Overlooked by many as an easy three points, the Guatemalan club has now two wins at home while yet to concede a goal and more importantly top spot of Group 5. Have a quick look at some highlights including the winning goal from the 1-0 C.D. Heredia victory over San Jose, on the video embedded in this article.
What exactly does this mean for the Impact, their chances of finishing first and advancing to the knockout stages?
Mainly that the Montreal Impact, as will the San Jose Earthquakes, will now have to contend with a motivated Central-American club that now believe they can win the table. The once promising path to the knockout stages has gotten a little more complicated.
The September 24th game at Stade Saputo against C.D. Heredia can no longer be treated as a formality. The Impact will have to respect their Guatemalan foes and field a stronger starting eleven then they would desire.
Here is a quick look at the two most likely scenarios to play out:
The Ideal Scenario:
Despite the two victories, C.D. Heredia are still underdogs to leave Montreal or San Jose with a point. If that holds true and C.D. Heredia suffer two away losses, a draw for the Impact at San Jose will be sufficient to see Montreal finish first and go through to the knockout stages.
Worst Case Scenario:
If Montreal comes back from San Jose with zero points, they will then need San Jose to beat Heredia. Impact would then need to beat Heredia at home, ideally by more than one goal to win the head-to-head tiebreaker. A draw by C.D. Heredia at San Jose eliminates Montreal!
Current Standings:
(Tiebreaker: #1 head-to-head results, #2 most goals scored in head-to-head results)
Remaining Group 5 games:
-September 17th - Montreal @ San Jose
-September 24th - C.D. Heredia @ Montreal
-October 23rd - C.D. Heredia @ San Jose