Canadian team guaranteed MLS Cup berth for 1st time in league history
For the first time in the history of Major League Soccer, a Canadian club will compete for the most coveted prize.
By virtue of wins over the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC on Sunday in their respective semifinal matches, the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC booked berths in the Eastern Conference final, thus ensuring that at least one side that resides north of the 49th parallel will represent the conference in the MLS Cup final next month.
Related: Clinical Impact down Red Bulls to advance to conference championship
The Impact, led, as always, by Ignacio Piatti, dispatched the Red Bulls by a 3-1 aggregate score; Greg Vanney's men, meanwhile, took a slightly bigger chunk out of the Big Apple, dropping a four spot at Yankee Stadium to claim a lopsided 6-0 aggregate win.
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That sets up a 401 Derby clash between the two rivals, and the Impact, who will host the first leg on Nov. 22, are going to do their best to make it a memorable spectacle.
Per Montreal Impact spokesman, club will host opening leg of MLS's Eastern Conference final at 61,000-seat Olympic Stadium. #MLSCupPlayoffs
— Doug McIntyre (@DougMacESPN) November 6, 2016
Twenty-one years after the league's inception, and nine long years after the expansion into Canada - Toronto FC joined MLS as the first Canadian side in 2007 - there is a legitimate chance the MLS Cup could be spending the winter up north.