Montreal Impact vs. Alajuelense
Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
CONCACAF Champions League semifinals, first leg
March 18, 8 pm ET (FOX Sports 2, UDN-US, Sportsnet One-CAN)
The Montreal Impact's run at history continues Monday night as they become just the second Canadian team to take part in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. Standing in their way are Costa Rican outfit Alajuelense, the two-time North American champions who comfortably dispatched D.C. United in the quarterfinals.
Head coach Frank Klopas and the Impact will be missing one potential key to success however, as Justin Mapp has been sidelined for four months after suffering a dislocation and fracture in his left elbow near the end of Montreal's regular-season opener against D.C. United. The quick, skillful Mapp is one of the Impact's top chance creators, usually playing in a wide position, and will be a big miss for the two-legged series against a tough opponent.
To add to their woes on the wing, the Impact will also be without potential Mapp replacement Andres Romero for the first leg, though a targeted March 21 return means he'll likely be around for the return leg. That leaves Dominic Oduro, Maxim Tissot or Blake Smith as possible replacements, should Ignacio Piatti and Dilly Duka remain their respective attacking midfield positions. Oduro has seen the most time for Montreal so far in 2015, and his pace appears to make him the go-to guy for Wednesday.
Alajuelense, on the other hand, looked spectacular in their first-leg matchup against D.C. United back in the quarterfinals but have not won any of the four games they've played since – that includes the second leg against D.C., a 2-1 loss, plus three straight draws in league play.
They will, however, have the advantage of playing the second leg of the series at home, meaning even a goal by Alajuelense in this first leg game could prove decisive to the series with the away-goals rule in play. This puts the Impact in a trickier position than in their series with Pachuca, with the possibility of having to chase a result for 90 minutes in the return leg on April 7 in Costa Rica.
Related content:
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- WATCH: Klopas, Tissot, McInerney discuss upcoming Alajuelense clash
- Ex-Impact man Patrick LeDuc looks back at famous 2009 run
- Know your enemy: 10 facts about LD Alajuelense
- Impact head coach Klopas eases concerns surrounding possible Piatti knock
How they got here:
- Montreal: Defeated Pachuca on away goals (3-3 aggregate) in quarterfinals; Group 3 winner, seed No. 4 (3-0-1; 10 pts, 6 GF/3 GA)
- Alajuelense: Defeated D.C. United 6-4 on aggregate in quarterfinals; Group 6 winner, seed No. 8 (1-3-0; 6 pts, 4 GF/3 GA)
The Opponent – What you need to know about Alajuelense
Coach: Oscar Ramirez (Costa Rica)
Position: 4th in Costa Rican Primera Division (5-3-5; 20 pts, 20 GF/15 GA; Last five games: D-D-D-L-L)
Best CCL/Champions' Cup finish: Winners (1986, 2004)
Star player: Johan Venegas
The 26-year-old wide man has been on fire for Alajuelense recently no matter the competition. He's scored in each of the last six games he's played, including a goal in each leg against D.C., for a total of seven goals in that time period. Goals aren't the only part of Venegas' game, though, as his position tucked into the diamond Alajuelense have been using requires strong distribution and defensive skills as well. Having just broken into the Costa Rican national team and scored three goals for the Ticos in the last half of 2014, Venegas will certainly be looking to show he deserves to stay there – and to play for a continental championship.
You may recognize: Johnny Acosta
On the other end of the field, a few of the more detail-oriented observers will notice defender Johnny Acosta, who featured in both knockout-round games during Costa Rica's run to the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals and scored his lone international goal against the US in a qualifier for that tournament. The 31-year-old defender, who stands just 5-foot-9, is not going to outjump the bigger forwards for long balls, but like many center backs his size, can more than hold his own in terms of reading and anticipating the game. That is sure to make life frustrating as the Impact try to build a cohesive attack.
Possible XIs:
- Montreal (4-2-3-1): Bush; Cabrera, Soumare, Ciman, Toia; Donadel, Reo-Coker; Oduro, Piatti, Duka; McInerney
- Alajuelense (4-4-2 diamond): Lewis; Gutierrez, Acosta, Lopez, Peralta; Rodriguez; Venegas, Matarrita; Alonso; Ortiz, McDonald
Why Montreal will win: Backed by 30,000+ supporters and playing at home, this will be Montreal's time to shine in the series. Piatti has showed glimpses of that game-breaking ability early in the season, and after a few more games back, he'll be more accustomed to his new teammates. The loss of Mapp is a blow, but Oduro's pace should keep the visitors honest, at the very least, and could open up space for the rest of Montreal's talented attacking group.
- Find more Impact news at ImpactMontreal.com
Why Alajuelense will win: If nothing else, we've learned that Liga can stand toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. It remains to be seen how the Impact will transition to defending LDA's shorter passing game, while the Ticos' familiarity with artificial surfaces will be a boon at the Olympic Stadium. You may not want to bet on them to win, but it's easy to see them walking away with a scoring draw – a perfectly acceptable result in their position – against an Impact team that I'll remind you has not won a competitive game yet in 2015.
