MONTREAL – Justin Mapp still had his substitute’s bib on, but it didn’t matter. Fans in Stade Saputo’s North stand saw him walk up to the fourth official, and that was enough for them to stand up and chant Mapp's name.
“It felt good, for sure,” Mapp told reporters. “A reception like that makes you feel appreciated as a player, and I’ve been away for a while. It was great to hear.”
That ovation showed you just how much Montrealers missed Mapp, who had dislocated an elbow in March against D.C. United. What Mapp did 20 minutes later showed why they had missed him.
Down 2-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps, the Montreal Impact came back with two goals in two minutes late on Wednesday night at Stade Saputo in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship. After Laurent Ciman, on a set play, cut Vancouver’s lead to one goal, Mapp’s run into space and cross for homegrown striker Anthony Jackson-Hamel’s first professional goal made it 2-2, the final score, in the 85th minute.
It was not the ideal result. But in the circumstances, it was not a disaster. It leaves Montreal with a genuine shot at the Voyageurs Cup going into the second leg, on August 26 in Vancouver.
“We gave ourselves a chance,” Mapp said. “It’s a one-off game. Vancouver, they’ve got two away goals. They did what they needed to do. … We give ourselves a chance to go there and get a result. We have every reason to believe we can.”
Mapp came on in the 61st minute, replacing Maxim Tissot. 11 minutes later, the ‘Caps led 2-0 thanks to Darren Mattocks and Pedro Morales. Montreal found themselves in a tough spot. Mapp was a spark that they needed. Their play in the first half had been “too predictable,” head coach Frank Klopas said.
“[Mapp is] a guy with tremendous ability off the dribble to beat players,” Klopas said. “He can combine. He’s got great vision. I think that, when you have players that, when you can get them the ball in the right moments, they can break opponents down, you put the other team on their heels. … It took him a while to find the game, but then the one pass he makes to Jackson was fantastic. And it was a great finish by the young kid.”
