a cross into the path of Guevara, who volley the ball to complete the victory.

It was the second major unraveling for the Impact who also fell apart in injury time during the second leg of their Champions League semifinal loss to Santos Laguna in March

“When that happens twice, it’s because there’s a problem, there’s a big lack of character on our part . . . you have to honour the city and club and tonight these players didn’t,” said Impact coach Marc Dos Santos.

Toronto will host the Puerto Rico Islanders of the United Soccer Leagues First Division the Preliminary Round of the Champions League, on Tuesday, July 28 and then head to Bayamon, Puerto Rico on Tuesday, August 4 for the second leg.

The Impact were missing four starting defenders from their lineup with Adam Braz and Cedric Joqueviel ruled out of the match due to injury while centre-back Nevio Pizzolitto was given the night off by coach Marc Desantis and defender Zanzan was on international duty with Togo’s national team for a World Cup qualifier against Morocco.

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Tags: Adam Braz, amado guevara, bicycle kick, canadian representative, Cedric Joqueviel, Chad, chris cummins, coach chris, concacaf champions league, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, corner kick, decisive goal, dwayne de rosario, goal victory, Major League Soccer, Marc Desantis, Marc Dos, minute span, Montreal, montreal impact, morocco, nick garcia, Pablo Vitti, Peter Byers, pounced, Puerto Rico, Santos, slippery conditions, southern Ontario, srdjan, Srdjan Djekanovic, steady rain, Stefan Frei, Togo, Tony Donatelli, Toronto, toronto fc, Vancouver, vancouver whitecaps

D.C. United-Chalatenango to open 2009-2010 CONCACAF Champions League

June 17, 2009

MIAMI – Returnee D.C. United will host El Salvador’s Chalatenango on Tuesday, July 28 to start the 2009-2010 CONCACAF Champions League, one of three Preliminary Round matches scheduled to open the tournament.

The Canadian champion, either the Vancouver Whitecaps or Toronto FC, will host the Puerto Rico Islanders and Guatemala’s Jalapa will be home against Pachuca of Mexico in later games. San Francisco FC of Panama will be home against San Juan Jabloteh of Trinidad on Wednesday, July 29, with Liberia Mia of Costa Rica hosting Honduran side Real Espana later that day.

The schedule was announced at the second annual CONCACAF Champions League Summit at the Intercontinental West Miami hotel, a gathering of all 24 participating teams to acquaint them with the other clubs as well as the tournament’s rules, regulations, requirements and protocols.

The first leg will finish on Thursday, July 30, with W Connection of Trinidad hosting the New York Red Bulls, followed by Cruz Azul of Mexico at home against Costa Rica’s Herediano, and Olimpia of Honduras against Arabe Unido of Panama.

The second leg will begin a week later with the Puerto Rico Islanders at home against either Vancouver or Toronto, and Chalatenango facing D.C. United in El Salvador on Tuesday, August 4.

The following day, the New York Red Bulls will travel to Trinidad to play W Connection; Pachuca will play at Jalapa; and Hereidano will play Cruz Azul in Mexico City.

The Preliminary Round will conclude with Arabe Unido at home against Olimpia of Honduras, San Juan Jabloteh hosting San Francicso, and Real Espana welcoming Liberia. The winners will advance to the Group Stage, which will begin with the first round of games the week of August 18-20.

PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE
(All Times USA Eastern; home teams listed first)
(Provisional)

FIRST LEG
Tuesday, July 28
D.C. United (USA) vs. Chalatenango (SLV), 8 p.m.
Vancouver Whitecaps or Toronto FC (CAN) vs.
Puerto Rico Islanders (PUR), 10 p.m. Jalapa (GUA) vs. Pachuca (MEX), 10 p.m.

Wednesday, July 29
San Francisco (PAN) vs. San Juan Jabloteh, 8 p.m.
Liberia (CRC) vs. Real Espana (HON), 10 p.m.

