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Club de Foot Montreal

Impact Kicks off Conference Championship against Toronto Tuesday at Olympic Stadium

November 21, 2016 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club de Foot Montreal News Release


MONTREAL - For its first-ever Eastern Conference Championship, the Montreal Impact has been matched up with eternal rivals Toronto FC. The first leg of this series will take place at the Olympic Stadium this Tuesday at 8pm (RDS [pregame show at 7pm], TSN3, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, 985sports.ca [pregame show at 7:30pm] & CJAD 800 [pregame show at 7pm]).

"All sorts of scenarios could happen in this kind of game, and we have to be ready for them all," said Impact head coach Mauro Biello. "We have to execute our game plan well. We have learnt a lot from previous games that have been intense. They demanded total concentration. We will need the support of our fans."

Be there early and use public transport

The supporters are invited to participate in a giant mosaic when the players enter the pitch before the national anthems. Make sure you arrive early to support the players during warm-up at 7:15pm and don't forget to wear blue!

The club suggests to take public transportation. With over 60,000 fans attending the party, traffic will be heavy in the area comprised by Pie-IX/Sherbrooke/Viau/Pierre-de-Coubertin. As well as making sure you will not miss the first whistle of the game, you can also take advantage of many partners who prepared special activities to entertain you before the match.

Please also take note of the full implementation of security measures upon entering Olympic Stadium. All backpacks, camera bags and large tote bags, as well as all bags bigger than 35 cm x 35 cm x 15 cm are prohibited.

Already three playoff wins for Impact

Disciplined and sharp throughout these MLS Cup Playoffs, the Bleu-blanc-noir reached the Eastern Conference Championship with three straight wins. After a 4-2 triumph at D.C. United in the Knockout Round, the Impact won 1-0 and 2-1 against the New York Red Bulls (3-1 on aggregate) in the Conference Semifinals.

The Impact will play a first knockout game at the Big O since April 29, 2015. A heroic Montreal team then lost 4-2 (5-3 on aggregate) in the CONCACAF Champions League final against Club América, which has won the competition a record seven times.

"It doesn't get any better than playing in front of 60,000 of your fans," said midfielder Dominic Oduro. "After the Champions League Final that we played here, we want to give something back to our fans. We want to entertain them. This Conference Championship would be a perfect opportunity."

The Nacho Piatti-Matteo Mancosu pairing has played all sorts of tricks on opponents in these playoffs, as both have tallied three goals and provided an assist. Midfielders Marco Donadel and Dominic Oduro both have notched two assists. Defender Laurent Ciman has scored a goal, while forward Didier Drogba and defender Ambroise Oyongo have both registered an assist.

A second playoff meeting with TFC

Toronto FC has also won its previous three games in these MLS Cup Playoffs. The Reds first knocked out Philadelphia Union at BMO Field, winning 3-1, before defeating New York City FC twice - 2-0 and 5-0.

The Bleu-blanc-noir will face its Toronto rivals for the second straight postseason. On October 29, 2015, Montreal reached the Conference Semis with a 3-0 win over TFC, featuring goals from Patrice Bernier, Nacho Piatti and Didier Drogba.

"We're glad that the stadium will be packed, and it's up to us to do well in this game," said Drogba. "This rivalry against Toronto FC is young, but it's there, and every game against them is different. But this match is not an end in itself; we're hungry for a cup."

This will be the third meeting between these two teams at the Olympic Stadium since the Impact joined MLS in 2012. The Impact won both.

In three games against Toronto FC this season, Nacho Piatti has scored three goals. The Bleu-blanc-noir has also never lost at home this season when Piatti scores.

Following game

The return leg of this Eastern Conference Championship series will be played at Toronto's BMO Field on Wednesday, November 30, at 7pm (RDS, TSN, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690). The Eastern Conference champion will then move on to MLS Cup, which is scheduled for December 10 at 8pm at the home of the finalist with the most regular season points - the final would thus take place at Colorado Rapids or at Seattle Sounders FC, should the Impact reach it.

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