It’s derby day.

Toronto FC squares off against Canadian rivals CF Montréal at BMO Field on Saturday night eager to get back to winning ways.

It will be John Herdman’s first match against Montréal, but coming up as a Newcastle United fan he knows exactly what days like this mean.

“I loved it. Loved it, derby day,” said the TFC coach on Friday of those matches against Sunderland, the Tyne-Wear derby. “I was trying to bring some of that to the US-Canada stuff, how it used to make us feel, [how] the city felt.”

“Some of the fans were at the training today, singing their songs, and letting us know how important it is for the city, for them,” Herdman continued.

“Tomorrow's meeting, normally that's my space, but tomorrow's will be the Toronto boys’ space. They'll get a chance to address the team before the game tomorrow.”

The 401 derby, the Canadian Classique, however one frames it, it is the first game circled on the calendar every season.

Traditionally speaking, separated by a few hundred kilometres and a provincial border, it can be hard to discern from afar exactly what it is the two solitudes have against each other. It takes time to understand the long-running feud between the two cities as the centre of all aspects of Canadian life and how that manifests in the sporting context.

Raoul Petretta rose through the ranks of FC Basel, in the midst of their rivalries with the Zürich-based clubs, FC Zürich and Grasshoppers.

In his first season he didn’t quite get the whole Toronto-Montréal thing, but now he does.

“Last year, to be honest, not really,” replied the defender, asked if he understood what it meant. “I had to know the city a little bit more, to know a little bit more the history.”

“This year, yeah,” said Petretta. “I understand more how the feeling is for everyone here in the city and for us, for the whole team.”

Derby day comes in the midst of a busy period. Toronto are coming off a 2-0 midweek defeat away to Nashville SC and face the second leg of the Canadian Championship quarterfinal against CS Saint-Laurent on Tuesday.

The month of May is game, rest, game, rest, game throughout.

Petretta recounted what the 72 hours between matches look like: “We came home – 3/3:30 AM, I was at home after Nashville.”

“You sleep, you come in here, regeneration, massage, eat good, sleep a lot, and then you play again,” he laid out. “Today is pregame again, tomorrow on the field and give everything.”

Toronto have vital Eastern Conference matches against FC Cincinnati, the Philadelphia Union, and D.C. United on the horizon before a slight break at the start of June, but that all can wait.

“It's been a bit of a whirlwind, but culminating in the most exciting part, which is the classic,” said Herdman.

“We'll get a chance to play in a real derby match. This one, I'm excited for.”

Laurent Courtois’s side comes to Toronto in the midst of a rough patch, having lost their last three and winless in 5. They began the season with six-straight on the road and started well, unbeaten through the first three matches, Following a win over FC Cincinnati in their home opener Montréal looked to kick on.

But a pair of draws – at home against Orlando City SC and away to the Columbus Crew – were followed by losses away to Nashville and at home to Inter Miami CF and, most recently, a 3-1 loss against the Crew on Wednesday night at home.

The old line is that form goes out the window in a rivalry match. Both sides will be hoping that is so.

“They've had a similar reality to us,” observed Herdman. “Where it's been difficult to get a core group consistent on the field. It's not been easy for them from what I've seen, from their injuries. They're coming into a derby match, which I'm sure is going to ignite them.”

“If I'm on the other side of the fence, I'm talking about this as the moment that kick starts the season, I'm talking about this as a reset button and drawing on the passion of a rivalry,” he continued.

“There's a lot for them to play for and a big opportunity. We have got to match that.”

Montréal’s injury list is even longer than Toronto’s with top scorer Matíías Cóccaro, Josef Martínez, Mason Toye, Mahala Opoku, and former Red Raheem Edwards, to name but a few, all sidelined.

Ariel Lassiter and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint each have two goals on the season, while Lassiter, Mathieu Choinière, and the injured Martínez all have a trio of assists.

“When I look at Montreal tactically, they'll probably match [us]. They’ll play a very similar style, in terms of the tactical shape, the structures, and they're brave – they're a brave team,” anticipated Herdman. “On the road or at home, they're going to look to play out the back and draw pressure and play that brave style of football.”

Montréal have dominated the head-to-head in recent years, winning the last four league encounters and unbeaten in seven stretching back to 2020. The two sides will meet again on July 20 at Stade Saputo.

“We are ready for this fight,” underlined Petretta. “We will do the best, in front of our fans, to win this game.”