SoccerMontreal Impact give Canadian soccer fans hope

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Our national men's team looks likely to miss out on qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. One point from their opening three games leaves Dale Mitchell’s men hoping for a miracle in their bid to reach soccer’s ultimate showcase.

After a promising start to their season, Toronto FC, Canada’s lone Major League Soccer franchise, looks likely to miss out on the playoffs for the second year running.

But every cloud has a silver lining, and for the cloud that is Canadian soccer, that silver lining is the Montreal Impact.

Despite facing a brutal schedule, key suspensions and a hostile crowd in a foreign country, the Impact picked up a precious 2-1 win in Honduras against CD Olimpia on Wednesday evening in CONCACAF Champions League action.

Biggest win in Canadian club soccer history

In the context of Canadian club soccer history, the result could go down as the greatest of all time.

Sure, there are those who will disagree. They will point to the Vancouver Whitecaps' 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 1979 North American Soccer League Soccer Bowl.

Some may go all the way back to 1904, when the Galt Football Club won an Olympic gold medal.

But in terms of what this victory could mean for soccer in Canada, and in particular for soccer in Montreal, this could be the most important win of them all.

Why, you ask?

Montreal now has seven points from its opening three games. Atlante FC, the champions of Mexico, is still considered the group favourite, despite only mustering a 0-0 draw last week in Montreal. Atlante is expected to win the bulk of their remaining games, thus clinching first place in Group C.

That leaves Montreal, Olimpia and Trinidad’s Joe Public battling it out for second place and a spot in the quarter-finals.

Seven points is by no means a guarantee of a spot in the final eight, but Montreal is now in a very strong position. One more victory from their remaining three fixtures should see the Impact progress to the knockout stages of this tournament in February.

Montreal is also in the process of bidding for an MLS franchise. Unless Don Garber, the league commissioner, has been in hibernation for the last six weeks, he must be impressed by what he has seen from the Impact.

The Impact is a solid organization, very well structured from top to bottom. They are well supported, they have a beautiful, soccer-specific stadium and, as they continue to show in the Champions League, they have an excellent team.

Solid case for MLS expansion

In Joey Saputo and George Gillett, Montreal’s MLS bid is well funded, and that could tip the scales in their favour when it comes time for the next round of expansion.

That spells good news for Canadian soccer fans. There is already a fierce rivalry between the Impact and Toronto FC, as witnessed in the Nutrilite Canadian Championships. Imagine the support and media attention that rivalry will generate if it is translated to MLS league play?

Before that happens, there is still much work to be done, though. Montreal faces the Vancouver Whitecaps in the semifinals of the USL-1 playoffs on Friday and Sunday.

They then jet off to Trinidad to face Joe Public in Champions League play. A victory there will almost certainly mean qualification for the quarter-finals.

For fans of Canadian soccer, we can only hope.

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