The GBU: Montreal Impact - Real Esteli

A quick breakdown of the first match of the qualifying campaign for the CONCACAF Champions League: the Montreal Impact of the USL against Nicaraguan club Real Esteli, Thursday night in Montreal...

(A preview of the match can be found at CBCsports.ca)

The Score: Montreal 1, Real Esteli 0

How I saw it: On TV, but buried on bold (formerly CBC Country Canada).

The Good:

- Matt Jordan: The Impact keeper looked somewhat shaky early on, but improved as the match possessed, and made several key saves. One of his best saves denied Esteli in stoppage time and preserved the win for the Impact.

- Joey Gjertsen: The former Whitecap midfielder had a solid game for the Impact, and notched the only goal of the contest. The Impact weren't overly impressive on the day, but Gjertsen did well, and his goal was all they needed in the end.

The Bad:

- The defending: The Impact sat back too far after they scored, which only works with rock-solid defending (and not always then). Their defence showed several cracks, though, including poorly-timed challenges (particularly one that possibly should have been a penalty, but was only called as a free kick), loose marking and generally sloppy play in their own end. They'll need to improve to get anywhere in this competition.

The Ugly:

- The game being on bold: Formerly known as CBC Country Canada, bold isn't exactly a top-viewed network or one with a strong sports reputation. It would have been much better off on the main network, which instead went with news and various drama programs. Curious decision by the CBC, as they showed most of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship games live (and that tournament, after all, was only a qualifier for this main competition). They did elect to carry this one on tape delay on the main network in the early hours of the morning, but it still shows that soccer doesn't have too high of a priority around here. I wonder if their decision would have changed if it was Toronto FC playing, instead of the "minor-league" Impact, who, after all, aren't from the centre of the Canadian media universe?