Report and Reaction: Uninspiring Whitecaps still with all to play for after narrow Canadian Championship first leg loss to the Impact
We love the Canadian Championship. Always have since watching that first one play out at Swangard (and elsewhere) back in 2008. For me, you can’t beat Cup football. Sadly though, that’s not how the majority seem to see things here in North America, and as this year’s competition welcomed in the MLS teams, the fact that there is no television deal to show the semi-finals is a sad testament to that.
We all had to make do with a stuttering stream on the Canada Soccer website. A stream which kept stalling, and seemed to have some syncing issues with the commentary. Better than nothing, but as Vancouver Whitecaps second XI battled it out at Stade Saputo against an also weakened Montreal Impact line-up, you couldn’t really help but understand why the television bucks hadn’t been forthcoming.
This year’s cup could realistically be the only chance of success this season for the Whitecaps, along with being the gateway into next year’s Champions League, yet they put in an uninspired first leg performance in Montreal, lacking any real creative spark, and were lucky to come away from it all trailing by just one goal.
That belonged to Alejandro Silva, whose second half strike gave Montreal a narrow lead going into next week’s second leg at B.C. Place, but the Impact could have been out of sight in the tie if they had taken their chances.
As expected, Carl Robinson rang the changes, 11 of them in fact, in an all-change from the starting line-up that lost in D.C. on Saturday.
Stefan Marinovic came in for his first start since his training ground injury in May, while David Norman Jr made his competitive first team debut, benefitting from the ‘three Canadian starters’ rule. The other most notable change was Cristian Techera returning after his three game suspension from MLS play concluded.
With the away goals rule in effect in the competition, Vancouver’s gameplan was always going to be to give up possession, hit on the counter, and see what they could sneak, and that was pretty much how the early going played out.
Montreal carried the play, but neither team were really threatening to break the deadlock, in what was already proving to be a physical encounter.
Anthony Jackson-Hamal was certainly the biggest looking threat for the Impact and after firing over from a good position in the 22nd minute, he rose unchallenged to direct a header off the right post two minutes later.
Vancouver responded and crashed one off the woodwork themselves, with Techera’s dipping cross-come-shot cannoning off the crossbar in the 33rd minute, with the rebound just eluding Anthony Blondell.
32' POST!
comes *literally* centimetres from opening the scoring at Stade Saputo
MTL 0 – 0 VAN #VWFC #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/lKb28EYg6M
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) July 19, 2018
That was it for half, and with an away goal now looking like it could be crucial for the Whitecaps, you wondered how much they may push to get it in the second half.
Nicolas Mezquida came close to getting it in the 52nd minute curling a free kick right on the edge of the box inches past the right post.
It was Montreal who finally opened the scoring though in the 58th minute when Silva fired a low one home through a crowd of players from just inside the box.
Yet another goal given up by the Whitecaps from either just inside or just outside the box. Shocking stuff.
#IMFC's Silva puts Montreal ahead 1:0 #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/7FVzCOfP6O
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 19, 2018
And the Impact had a great chance to take a commanding lead in the tie four minutes later but Jackson-Hamal was denied by the woodwork once again, this time the crossbar, with a fierce shot from the edge of the box.
Marinovic then had to come up big moments later with a save to deny a header from Saphir Taider.
Aaron Maund headed over for the ‘Caps but there was very little coming back from them and they looked more than happy to take a one goal deficit into next week’s second leg.
Jeisson Vargas came close to adding a second for Montreal with another shot from outside the box in the 81st minute that flew just wide, but there was to be no more real tests of either ‘keeper.
Vancouver played poorly, their substitutions and lack of real urgency to grab an away goal were both baffling and “oh so Whitecaps” at the same time, but however you view the match, the ‘Caps are still very much in it. A Montreal goal next week will soon change the dynamic of the tie, but until that may or may not happen, then it’s still game very much on. Somehow.
To get into the final though, Vancouver need to be a lot, lot better and have some more urgency than they showed tonight. Whether a line-up is put out there to do that is now the big question, as is how soon they can snap themselves out of a run that has seen them lose four of their last five matches in all competitions.
FINAL SCORE: Montreal Impact 1 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT:
MONTREAL: Clement Diop; Michael Petrasso (Jukka Raitala 38), Victor Cabrera, Rudy Camacho, Daniel Lovitz; Ken Krolicki, Samuel Piette, Saphir Taider (Mathieu Choiniere 86); Alejandro Silva, Anthony Jackson-Hamal (Ignacio Piatti 71), Jeisson Vargas [Subs Not Used: James Pantemis, Rod Fanni, Shamit Shome, Matteo Mancosu]
VANCOUVER: Stefan Marinovic; Jake Nerwinski, Aly Ghazal, Aaron Maund, Brett Levis (Bernie Ibini 74); Cristian Techera, David Norman Jr (Sean Franklin 71), Russell Teibert, Brek Shea; Anthony Blondell (Erik Hurtado 59), Nicolas Mezquida [Subs Not Used: Sean Melvin, Alphonso Davies, Michael Baldisimo, Myer Bevan]
*** Check back later for postgame quotes from both locker rooms ***
Read Further on AFTN.ca
We love the Canadian Championship. Always have since watching that first one play out at Swangard (and elsewhere) back in 2008. For me, you can’t beat Cup football. Sadly though, that’s not how the majority seem to see things here in North America, and as this year’s competition welcomed in the MLS teams, the fact that there is no television deal to show the semi-finals is a sad testament to that.
