The Montreal Impact and the Rochester Rhinos will be renewing rivalries this evening (7:30pm ET, live on uslnation.com).
Our Canadian champions are travelling to Sahlen’s Stadium to play their former second division rivals in MLS Reserve League action, with the results counting for both teams in their respective league standings thanks to the new partnership reached between MLS and USL Pro.
This game will revisit a heated rivalry from the old days, one that was built on the fact that the two teams met quite frequently in the playoffs, and which culminated in 2003. The Impact fell to Rochester in the first round of the playoffs by an aggregate score of 2-1 in what was a fourth elimination at the hands of the Rhinos in the postseason (2003, 2002, 1998 and 1996).
WATCH LIVE on USLnation.com: Rhinos vs Impact at 7:30pm
A bitter pill to swallow for the Impact for sure, but made all the more sweet the following year as the Impact faced its arch rivals again - in the first round of the 2004 playoffs. The Impact exacted revenge, defeating the Rhinos in aggregate 1-0 on its way to winning the playoff title - a second in club history.
Over the years, despite a move to NASL and then MLS, the Impact has kept a good relationship with the club. Last year, an exhibition game was setup between the U21 side and the Rhinos that ended in a 1-1 draw on April 4, 2012.
The return leg in Reserve League play is set for Stade Saputo on July 21, 2013.
