Last night the Montreal Impact were able to secure a 1-1 draw on the road at Toronto FC, in the first leg of the Canadian Championship. The away goal could prove decisive when the two teams play again next Wednesday at Stade Saputo.
The game started off poorly for the Impact when Nelson Rivas went off injured after 2 minutes. This was Rivas’s first appearance of the season after only featuring in one game last season. After this latest debacle it may very well be the end of the road for Rivas with the Impact.
After the injury, the first half lacked emotion, cohesion or any sort of entertainment value, from both teams. TFC opened the scoring in the 20th minute through a set piece goal from Doneil Henry. Yet another breakdown in the IMFC defensive corps allowed Henry an unmarked header to open the scoring. The first half for the Impact looked a lot like their most recent match against Colorado, a match they lost 4-1.
The start of the second half saw Jack McInerney brought on for Felipe, and a tactical adjustment, altering to a 4-4-2 formation. The change in formation seemed to breathe some fresh life into the Impact with Montreal being able to open up the play and take control of the midfield. The positive play in the second half led to the tying goal by Justin Mapp in the 73rd minute. After a patented Justin Mapp run into the box he has able to tuck the ball into the corner of the goal. These runs from Mapp have made him easily the MVP of the Impact up to this point in the season.
With the injury to Rivas, Frank Klopas will reach into his bingo cage yet again to select the starting back four for the Impact. On a positive note Adrián López was on the bench for Montreal last night and could feature in the very near future.
It will be interesting to see which players Frank Klopas will play on Saturday against the New England Revolution with the second leg of the Canadian Championship coming up next Wednesday in Montreal. The Canadian Championship, and a potential birth in the CONCACAF Champions League, is realistically the only thing the Impact have left to play for this season. With the Impact sitting in last place in the league with only 7 points through 11 games the MLS playoffs do not look to be in the picture this season.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @John_Richan. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Feel free to discuss this and other footy related articles with thousands of fans at r/football.
For the latest injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Main Photo:
