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Soccer

Whitecaps, Impact chase Canadian Championship triumph

By Rudi Schuller/Goal.com FoxSports
Published | Updated
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Aug 12, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Pedro Morales (77) reacts after scoring a goal against the Montreal Impact during the second half at Stade Saputo. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports Aug 5, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Impact forward Dominic Oduro (7) plays the ball against the New York Red Bulls during the first half at Stade Saputo. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Despite giving up two late goals in the first leg, the Vancouver Whitecaps are in pole position heading into Wednesday's Canadian Championship decider with the Montreal Impact.

Vancouver took a commanding 2-0 lead in the opening leg in Montreal, but the Impact struck twice in that game's dying moments to pull level on the night and regain hope of retaining Canada's domestic cup. However, the two-legged nature of the final means that the Whitecaps still hold the away goals tiebreaker ahead of Wednesday's contest at BC Place, meaning that the Impact will have to score to keep their hopes of raising the Voyageurs Cup alive.

Getting the necessary goals to topple the 'Caps on home turf will be difficult, given that Montreal will reportedly be without newly signed Didier Drogba and midfield maestro Ignacio Piatti. Neither designated player travelled to British Columbia, according to the Montreal media.

That makes the Impact's task of breaking down Vancouver's formidable defense even tougher, but not impossible. The usually impregnable Whitecaps back line has conceded six goals over the past three matches in all competitions, including the late collapse at Stade Saputo that gave the Impact a lifeline in this competition.

The recent defensive lapses will weigh in on the mind of Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson, as will the fact that Vancouver has never lifted the Voyageurs Cup despite contesting it since its inception in 2002. Robinson, who won the Canadian Championship as a Toronto FC player in 2009, will look to settle both issues when he leads his young charges into a potentially history making fixture in front of the home crowd on Wednesday night.