P osted by

Steve Bottjer ,

June 4, 2014 Email

Steve Bottjer



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@BottjerRNO

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Possessing a slim advantage due to the away goal scored by Justin Mapp last week, the Impact hosted Toronto FC in the second leg of the Canadian Championship final at Stade Saputo on Wednesday.



Both TFC Head Coach Ryan Nelsen and Impact gaffer Frank Klopas fielded strong lineups for the deciding match of the tournament, with Reds striker Jermain Defoe making his first appearance in the competition since Toronto opened the 2014 tournament several weeks ago against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Opening 45 With Toronto FC in need of a goal to get back into contention for the Championship win, the first half ultimately ended up being one in which the Reds struggled to generate anything offensively.



The Impact had a great chance to open the scoring in the 29th minute when midfielder Hernan Bernardello lofted in a well-placed corner kick that striker Jack McInerney headed over the crossbar via an effort he probably should have done better on.



In the 37th minute, Marco Di Vaio shot just wide of the post, as the Impact picked up steam offensively as the half progressed.



The Impact came close again in the 42nd minute after Bernadello earned a free kick in a dangerous postion just outside the TFC 18 yard box. The Argentine DP stepped up delivered a well-placed free kick that Reds keeper Joe Bendik made a big save on. If Nelsen doesn't come out and admit he screwed up he's lost my support for good & I want him out. #tfclive — Roogsy (@Roogsy) June 5, 2014

The Second Half With Montreal looking solid defensively and closing down the opposition very quickly, Toronto continued to struggle to generate anything offensively up to the hour mark.



In desperate need of a goal, TFC Head Coach Ryan Nelsen brought on Gilberto, Jonathan Osorio and Dwayne De Rosario in an effort to kick start his attack.



Toronto ultimately delivered their first significant scoring chance in the 83rd minute when Osorio was able to beat Bush but ultimately saw his shot hit the post and ricochet to safety.



With TFC pushing numbers forward in search of a goal, Montreal sealed the Championship win in the first minute of injury time while on the counter attack, with Di Vaio hammering a blast off the crossbar and then seeing the ball rebound out to Felipe, who delivered a clinical finish past Bendik.



With the victory, Montreal won 2-1 on aggregate and repeated as Canadian Champions while denying Toronto FC their fifth Canadian Championship trophy. The Impact took full advantage of the away goal they earned last week in Toronto, as they delivered a rock solid defensive performance and then took advantage to TFC’s required late push for a goal to engineer an insurance goal.





Man of the Match Felipe

Felipe was the Man of the Match for delivering the backbreaking goal against a TFC squad that came very close to pulling out the Championship win late in the game. Overall, the victory was a complete team effort in which every player that appeared for Montreal in the game played a key role in the much needed trophy for Montreal.



Honourable mention Canadian Doneil Henry delivered his third straight stellar effort for Toronto in a losing effort. The 21 year old central defender made a number of key tackles and played a key role in keeping Di Vaio and the Impact off the scoreboard until the first minute of injury time. Toronto FC Line-up

12 Joe Bendik

28 Mark Bloom

13 Steven Caldwell

15 Doneil Henry

2 Justin Morrow

25 Jeremy Hall

8 Kyle Bekker

35 Daniel Lovitz

23 Alvaro Rey

27 Luke Moore

14 Dwayne De Rosario



Substitutions: (55) Gilberto for Lovitz; (67) Osorio for Hall; (74) De Rosario for Rey. Montreal Impact Line-up

30 Evan Bush

6 Hassoun Camara

55 Wandrille Lefèvre

44 Heath Pearce

34 Karl W. Ouimette

8 Patrice Bernier

23 Hernan Bernardello

15 Andres Romero

21 Justin Mapp

99 Jack McInerney

9 Marco Di Vaio Substitutions: (60) Felipe for Mapp; (81) Mallace in for McInerney; (88) Tissot for Romero. Who is your Toronto FC Man of the Match? Who is your Montreal Impact Man of the Match?