Thursday, July 30
W Connection (TRI) vs. New York Red Bulls (USA), 8 p.m.
Cruz Azul (MEX) vs. Herediano (CRC), 10 p.m.
Olimpia (HON) vs. Arabe Unido (PAN), 10 p.m.

SECOND LEG
Tuesday, August 4
Puerto Rico Islanders (PUR) vs. Vancouver or Toronto (CAN), 8 p.m.
Chalatenango (SLV) vs. D.C. United (USA), 10 p.m.

Wednesday, August 5
New York Red Bulls (USA) vs. W Connection (TRI), 8 p.m.
Pachuca (MEX) vs. Jalapa (GUA), 8 p.m.
Herediano (CRC) vs. Cruz Azul (MEX), 10 p.m.

Thursday, August 6
Arabe Unido (PAN) vs. Olimpia (HON), 8 p.m.
San Juan Jabloteh (TRI) vs. San Francisco (PAN), 8 p.m.
Real Espana (HON) vs. Liberia (CRC), 10 p.m.

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Tags: canadian champion, chalatenango, concacaf champions league, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, Costa Rica, cruz azul, d c united, D.C., El Salvador, group stage, Guatemala, herediano, Honduras, Intercontinental, jalapa, Liberia, Mexico, mexico city, Miami, miami hotel, New York, new york red bulls, olimpia, pachuca, Panama, Puerto Rico, puerto rico islanders, San, san francicso, San Francisco, san juan, san juan jabloteh, slv, Toronto, toronto fc, Tri, Trinidad, USA, Vancouver, vancouver whitecaps, W. Connection, west miami

Jalapa, San Francisco claim Champions League berths; One berth remains undecided

June 16, 2009

NEW YORK – Guatemala’s Jalapa and San Francisco FC of Panama claimed their berths in next seasons’ CONCACAF Champions League, leaving only one place still open in the 24-team field.

Either the Vancouver Whitecaps or Toronto FC will claim the final spot on Wednesday, when Toronto hosts the Montreal Impact needing a four-goal victory to win the Nutrilite Canadian Championship and a berth in the Champions League.

Jalapa defeated Municipal 3-1 on Sunday to complete a 1-0 aggregate victory and claim the Clausura crown, joining Comunicaciones in the Champions League from Guatemala. Comunicaciones will be seeded directly into the Group Stage, while Jalapa will play Pachuca in the Preliminary Round.

San Francisco FC returned to the Champions League for a second straight year, prevailing over Chorrillo 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw on Saturday to win Panama’s Apertura and claim its berth. It joins Arabe Unido from Panama in the Preliminary Round. San Francisco will play San Juan Jabloteh in the two-leg playoff, while Arabe Unido will face Olimpia of Honduras.

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Tags: aggregate victory, apertura, berth, berths, concacaf, concacaf champions league, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, goal victory, group stage, Guatemala, Honduras, Jabloteh, jalapa, Montreal, montreal impact, New York, Panama, penalty kicks, San Francisco, san juan, san juan jabloteh, Toronto, toronto fc, Vancouver, vancouver whitecaps

Vancouver boosts Canadian title hopes with 1-0 win; Montreal eliminated from Champions League return

May 28, 2009

BURNABY, British Columbia — The Vancouver Whitecaps ended the Montreal Impact’s hopes of repeating as Nutrilite Canadian champions Wednesday night, winning 1-0 on 18-year-old Ethan Gage’s first career goal for the Whitecaps midway through the second half.

Montreal played without several injured first-team regulars injured and defender Nevio Pizzolitto, who was suspended for accumulated yellow cards.

“They scored, we didn’t. That was the story of the two games,” Montreal coach Marco Dos Santos said. “Last year it was Montreal winning. This year it will be Toronto or Vancouver and I wish them the very best.”

The victory gave Vancouver six points and moved it into a tie atop the three-team standings with Toronto FC, which has played one less game. It also sets up a battle for first place when Toronto FC visits Vancouver on June 2. The Canadian champion earns a berth in next season’s CONCACAF Champions League, which begins July 28.

