2023 Canadian Championship — Preliminary Round
CF Montréal vs. Vaughan SC
April 18, 2023 at 7 p.m. ET
Stade Saputo in Montréal, Québec
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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The 2023 edition of the Canadian Championship kicks off on Tuesday night, and one of the matches on the calendar is the first ever meeting between League1 Ontario and Major League Soccer clubs. Vaughan SC, who went undefeated in their incredible run to the 2022 League1 Ontario title, head east to Stade Saputo for a clash with CF Montréal.

This is a very different Vaughan team from the one that dominated League1 Ontario last season. Head coach Patrice Gheisar has since departed for the Halifax Wanderers, and he took with him some of Vaughan’s best players, including leading goalscorer Massimo Ferrin — who had a remarkable 23 goals in 15 matches a season ago. Gheisar also took defender Riley Ferrazzo with him, who was in the CPL Team of the Week after standing out in his Wanderers debut, and Kosi Nwafornso — who also scored more than a goal per game last year.

In their place, however, Vaughan have signed several players with CPL and men’s national team experience. Midfielders Chris Mannella and Joseph Di Chiara are the two players fans will recognize — after coming from Atlético Ottawa and Cavalry FC, respectively. Mannella, who has three appearances for Canada at the senior level, is in his second stint with Vaughan, after playing for them back in 2017 after leaving Toronto FC, while Di Chiara has joined the club for the third time in his career.

Goalkeeper Gianluca Catalano, who has made a handful of appearance for the Canadian U17 national team alongside the likes of Jonathan David, is in his second year with the club and will likely be the starter between the sticks. Ryan Robinson, who was signed by the Halifax Wanderers a season ago after impressing against them in a preseason game with Vaughan, is back as well, and almost certainly motivated to get back to that level.

They drew 2-2 with the North York Nitros last week in their League1 season opener, and as the smaller club in this David vs. Goliath situation, will approach this game with no pressure on their shoulders.

CF Montréal had an impressive MLS season in 2022 as well, finishing second in the Eastern Conference and just two points off the Supporters Shield winners. Many of their key players — including Alistair Johnston, Ismaël Koné, Kamal Miller, Djordje Mihailovic — as well as head coach Wilfried Nancy, have since left the club as they took a complete U-turn.

As a result they’ve had a start to the season that couldn’t be much worse — one win and six losses in their first seven MLS games with an almost unbelievable -14 goal difference. They’ve lost their last three matches coming into this one, by a combined score of 10-0 — after a 5-0 defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps, 4-0 at the hands of the New England Revolution in the following match, and 1-0 to D.C. United this past weekend.

The four-time Voyageurs Cup winners (2013, 2014, 2019, 2021) will likely see this competition as their best chance to win any silverware after their recent exodus of players and poor start to the season — and will need no extra motivation against their League1 Ontario opposition.

All CPL and Canadian Championship matches will be broadcast live on OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Telus’ Optik TV (Channel 980) as well as online at OneSoccer.ca, through the OneSoccer app and on the fuboTV Canada platform. This match will also be available with French commentary.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Vaughan recruit players with CPL experience to boost squad: As mentioned, a lot of Vaughan’s standout players have moved up to the Canadian Premier League, but to replace them they have signed several players from CPL clubs. Players who were in the CPL last year that have now joined Vaughan include Chris Mannella, Joseph Di Chiara, Ryan Robinson, and Nyal Higgins. Dylan Carreiro, Klaidi Cela, Daniel Gogarty, Jarred Phillips, and Gianluca Catalano also have CPL experience. They may be outmatched on paper by the CF Montréal squad, but a Vaughan side full of seasoned professionals — including some players that could probably still be playing in the CPL, or have ambitions to get back — won’t back down from the fight.

• Montréal struggling to put the ball in the back of the net, and keep it out of their own: CF Montréal have had a dismal start to the 2023 season, currently sitting in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference. Through seven matches, Montréal has one win and six losses, good for just three points, and a -14 goal difference already. Their only win came on March 18, when they scored two goals late on — in the 90th and 98th minutes — to snatch victory from the ten-man Philadelphia Union. They have since been blown out by the Vancouver Whitecaps and New England Revolution — 5-0 and 4-0, respectively — and most recently lost 1-0 at home to DC United on the weekend. They need to turn around their form, and fast — so a match against a team they’re expected to beat could spark some life into them — or have the devastating opposite effect.

• Vaughan looking to kickstart season with historic match: Tuesday’s match will be the first ever meeting between League1 Ontario and Major League Soccer sides. Playing in the Canadian Championship is a big deal for any semi-professional club, but for Vaughan this is a chance for many of their players to test themselves against stronger opposition, and early in their season. They only began the 2023 League1 campaign last Wednesday, drawing 2-2 with the North Toronto Nitros. Omar Marzouk, who scored an respectable 28 goals in 55 appearances for York University during his university soccer career, had both goals for Vaughan on the night. The game against Montréal will be the second of the season for the club, who are looking to win the title again after going undefeated last season on their way to the championship.

ALL-TIME SERIES

First meeting between these sides.

KEY QUOTES

“Every game is important, I don’t care if it’s the beginning of the season. I don’t like the saying ‘we have time’, we’ve got to change it right now. We’ve got to take it into our own hands and make sure that we look really, really hard at ourselves and try win every game, no matter what competition. Whether against Vaughan, whether against D.C., whether against Columbus, whether against Atlanta, whether it’s against whoever… We go and try and win every game. This game is coming quick and fast, and we’ve got to make sure we win that one on Tuesday, it’s must-win.” — CF Montréal defender Joel Waterman

“The best we can do is hold ourselves to a high standard, and hold our group to be the best we can be, and just not be afraid to commit and to feel a part of it, to know that we belong and then go from there.” — Vaughan SC co-head coach Carmine Isacco