Music: {allcanada} Impact, Toronto FC set for Canadian tussle

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The match

Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact, Amway Canadian Championship, first leg of semifinals

Date and Location

Wednesday May 2 at 8 p.m. ET, Montreal's Olympic Stadium

Broadcast details The game will air live on Sportsnet East and Sportsnet Ontario, starting with a special pre-game show at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Setting the scene

It isn't very often that an expansion franchise finds itself entering an important match as the favourite.

But that's the position the Impact find themselves in ahead of their semifinal showdown with TFC on Wednesday.

After a slow start, the Impact have looked solid in their first MLS season, sporting a 2-5-2 record and sitting sixth in MLS' Eastern Conference. They're also coming off a morale-boosting 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers (their first shutout in MLS) and they defeated TFC in Montreal last month in league play.

What's been the key to Montreal's relative success? Stocking up on character players, according to coach Jesse Marsch.

"We've managed to find a lot of good players and a good roster. We've asked of them and demanded of them to commit every day and have a good mentality and understand how we want to pay together. They've all responded really well," Marsch said.

Meanwhile, Toronto has lost seven straight games, tying the MLS record for the worst start to a season.

Despite their poor run of results, the Impact are not expecting an easy time of it.

"I know their record isn't good this year, but I don't think it indicates the type of team they are, and they're certainly going to be motivated. It's a fresh start for them to come out in a tournament where we're all starting at the same point, so they're going to be motivated," Impact captain Davy Arnaud warned.

These teams have met before in the Canadian Championship, but Wednesday's encounter marks the first time they'll be on equal footing in this tournament. Montreal won the competition in 2008 while competing in the USL First Division (American soccer's second tier) before graduating to MLS this year.

Impact backup goalkeeper Greg Sutton used to play for TFC and knows all about the rivalry between the two sides.

"It'll be exiting. This rivalry we've created here in MLS is going to be something special for years. This is a big tournament for us. We've got a stake in this," Sutton said.

News and notes

The second leg of this series is scheduled for next Wednesday at Toronto's BMO Field... Toronto is missing forward Danny Koevermans (groin) and Nick Soolsma (hamstring) for Wednesday's match, while Montreal will be without right fullback Zarek Valentin (calf injury). Jeb Brovsky will start in Valentin's place. Montreal winger Justin Mapp (hamstring) is a questionable... The Impact has never beaten TFC in Canadian Championship play, going 0-5-1 in six matches since the inaugural tournament in 2008... Toronto is the three-time defending Canadian champions... The winner of this series moves on to the two-legged final where it will meet the winner of the other semifinal between the Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Edmonton on May 16 and 23.

Player to watch for Montreal

Felipe Martins: The Brazilian has played every minute of every MLS game for the Impact this season, and has distinguished himself with his dangerous and mature play in midfield.

Player to watch for Toronto

Ryan Johnson: With Koevermans out injured, it'll be up to the Jamaican to lead the line and provide some offence for the Reds. This would be a perfect time for him to break out of his scoring slump.

Key matchup

Bernardo Corradi vs. Adrian Cann: The Italian is in fine form, with three goals in his last two games, and he'll spearhead the Impact's attack. It'll be up to Cann to track him and shut him down.

The Montreal perspective

The Toronto perspective

"If we stay together we'll be fine. We outplayed a lot of teams but the results didn't come off. Yeah, we do have a great team and we do have a better team than Montreal. -- midfielder Eric Avila told the team's website.

What's next

Toronto returns to MLS action on Saturday when it hosts DC United. Montreal visits Sporting Kansas City on the same day.