The magical Champions League run for the Montreal Impact started back on May 7, 2014, against the lower-division Edmonton FC in the opening leg of the Amway Canadian Championship semi-final. They would lose that game 2-1 in front of a roaring crowd of 1946 in Edmonton. Based on that horrendous result, nobody would have predicted the club would have reached the CONCACAF Champions League Final.
Montreal Impact Should Remember Champions League Run
In the second leg against Edmonton, Montreal needed a 90+7′ penalty kick goal from Patrice Bernier, before Felipe sent the team to the CONCACAF Champions League in the 90+1′ in the home match against Toronto FC in the final of the national championship.
While the team failed to win much in league play and they were bottom dwellers for almost the whole season, Montreal was put in a group with CD FAS of Honduras and the New York Red Bulls in the group stage of the CCL. They won’t make it through, right? Especially with the powerful Red Bulls in the group, right?
Wrong. Les onzes Montrealais once again prevailed by beating CD FAS 1-0 and 3-2 in August before claiming the division with a 1-0 home win and 1-1 tie at Red Bull Arena against New York.
The 2015 off-season was a busy one for Montreal, who finished the MLS season with just six wins- by contrast, they collected five in the two tournaments. The backline was overhauled with the additions of Victor Cabrera, Bakary Soumare, Donny Toia and most importantly, Laurent Ciman. The acquisitions of Nigel Reo-Coker, Marco Donadel and Eric Alexander would help out the central midfield while Dominic Oduro would provide speed on the wing and depth as striker.
The team also bid farewell to some of its original players from the team of 2012, when they joined the league, like Matteo Ferrari, Felipe, Marco Di Vaio, Troy Perkins and even the homegrown Karl Ouimette.
With this new but unproven team, they had to open 2015 in Mexico against Pachuca, in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The sceptics were proven wrong once again when the team walked away with a smile that stemmed from a 2-2 draw. The home game in early March produced one of the greater goals in Impact history when rookie Cameron Porter scored in the 94th minute to tie the game 1-1 and would slingshot the newly-gelled team past Pachuca on away goals.
Their motto was apparently “let’s win on away goals” heading into the semi-finals against Alajuelense, which they would win after beating the visitors 2-0 and scoring enough road goals in the second leg, for a 4-2 loss.
The club’s marketing slogan was “marquons l’histoire”, French for “let’s make history,” and they did exactly that by becoming the first Canadian club to reach the final of the tournament. Their last match-up was a David vs. Goliath storyline, against one of the most powerful clubs on the continent, Club America. Somehow, the Impact marched into Estadio Azteca and squeeked out a 1-1 draw before being put to sleep in front of 61000 fans at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, with a 4-2 loss. Their magical Champions League run came to an end, but management shouldn’t forget about this one for a while.
They were just 45 minutes away from having the opportunity to play either Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich at the FIFA Club World Cup in December, before collapsing in the second half. The players came together during this process and their ability to squeak out wins will hopefully translate to league play, where they are win-less in four games. The defence was impeccable until the second half of the second leg in the final, led by Ciman, the unequivocal leader of this team, even though Reo-Coker holds the armband while captain Bernier sits patiently on the bench.
The midfield proved they can attack with vigor. Ignacio Piatti just makes everyone around him, whether it be Dilly Duka, Andres Romero, Dominic Oduro or even Justin Mapp, that much better. He ups the pace and is a master at the counter-attack- which has been the team’s strategy for much of the knock out round. From the quarter-finals onwards, the midfield produced 6 out of the 9 goals scored from the Impact.
This good play on the field translated to good sales in the ticket booths. 38104 spectators filled the Big O against Pachuca, 33675 more in the next round and finally the Olympic Stadium was filled to the rafters with 61004 passing through the turn-styles. This run will help the team translate ticket sales into Saputo Stadium.
All in all, this magical Champions League run has left the city in awe over their club and has certainly left a great impression. The trophy would have been an added bonus for the club, but regardless, they should keep their heads up high as they embark on a new mission for another Champions League trophy when they open the Canadian Championship against Toronto FC just a week after their crushing defeat in the final.
Main Photo: Montreal Impact’s forward Ignacio Piati (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring against America during their CONCACAF Champions League final first leg football match at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City on April 22, 2015. AFP PHOTO/ Yuri CORTEZ (Photo credit should read YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