“I’m very happy with what I saw from the team,” Vancouver coach Tietur Thordarsson said. “We have our destiny in our own hands. We have to come out and play against Toronto.”

Wednesday’s game was the opposite of last week’s match in Montreal, where the Impact controlled possession but were unable to capitalize. In contrast to a week ago, the Whitecaps outshot the Impact 6-2 in the first half in front of a near capacity crowd of 5,134 at Swangard Stadium.

Vancouver’s passing created both space and attacking opportunities, while the Impact could only muster a scattering of chances on the counter-attack.

Just before the 10- minute mark, Vancouver midfielder Justin Moose swung a cross in from the right side that was met by Charles Gbeke. But his first time shot was deflected over Matt Jordan’s crossbar in the Montreal goal.

Jordan kept Montreal in the game early in the second half, stopping a 55th-minute penalty by Gbeke.

“Pretty much every time in training he was hitting them,” Thordarsson said. “It was a little bit unfortunate that he missed this one.”

Vancouver’s penalty was created when Adam Braz fouled Gbeke at the penalty spot. Jordan dived to his left to parry Gbeke’s poorly taken penalty, and Justin Moose’s follow sailed over the bar.

Vancouver’s goal came in the 67th minute after Montreal striker Eduardo Sebrango tried to clear a Marcus Haber flick into the box. The clearance only came as far as Gage, who drove a low right-footed ball into the left corner.

“It was the biggest goal of my career so far,” said a smiling Gage.

Montreal nearly equalized in the 88th minute, but Vancouver keeper Jay Nolly made two point-blank saves to thwart Amadou Gai and Sebrango.

Sebrango was looking for a goal in his first game back in Vancouver, and also to honor his father, who was celebrating his 65th birthday and is battling cancer.

The result left Montreal, which reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League this past season, at the bottom of the table with no points after three games. It needed a win to keep any hope alive of retaining the Voyageurs Cup.

Whitecaps captain Martin Nash will miss the game against Toronto after he picked up his second yellow card of the tournament in the first half.

By Gavin Day

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Tags: Adam Braz, berth, British Columbia, burnaby british columbia, canadian champion, canadian champions, capacity crowd, captain Martin Nash, career goal, Charles Gbeke, concacaf champions league, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, crossbar, Eduardo Sebrango, Ethan Gage, Gavin Day, jay nolly, Justin Moose, Marcus Haber, Matt Jordan, midfielder, Montreal, montreal impact, moose, regulars, Santos, six points, Swangard Stadium, tietur, Toronto, toronto fc, two games, Vancouver, vancouver whitecaps, yellow cards

Three more teams claim places in Champions League field

May 27, 2009

NEW YORK – Three more teams joined the field for next season’s CONCACAF Champions League, with Pachuca and Pumas reaching the Mexican Clausura finals to qualify, and Aguila claiming El Salvador’s second berth by finishing with the second most points over the Central American league’s two seasons.

If Real Esteli’s stadium meets CONCACAF standards and is approved later this week, only four places will remain unclaimed in the 24-team field for the tournament which begins with the first leg of the Preliminary Round on July 28.

Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama each have one berth open as well as Canada, which last week reached the midpoint of its six-round championship tournament between the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Costa Rica’s second berth was to be decided Tuesday night in the second leg of that country’s final between Herediano and Liberia.

Pachuca advanced past Indios 4-3 on aggregate in their Mexican Clausura semifinal while Pumas reached the two-leg championship after drawing with Puebla on aggregate but advancing due a better regular-season record. Pumas joins Cruz Azul as the two Mexican returnees from the inaugural Champions League.

While only a handful of berths are undecided, many of the seedings for the Champions League have yet to be determined. Toluca already has earned one of Mexico’s places in the Group Stage as the Apertura champion and will be accompanied by the winner between Pachuca and Pumas.

Major League Soccer champion Columbus will enter along with the Houston Dynamo as the United States’ two qualifiers to the Group Stage, while El Salvador’s Metapan and Honduras’ Marathon also have clinched places in the 16-team league phase.

Besides the Mexican berth, Costa Rica and Guatemala also have yet to determine which teams will go directly to the Group Stage and which will be required to enter the Preliminary Round.

The Preliminary Round will be contested in a two-leg format between 16 teams, with the winners on aggregate joining the eight seeded sides for the Group Stage — which will begin August 18.

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Tags: berth, Canada, Central American, COLUMBUS, concacaf champions league, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, Costa Rica, cruz azul, El Salvador, group stage, Guatemala, herediano, Honduras, Houston, houston dynamo, impact toronto, league phase, Liberia, Major League Soccer, metapan, Mexico, midpoint, Montreal, montreal impact, New York, pachuca, Panama, Puebla, pumas, real esteli, returnees, soccer champion, toronto fc, United States, Vancouver, vancouver whitecaps

Whitecaps win first of Canadian Championship 2-0; Montreal falls to last

May 21, 2009

MONTREAL – The Vancouver Whitecaps used first-half goals by Marcus Haber and Charles Gbeke to outlast the Montreal Impact 2-0 Wednesday and take control of second place as the Nutrilite Canadian Championship reached its midpoint.

(For a report in French, see below.)

Vancouver improved to three points, three behind Toronto FC, to keep alive its hopes of a title and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. The Major League Soccer side leads the three-team table with six points after home victories over Vancouver and Montreal, both of which play in the United Soccer Leagues First Division, the second tier of North American soccer.

“I thought we played an extremely good game,” Whitecaps coach Teitur Thordarson told whitecapsfc.com. “In the first half, we were excellent, and deserved the two goals that we scored. In fact, we should have scored more goals before halftime.

“We were a little bit more tactical in the second half, as we dropped one of our strikers back to play in behind his partner up front, in order to try and close the midfield space on Montreal. I thought we did that extremely well, as well as keep possession of the ball during some difficult periods. Overall, it was huge for our side.”

The result left defending champion Montreal, which reached the Champions League quarterfinals three months ago, last with no points and two games remaining.

“Except for the two goals early on, we completely dominated the game,” Impact defender Adam Braz said. “It’s always tougher to pull through when you concede two goals at the start of the game. It’s not always easy to create chances against a good team like Vancouver.”

Thordarson’s side jumped ahead in the first minute when former Canadian U-20 international Haber converted a pass from Gordon Chin to silence the near-capacity crowd of 11,483 at Stade Saputo. It was the first time in club history that the Impact conceded a goal in the first minute of play.

Gbeke, a former Impact striker, extended the lead in the 17th minute when he headed a lofted cross from the left flank from defender Takashi Hirano into the far side of the goal by goalkeeper Matt Jordan.

That strike inspired Montreal, which stifled Vancouver’s offense the rest of the way.

But Montreal couldn’t capitalize on numerous chances in outshooting Vancouver 18-6 overall.

Montreal was denied by the crossbar three times in the first half. Former Whitecaps midfielder Joey Gjertsen corralled a low cross from striker Rocco Placentino at the edge of the penalty area, turned and drove the ball off the crossbar. The rebound then came to Panamanian striker Roberto Brown, who headed the ball off the crossbar.

Five minutes later, Placentino hit the crossbar on a free kick from 30 yards.

The second half was similar, with Montreal thwarted repeatedly by Vancouver goalkeeper Jay Nolly and its own inability to finish.

“Two tactical defensive errors in the first twenty minutes of the game cost us the win, but the players had an excellent attitude as they tried to come back to win,” Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos said. “I am proud of the team today because we never panicked and we reacted well to a situation that was unpredictable. We had at least 15 scoring chances and three crossbars, but there are days like that, when the ball just doesn’t go in. We should not forget that the team was playing a fourth game in eight days.”

The loss ended the Impact’s two-game unbeaten streak under coach Dos Santos, who replaced John Limniatis last week after Montreal’s 1-0 loss at Toronto on May 13.

