CF Montréal and Whitecaps draw 1-1 in Canadian Championship semifinal first leg

CF Montréal drew 1-1 with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal on Wednesday, thanks to an improbable goal from Dani Pereira. The result leaves the tie evenly poised ahead of the return match. Pereira opened the scoring in the 16th minute by intercepting a pass and lobbing goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer. Vancouver pushed for an equalizer but struggled against Sebastian Breza, who made five saves, until captain Ryan Gauld scored in the 72nd minute from a Bruno Caicedo assist. The Whitecaps are the tournament's four-time defending champions, and no team has ever won five straight Canadian Championship titles. The second leg is set for September 16 at Saputo Stadium, with the winner facing either FC Supra or Forge FC in the October 21 final.