Inspiring Impact set for semi-final showdown
Playing in a city with one of the oldest histories in North America, it is perhaps a little ironic that Montreal Impact owe their historic run into the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals to a goal scored by a 21-year-old forward from Ohio, who the club only signed less than a month earlier.
Cameron Porter’s stoppage time strike earned Impact a 1-1 draw with Pachuca in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, which sent the Canadian club into the semi-finals for the first time in the team’s history on away goals after the two sides played to a 2-2 draw in Mexico a week prior.
Porter’s 93rd-minute decisive finish, scored in front of more than 38,000 supporters at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, was the American forward’s first-ever professional goal, having been picked up by Impact in Major League Soccer’s 2015 SuperDraft.
That is not a bad way to introduce yourself to Montreal’s fans, especially considering Porter was only brought into the match eight minutes before scoring his all-important goal. Now, due to his last minute quarter-final heroics, Porter and his team-mates are preparing to take on Costa Rica’s Alajuelense in the semi-finals.
Impact impress internationally
Only the second Canadian club to reach this level of the competition – Toronto FC reached the semi-final stage in 2012, where they lost 7-3 on aggregate to Santos Laguna – this is only the third time Montreal have appeared in the Champions League. Their best previous appearance came in 2008/09, when they were competing in the United Soccer League, a division below MLS, in the form of a quarter-final exit.
In 2012, Impact joined Major League Soccer as its 19th club and third team from Canada. A year later they failed to progress out of the Champions League group stage, narrowly missing out due to fellow MLS club San Jose Earthquakes’ superior goal difference.
On paper, Impact appear to face an uphill battle against Alajuelense. The Costa Rican club, founded 95 years ago and a perennial champion and top competitor in their domestic league, have twice won the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, a predecessor to the modern Champions League, which began in 2008.
Meanwhile, Montreal have consistently struggled in Major League Soccer since joining the North American top flight four domestic seasons ago – the club itself only formed in 1992. Having reached the post-season in MLS on one occasion, where they were easily knocked off by Houston Dynamo in the fourth versus fifth play-off, the best finish Impact have managed was 11th overall in the league (fifth in the Eastern Conference).
Impact’s path to the Champions League comes through the Canadian Championship, where Montreal have seen sustained success, winning the past two editions along with the inaugural competition in 2008. Their only other MLS challengers in the Canadian Championship are Toronto and Vancouver Whitecaps, though, so competition is rather limited, leaving the barrier to entry into the Champions League rather low.
Seeking success
However, Montreal have proven they are no easy side to face in the regional tournament. Impact went undefeated in group stage play, accumulating three wins and one draw, beating New York Red Bulls along the way. Then, an impressive 2-2 draw at Pachuca set the stage for Porter’s last-gasp strike to continue Impact’s improbable run into the semi-finals.
Coached by the fiery Frank Klopas, Impact have a handful of potent attacking options to give Alajuelense trouble, including Argentina midfielder Ignacio Piatti, young American youth international Jack McInerney and MLS veteran Dominic Oduro. And it would be unwise to forget about Cameron Porter as well.
When Impact host Alajuelense on Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium in the first leg of their semi-final, Montreal’s supporters – decked out in their traditional blue and white colours, chanting in a combination of French and English, will have their sights set on even more glory for le onze montréalais, despite an already impressive campaign.
Canadian football has never been a part of a Champions League final, much less a trip to the FIFA Club World Cup – the prize at the end of this competition. Aware of what is at stake, a win on Wednesday would do wonders for Montreal’s chances before a challenging second leg in Central America in one month’s time.
And Impact’s supporters would be delighted to see some similar magic from Porter, though they most likely will not mind if he finds the back of the net with more than a few seconds to spare.