The Montreal Impact plays the first of four matches of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship, Wednesday at BMO Field, against Toronto FC (8 pm, Sportsnet). "It will be a major game," mentioned Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos. "We are expecting a big challenge because two champion teams will match up: Toronto, the defending Canadian champions and the Impact, league champions last year." After winning the title in 2008, the Impact lost four times in as many matches, in the 2009 edition of the tournament. Last year, the Impact was shut out 1-0 May 13, in Toronto, lost against the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0, May 20 at Saputo Stadium, and 1-0, May 27 at Swangard Stadium, before losing 6-1, June 18 against Toronto, in Montreal. "We have to get back to what we did in 2008," said midfielder Tony Donatelli, who scored the only goal for the Impact in the last edition of the tournament. "We scored only once last year. We definitely need to score more goals and create good scoring chances in order to get points. I think that we'll need at least 8 or 9 points to win." "We want to begin the tournament with a good result," declared veteran defender Adam Braz, who played the 2007 season in Toronto. "Since it is a four-match tournament, we absolutely need to tally points. We are not expecting an easy game. It's a team that plays well at home and that has just signed an important win." Toronto FC, which plays its 4th season in Major League Soccer (MLS), will be defending this year its Canadian champion title clinched in 2009. In the CONCACAF Champions league preliminary round, Toronto lost 1-0 in aggregate goals against the Puerto Rico Islanders. Toronto shut out the Seattle Sounders 2-0, Sunday, during its 5th season match. Dwayne De Rosario and O'Brian White scored two goals in that win. De Rosario is currently the best scorer of the team with five goals in as many matches. He received the Player of the Week title in the 5th week of activities in the MLS. He had scored three goals against the Impact June 18, 2009, at Saputo Stadium. In its last USSF-D2 match, the Impact and the Portland Timbers played to a 1-1 draw, Sunday, during Montreal's home opener at Saputo Stadium. Pizzolitto scored the game-tying goal in the 81st minute. "We are feeling confident right now and we are going to Toronto to perform well," said team captain Nevio Pizzolitto. "We are not taking them lightly because they have good skilled players that are playing in the MLS for a reason. We will have to shut down a player like De Rosario who is always a threat. We don't want to give them anything so we'll have to play great defensively as a team." Impact defender Stefano Pesoli did not travel with the team due to his ankle injury.
