Watch the game at 7:30 PM ET on Sportsnet World or on Sportsnet.ca
The Montreal Impact nearly made history last week but their dreams were dashed in spectacular fashion at Olympic Stadium.
Now the Impact must start all over again and it may be for the best. In some ways their season is just beginning. They’ll restart their quest for Champions League glory this week against Toronto FC.
TFC travels to Quebec for the opening leg of the Voyageurs cup semifinal in Montreal on Wednesday night at Stade Saputo. It’s likely some of Toronto’s starters will be rested, providing a terrific opportunity for a number of players, including a promising group of Canadian youngsters.
Joe Bendik, Steven Caldwell and Mark Bloom are not expected to travel to Montreal, as they continue to recover from injuries.
Here are three keys for Wednesday night’s match
Rest For The Designated Players?
May is an incredibly busy month for Toronto FC. In total the Reds will play eight games, including a friendly against Manchester City.
Rest could be an option for Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco, but head coach Greg Vanney knows how important the Voyageurs Cup is to supporters, let alone a match against Montreal, TFC’s biggest rival.
With the Gold Cup on the horizon it makes sense to get the most out of Bradley and Altidore while you can. However, one can argue they require even more rest, considering the amount of games they’ll play with the U.S national team.
We’ll likely see Luke Moore, Eriq Zavaleta, Collen Warner, Jonathan Osorio, Jay Chapman and others who have spent most of the season on the bench in the starting lineup, but we’re up for surprises. Surprises are fun.
Cup Hangover For The Impact
Montreal was 45 minutes and change away from making history, but it fell apart rather quickly for Frank Kloppas’ side. Club America cruised to a 4-2 win last Wednesday, taking home the Concacaf Champions League
With only four MLS games under their belt this season the Impact are starting over in a sense.
"Right now everyone's pretty disappointed, but in a week or two we'll look back and we should be proud of ourselves," said forward Jack McInerney following the loss to Club America. "If we can carry this into MLS, I'm sure we'll make the playoffs."
There quest for a playoff berth will not begin on Wednesday, but it will go a long way in moving on from a disappointing conclusion to a solid run.
Considering the amount of time off the Impact has had between games it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Montreal field a strong lineup against the Reds.
Chance For The Young Guns
A contingent of players that have spent most of the 2015 season with Toronto FC II in the USL could suit up on Wednesday night.
Only players signed to MLS contracts are allowed to play in the competition, ruling out the likes of Mo Babouli and Wes Charpie, who have impressed under the tutelage of Jason Bent.
Instead, this match will give a chance to the likes of Jay Chapman, Quillan Roberts, Jordan Hamilton and Chris Mannella to get more big game experience.
Chapman is the most likely to start on Wednesday night, while Roberts will almost certainly travel with the team with Bendik on the mend.
Tune in to Sportsnet World at 7:30 PM ET on Wednesday night to catch the game and follow the conversation on Twitter with #TFCLive.