We all had to make do with a stuttering stream on the Canada Soccer website. A stream which kept stalling, and seemed to have some syncing issues with the commentary. Better than nothing, but as Vancouver Whitecaps second XI battled it out at Stade Saputo against an also weakened Montreal Impact line-up, you couldn’t really help but understand why the television bucks hadn’t been forthcoming.
This year’s cup could realistically be the only chance of success this season for the Whitecaps, along with being the gateway into next year’s Champions League, yet they put in an uninspired first leg performance in Montreal, lacking any real creative spark, and were lucky to come away from it all trailing by just one goal.
That belonged to Alejandro Silva, whose second half strike gave Montreal a narrow lead going into next week’s second leg at B.C. Place, but the Impact could have been out of sight in the tie if they had taken their chances.
As expected, Carl Robinson rang the changes, 11 of them in fact, in an all-change from the starting line-up that lost in D.C. on Saturday.
Stefan Marinovic came in for his first start since his training ground injury in May, while David Norman Jr made his competitive first team debut, benefitting from the ‘three Canadian starters’ rule. The other most notable change was Cristian Techera returning after his three game suspension from MLS play concluded.
With the away goals rule in effect in the competition, Vancouver’s gameplan was always going to be to give up possession, hit on the counter, and see what they could sneak, and that was pretty much how the early going played out.
Montreal carried the play, but neither team were really threatening to break the deadlock, in what was already proving to be a physical encounter.
Anthony Jackson-Hamal was certainly the biggest looking threat for the Impact and after firing over from a good position in the 22nd minute, he rose unchallenged to direct a header off the right post two minutes later.
Vancouver responded and crashed one off the woodwork themselves, with Techera’s dipping cross-come-shot cannoning off the crossbar in the 33rd minute, with the rebound just eluding Anthony Blondell.
32' POST!
MTL 0 – 0 VAN #VWFC #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/lKb28EYg6M
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) July 19, 2018
That was it for half, and with an away goal now looking like it could be crucial for the Whitecaps, you wondered how much they may push to get it in the second half.
Nicolas Mezquida came close to getting it in the 52nd minute curling a free kick right on the edge of the box inches past the right post.
It was Montreal who finally opened the scoring though in the 58th minute when Silva fired a low one home through a crowd of players from just inside the box.
Yet another goal given up by the Whitecaps from either just inside or just outside the box. Shocking stuff.
#IMFC's Silva puts Montreal ahead 1:0 #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/7FVzCOfP6O
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 19, 2018
And the Impact had a great chance to take a commanding lead in the tie four minutes later but Jackson-Hamal was denied by the woodwork once again, this time the crossbar, with a fierce shot from the edge of the box.
Marinovic then had to come up big moments later with a save to deny a header from Saphir Taider.
Aaron Maund headed over for the ‘Caps but there was very little coming back from them and they looked more than happy to take a one goal deficit into next week’s second leg.
Jeisson Vargas came close to adding a second for Montreal with another shot from outside the box in the 81st minute that flew just wide, but there was to be no more real tests of either ‘keeper.
Vancouver played poorly, their substitutions and lack of real urgency to grab an away goal were both baffling and “oh so Whitecaps” at the same time, but however you view the match, the ‘Caps are still very much in it. A Montreal goal next week will soon change the dynamic of the tie, but until that may or may not happen, then it’s still game very much on. Somehow.
To get into the final though, Vancouver need to be a lot, lot better and have some more urgency than they showed tonight. Whether a line-up is put out there to do that is now the big question, as is how soon they can snap themselves out of a run that has seen them lose four of their last five matches in all competitions.
FINAL SCORE: Montreal Impact 1 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT:
MONTREAL: Clement Diop; Michael Petrasso (Jukka Raitala 38), Victor Cabrera, Rudy Camacho, Daniel Lovitz; Ken Krolicki, Samuel Piette, Saphir Taider (Mathieu Choiniere 86); Alejandro Silva, Anthony Jackson-Hamal (Ignacio Piatti 71), Jeisson Vargas [Subs Not Used: James Pantemis, Rod Fanni, Shamit Shome, Matteo Mancosu]
VANCOUVER: Stefan Marinovic; Jake Nerwinski, Aly Ghazal, Aaron Maund, Brett Levis (Bernie Ibini 74); Cristian Techera, David Norman Jr (Sean Franklin 71), Russell Teibert, Brek Shea; Anthony Blondell (Erik Hurtado 59), Nicolas Mezquida [Subs Not Used: Sean Melvin, Alphonso Davies, Michael Baldisimo, Myer Bevan]
*** Check back later for postgame quotes from both locker rooms ***
Read Further on AFTN.ca
