Later today, two out of the three Canadian teams in MLS - Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact - will face off in the opening matchday of the 2016 MLS season. Both were pretty solid last season - finishing second and third in their respective conferences and in the top ten in the league - but will be obviously hoping to improve on this for the upcoming campaign.
Vancouver Whitecaps
Carl Robinson's side, who finished second in the Western conference and third in the league, will be coming into this game having enjoyed a successful pre-season, with just one loss in their six matches played prior to today's match. The Caps will be playing their season opener at BC Place yet again this Sunday, and have traditionally fared quite well in their first game of a campaign. Out of their past five season openers at home, today's hosts have won four, whilst outscoring their opponents by 12 goals to six. Their only defeat to date was against Toronto FC, who beat them 3-1 in last season's matchday one.
Interestingly, this is the second time in four seasons that Vancouver Whitecaps will be hosting Montreal Impact; during the two sides' first encounter in 2012, the Caps defeated their fellow Canadian side 2-0. In terms of available personnel, Robinson has no injuries to worry about, meaning that he will be able to select his strongest XI for today's game. All in all, the hosts have a good record against their upcoming visitors, with two wins and three draws in their last five games at home and will be hoping to maintain this unbeaten record this evening.
Montreal Impact
As Montreal Impact prepare to take to the pitch today, there will be one notable absentee for the visitors: Didier Drogba. The former Chelsea star will not be featuring until later this season and is set to miss out on the team's first couple of games due to a knee problem that will be aggravated by playing on artificial turf. Unlike their upcoming opponents, Mauro Biello's side did not enjoy a successful pre-season and only picked up one win out of their six fixtures.
However, as any football fan knows, a successful pre-season is not indicative of success during the actual campaign, nor is a poor pre-season representative of a disappointing term once the actual season begins. Having finished third in the Eastern conference, but seventh in the league, Montreal Impact will naturally be aiming to make some major inroads this season and fans will hope that, despite the absence of talismanic striker Drogba, their team will be able to start the 2016 campaign off on the right foot.
Which channel is broadcasting Vancouver Whitecaps vs Montreal Impact on TV or Online?
Given that this is the first match of the season, Vancouver Whitecaps fans will be out in full force to rally their side on to victory, especially after they were defeated in their opening game during the 2015 campaign. It will be interesting to see how Montreal Impact will cope in the absence of Drogba and whether they will be able to shake off a disappointing pre-season to get up and running right from the start tonight.
Are you not able to make it to BC Place to catch this Sunday evening fixture live? No worries. LiveSoccerTV.com has plenty of selections to tune in via your TV, computer, phone, or tablet.
Here are some options for fans living in the following countries:
- In the USA at 17.30 EST on: MLS Live
- In Canada at 17.30 ET on: TSN GO, TSN3, TSN 690 Montreal, TSN1, TSN 1410 Vancouver, RDS, MLS Live
Live elsewhere? Check out our special Vancouver Whitecaps vs Montreal Impact broadcast page for viewing times and options for your current location.
*Note: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
Match details, result and original broadcast info
Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - 3 CF Montréal
March 6, 2016 5:30pmBC Place Stadium (Vancouver, British Columbia)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
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