The former coach of the Impact’s farm club, the Trois-Rivieres Attak, needs to win both of Montreal’s remaining games by convincing scores to retain any hope of returning to the Champions League, starting with a rematch with the Whitecaps in Vancouver on May 27.

“It isn’t over for us,” Dos Santos said. “We keep our hopes up and we will fight until the end. It’s still possible, so we have to believe in it.”

Montreal 0, Vancouver 2

MONTRÉAL – Dans le cadre de son deuxième match du Championnat canadien Nutrilite, l’Impact de Montréal a été blanchi 2-0 par les Whitecaps de Vancouver, mercredi, devant 11 483 spectateurs au Stade Saputo.

“Deux erreurs défensives tactiques dans les vingt premières minutes de jeu nous ont coûté la victoire, mais les joueurs ont eu une excellente attitude en essayant de revenir dans le match pour gagner,” a déclaré l’entraîneur-chef Marc Dos Santos.

“Je suis fier de l’équipe aujourd’hui parce qu’on n’a jamais paniqué et on bien réagi à une situation qui était imprévisible. Nous avons eu au moins quinze chances de marqer et trois barres transversales, mais il y a des jours comme ça où le ballon ne rentre pas. Il ne faut pas oublier que l’équipe jouait un quatrième match en huit jours.”

Les Whitecaps ont ouvert le pointage dès la première minute de jeu. L’attaquant Marcus Haber, qui avait accepté la passe en profondeur du milieu Gordon Chin, a décoché un tir bas en croisé de l’intérieur de la surface de réparation, qui a battu le gardien de l’Impact Matt Jordan à sa gauche. C’est la première fois dans l’histoire du club qu’un but était accordé dans la première minute de jeu.

L’attaquant Charles Gbeke, un ancien porte-couleurs de l’Impact, a doublé l’avance des Whitecaps à la 17e minute. Sur le jeu qui s’était amorcé sur le flanc gauche, le défenseur Takashi Hirano a centré le ballon au deuxième poteau pour Gbeke, qui l’a ensuite dévié de la tête, battant Jordan au poteau éloigné.

“Si on enlève les deux buts, on a totalement dominé le match,” a noté le défenseur Adam Braz. “Mais si tu encaisses deux buts en début c’est toujours difficile de t’en sortir ensuite. Ce n’est pas toujours facile de se créer des chances contre une bonne équipe comme Vancouver.”

L’Impact est venu près de réduire l’écart à un seul but à la 31e minute. Suite à un jeu amorcé par le milieu Rocco Placentino sur le côté gauche, Joey Gjertsen et Roberto Brown ont tour à tour frappé la barre transversale. Gjertsen, d’un tir haut, et Roberto Brown, prenant le retour de la tête.

Puis six minutes plus tard, Placentino a frappé un puissant coup franc d’environ 30 mètres directement sur la barre.

Bien que l’Impact ait dominé au chapitre des tirs au but 18-6, Matt Jordan s’est tout de même signalé en deuxième demie, notamment à la 81e minute, en plongeant pour bloquer du bout des doigts le tir haut de Justin Moose.

“Ce n’est pas terminé pour nous. On va y croire et on va lutter jusqu’à la fin. C’est encoe possible, alors on doit y croire,” a conclu Dos Santos.

Le milieu de terrain David Testo a raté la rencontre en raison d’une suspension automatique d’un match, suite à son expulsion du match précédent contre le Toronto FC.

Rappelons que le 13 mai dernier, à Toronto, l’Impact avait perdu son premier match du tournoi 1-0 devant le Toronto FC (MLS).

Le onze montréalais affrontera de nouveau les Whitecaps au Stade Swangard, à Vancouver, le mercredi 27 mai, également dans le cadre du Championnat canadien Nutrilite.

