The Battle of the North. That’s what the Canadian Championship tournament has been dubbed.
That battle will be heating up between Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Montreal Impact as they face off three times over the next 30 days, starting this Saturday in Quebec (12 p.m. PT on CTV and TSN2 on TV, and TSN 1410 on radio)
“There’s always the extra spice when you play a Canadian team,” summed up head coach Carl Robinson.
Saturday’s match will be the first of these three encounters with the French side of Canada. A first chance to battle, and a preview of things to come.
When the gloves come off next month, the Canadian Championship will kick start the race back to international competition.
“They’re fun [matches] to play in,” notes goalkeeper David Ousted. “Obviously I think any Canadian team wants to be the best.”
Just last month, the ‘Caps concluded a nearly two-year quest to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup - including a Canadian Championship win over the Impact - that ended in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League with a defeat to Mexican side Tigres UANL.
Two years ago, Montreal Impact went on a similar run, making it all the way to the Champions League final and leading at halftime of the second leg before ultimately falling to Club America.
Next month, both teams start their journey once more when they face off over two legs in the Canadian Championship semifinals.
Because in order to even dare to dream of battling the planet’s best at the FIFA Club World Cup, no less the region, you must first become the best team in your country.
And that, in itself, is no small feat.
“We’ve got great history, good and bad,” tells Robinson.
Indeed they have, with much bad blood from ‘Caps fans towards the Impact – in one case involving a match that the ‘Caps did not even play in.
For the players, the meaning beyond the pitch is certainly not lost.
“There’s a little bit of bragging rights,” explained Jordan Harvey, who has been through his fair share of matches in the Battle of the North. “We know that the fans really appreciate those games and come out in numbers.”
So buckle up, the Battle of the North is coming.
