Smits will go back on loan to Impact for CCL final: “Excited to be part of Montreal making history”

John Smits PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

The irony isn’t lost on John Smits.

Smits was in goal for the Eddies when, in added time of the second leg of last year’s Amway Canadian Championship semifinal, it looked as if the NASL side were going to oust Montreal from the tournament.Instead, the Impact got a 96th-minute penalty, won the tie, went on to win the Canadian title, and have gone on all the way to CONCACAF Champions League final.

Smits was on loan to the Impact for the second leg of its CCL semifinal triumph in Costa Rica, over Alajuelense. And Smits will head to Mexico this week; on Wednesday, he’ll be Evan Bush’s back-up for the first leg of the CCL final against Club America at Azteca Stadium. And he’ll remain on emergency loan to the Impact through to the second leg in Montreal.

Even though the Eddies have an Amway Canadian Championship first-round series against Ottawa on April 22 and 29, coach Colin Miller decided that it’s better for Smits to spend two more games with the MLS side.

Miller won’t disclose if Matt Van Oekel or Tyson Farago will start Wednesday in Ottawa.

“One of the biggest thrills of my career was playing at Azteca,” said Miller, who represented Canada at one of the Americas’ most famous soccer shrines many times in his career.

Smits admitted he’s received plenty of tweets and messages from friends and family wondering how he can bury the hatchet with Montreal, considering how many still feel sour about the way Montreal beat Edmonton last year.

Smits said he’s put away those thoughts.’

“I’m very excited to be part of Montreal making history,” he said.

“This is a Canadian club in the biggest tournament in North and Central America. We want to support a Canadian team.”