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Tags: Adam Braz, american soccer, berth, braz, capacity crowd, Charles Gbeke, club history, concacaf champions league, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, defending champion, good game, Gordon Chin, home victories, jay nolly, Joey Gjertsen, John Limniatis, Major League Soccer, Marc Dos, Marcus Haber, Matt Jordan, midpoint, MLS, Montreal, montreal impact, North American, Roberto Brown, rocco placentino, Santos, six points, strikers, Takashi Hirano, teitur, thordarson, Toronto, toronto fc, two games, united soccer leagues, Vancouver, vancouver whitecaps

Toronto beats Montreal 1-0 for second win in Canadian Championship

May 14, 2009

TORONTO – Chad Barrett’s first-half strike led Toronto FC to a 1-0 win over defending champion Montreal Impact and a commanding lead in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.

Barrett entered the game early in the 16th minute after American international Marvell Wynne was removed for precautionary reasons with a hamstring injury.

The striker capitalized, and rewarded a near capacity crowd of 19,872 at BMO Field. A usual fixture in the starting lineup, Barrett began the match on the bench after Toronto coach Chris Cummins decided to rest him during a busy portion of the schedule.

Barrett settled a long ball, turned and shot from 30 yards to beat the outstretched arms of Impact goalkeeper Matt Jordan.

Despite his game-winning strike, Barrett was still critical of his performance.

“I’m (angry) at myself for those (missed chances),” he said. “I made the game more closer than it needed to be because we dominated the game. I’ve got to finish those chances.”

The win avenged last year’s result, when the Impact clinched the Voyageurs Cup at BMO Field to become Canadian club champion with a 1-1 draw against Toronto in the tournament finale.

The winner of the of the six-match tournament will be Canada’s lone entry into the 2009-2010 CONCACAF Champions League, which begins July 28.

The victory also cemented the MLS side’s lead atop the three-team table with six points from two matches. Both Montreal and the Vancouver Whitecaps of the United Soccer Leagues First Division have no points after one match each. The Reds beat Vancouver 1-0 at home in the tournament opener on May 6.

The result extended Toronto’s unbeaten streak to six, including four victories.

Cummins’ squad started strong, taking advantage of a shaky Montreal defense to outshoot the Impact 10-1 in the first half, 16-3 overall.

“I’m a bit disappointed by not scoring more goals,” said Cummins, who hasn’t lost since taking control of the club from John Carver “We could have been more clinical. We passed the ball and created chances, but we have to be careful that it doesn’t bite us on our back side. I’m being positive and the big thing is we got the three points.”

Barrett put Toronto ahead in the 35th, minutes after an apparent goal by Montreal’s Rocco Placentino was voided for offside.

Impact coach John Limniatis took the call as an opportunity to criticize what he sees as a deficiency in the game in Canada.

“In Canadian soccer there are three parties and the third party needs a lot of work for soccer to progress in this country,” he said. “From my point of view, we had the opportunity to score and it was a clear goal.”

Placentino’s near tally was Montreal’s closest effort, as Toronto’s defense shut down Placentino, the club’s leading scorer, and Panamanian striker Roberto Brown, who was key in the Impact’s run to the Champions League quarterfinals.

Even the second-half substitutions of strikers Eduardo Sebrango and Felix Brilliant failed to generate much offence.

The ejection of midfielder David Testo in the 71st minute for a vicious foul tackle quashed any real push for the equalizer as Montreal was reduced to 10 men.

“Maybe we did enough to get a tie, but we didn’t do enough to win the game,” Limniatis said. “On offense we had some difficulty, Toronto had chances, and we did as well as we could to contain them, but we did not do enough to win the game.”

The Impact extended its winless start to the season, having allowed seven goals in their four league matches to sit in a last-place tie with Cleveland.

“We’ve allowed more goals than we usually do, but if it’s not one thing it’s another,” Limniatis said. “In this game, we were overpowered on the ball and outplayed on the tactical, physical and mental part.”

The Impact will look to get back into the picture when it returns home to Stade Saputo to host the Vancouver Whitecaps in the tournament’s third match on May 20. Meanwhile, Toronto – which will play its two remaining Canadian championship games in Montreal and Vancouver — will await the Chicago Fire in MLS action on Saturday.

By Vijay Setlur

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