

Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

June 3, 2015 Email

Steve Bottjer

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Canadian soccer fans will get a preview of the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship Final on Wednesday when the Vancouver Whitecaps face off against the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo. With Vancouver pushing for top spot in the Western Conference and the Impact battling to get back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture following a successful run to the CONCACAF Champions League final, both sides will be focused on league play and on earning all three points. However, Wednesday’s match will also allow both teams the opportunity to get a psychological advantage for a Canadian Championship final that both teams will be desperate to win.



Vancouver have never won the tournament and will certainly be motivated to right that wrong this year. As for Montreal, two of their biggest successes in franchise history have come via their participation in the CONCACAF Champions League. Thus, Frank Klopas’s squad will be extra motivated to once again lift the Canadian Championship trophy towards getting back to CONCACAF’s premier club competition as soon as possible.



Keep thinking



With both teams having played on the weekend, both the Impact and Whitecaps will likely see some rotation with their starting elevens for Wednesday’s fixture. In terms of form, Montreal Impact are coming off a 3-0 loss to Chicago Fire and have very much been a Jeykll and Hyde team due to the squad’s super hectic schedule to start 2015. Prior to the big loss to Chicago, the Impact had looked impressive in two straights wins over quality opponents in Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas. As for the Whitecaps, Carl Robinson’s squad has been one of the top teams in the league and is coming off of a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday. Vancouver will enter Wednesday’s match in second place in the Western Conference with 23 points from 14 matches.



Given that Vancouver is travelling from the West Coast for this midweek fixture, the Impact will be hoping to take advantage of a jet lagged Whitecaps side in front of a home crowd playing the role of the 12th man. However, another big factor for Montreal comes with the fact that they are currently a banged up squad missing eight players due to injury, including forwards Dominic Oduro and Kenny Cooper.



In terms of a key match-up, the main one to watch will be Impact defender Laurent Ciman versus Whitecaps striker Octavio Rivero. Acquired over the offseason by both clubs, both the Belgian defender and the Argentine striker have quickly become key players for their respective players. While Rivero currently leads the Whitecaps in scoring, he has slowed down a bit recently after a glittering start to his MLS career. Ciman was a tower of strength for Impact during their run to the Champions League final and he has not made a wrong step since moving to MLS and quickly establishing himself as the leader on the Montreal back line.



In the end



While Montreal have the home pitch advantage for this match, Vancouver have been a very impressive road team to date. They will enter play on Wednesday with a record of 3 wins, 2 losses and a draw away from BC Place. With keeper David Ousted leading Vancouver effectively from the back, the Whitecaps having only conceded twice in their six away match. Historically, Vancouver has also dominated Montreal in league play, with the Whitecaps previously outscoring the Impact 5-0 in three previous matches while earning two wins and a draw. Given the fact that the Whitecaps have both a healthier and a more talented squad, expect Vancouver continue their MLS domination of their Canadian rivals on Wednesday evening.



Prediction

Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 1 Montreal Impact