MLS reschedules Montreal-San Jose to accommodate Impact in CCL final

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Apr 9, 2015

The Montreal Impact will have some added preparation time ahead of the CONCACAF Champions League final second leg.

MLS has rescheduled the Impact's April 25 match against the San Jose Earthquakes, moving it to September 16 to accommodate the club and its quest to become the first team in the league to win the tournament in its current format.

Impact fall to Alajuelense, but advance on away goals to CCL final

Montreal ousted Costa Rican side Alajuelense in the semifinals to become the first MLS team since Real Salt Lake in 2011 to reach the final. There, the Impact will face Mexican power Club America, who overcame a 3-0 first-leg deficit with ease and routed Costa Rica's Herediano 6-0 in the second leg at Estadio Azteca Wednesday night. America erased the three-goal deficit in less than 19 minutes and scored five goals by halftime.

Striker Dario Benedetto accounted for four of those goals, and Las Aguilas put the series to bed with a sixth goal late on. America will attempt to continue Mexico's domination of the CCL. A Mexican club has won every championship in the six-year group stage-knockout stage era, with RSL being the only non-Mexican club to reach the final in that time.

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America is looking for its first regional title since 2006, while Montreal is the first Canadian club to reach the final of a regional competition.

Montreal announced Thursday that the club has already sold 35,000 tickets for the home leg of the final, which will be held at Olympic Stadium. America hosts the opening leg at Azteca on April 22.

MORE: Impact's Oduro alleges fan racism in Costa Rica

"The rate of sales for this game is a first for the club," Impact executive vice president Richard Legendre said in a team statement. "There is a lot of excitement surrounding the final as our supporters want to be a part of this unforgettable experience. We really hope to have a fill stadium come April 29."

GALLERY: Soccer at baseball stadiums

Soccer at Baseball Stadiums

The U.S. women's national team played New Zealand in a pre-World Cup friendly at St. Louis's Busch Stadium on April 4, 2015.

New York City FC kicked off its Yankee Stadium era Sunday evening with a 2-0 victory over the New England Revolution. The MLS expansion club will play at the famed baseball venue for the foreseeable future, as it continues its quest to land a soccer-specific stadium in the Big Apple. But it’s not the first team to play soccer in Yankee Stadium–new or old–and it’s just the latest instance of soccer being played on Major League Baseball fields. Here are some instances throughout the years.

New York City FC takes on the New England Revolution during the club's inaugural game at Yankee Stadium on March 15, 2015.

Yankee Stadium set up for soccer on July 30, 2014.

Before the club's rebrand to Sporting Kansas City, the Kansas City Wizards played the 2008-2010 seasons at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, the everyday home of the minor league Kansas City T-Bones.

Liverpool played AS Roma at Fenway on July 23, 2014.

Liverpool played AS Roma at Fenway on July 23, 2014.

A Chelsea-Manchester City friendly match in 2013 at Busch Stadium.

Argentina played Bosnia-Herzegovina during the international friendly match at Busch Stadium on November 18, 2013.

Brazil played Chile at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Nov. 19, 2013.

The Brazil team on the field before playing Chile at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Nov. 19, 2013.

Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees tosses the coin before the International Friendly match between Real Madrid and AC Milan at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 8, 2012.

Real Madrid played AC Milan at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 8, 2012.

A.C. Roma played Zaglebie Lubin at Wrigley Field on July 22, 1012.

Ecuador played Greece at Citi Field on June 7, 2011.

Juventus FC played Club America at Citi Field on July 26, 2011.

Michael Ivins/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

Mike Cameron of the Boston Red Sox on the field at Fenway before the start of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 20, 2010. An image of a soccer ball was mowed into the center field grass to promote a match between Scottish club Celtic FC and Portuguese club Sporting CP that is set to take place at Fenway Park on July 21st.