From the Fire, into the fury.

Toronto FC are back in action on Saturday evening with the tastiest of fixtures as they travel across the provincial border for a clash with Canadian rivals CF Montreal at Stade Saputo.

It’s been a busy month for the club. 

Players coming in – Domenico Criscito, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Federico Bernardeschi, who was just announced on Friday – players leaving – Carlos Salcedo, Alejandro Pozuelo, Ralph Priso, part of the trade package for Kaye – and the impending debut of Lorenzo Insigne. There are a lot of moving pieces right now.

“That's the game, that's the business that we play in,” said Shane O’Neill on Friday of the whirlwind the club finds themselves in. “We’ve got to find ways to compete and pull out some results here because this is a critical stretch.”

“The only thing you can do is keep your head down and keep working, try and stay focused and do your job. You hope that all this was, and I think it will be, to improve the team and the performances, and most importantly the results,” he continued. “The team has played better as of late, maybe up until Chicago, Chicago was a bit of a down point for us, but at some point it's are you getting results or not? That's the main goal and hopefully these new players can help us get some good results.”

Wednesday’s defeat in Chicago was a tough one. The reminders from that game are fresh in the mind.

“When you look at games, you have to see details,” said Bradley, recounting both Fire strikes. “When we talk about what we need to do different: make a different pass, make a better touch. Concentration from the start, understanding that, in all games. When you play away, the concentration has got to be a little more.”

“If you look hard at everything of late, we still generally created more chances, we still generally have given up way less chances, and now there's some moments in the game,” he continued. “Some of which start when we have the ball, where we’ve made a bad pass, a bad decision, and now allowed some transition. And then the other moments have typically been where it’s a long ball by the other team and a ball that pops loose and just a quick moment where we haven't handled something. Those are the things that have hurt us the most.”

“When you talk about how we get better, it's straightforward: in the attacking advantages we've got to execute better, got to be a little sharper, we've got to be a little bit more of a threat,” Bradley highlighted. “And then we've got to be able to handle some situations defensively in a way where we, from nothing or little, put ourselves in a bad spot.”

Said O’Neill: “It's a bummer the way that game started, after 15 minutes you're down 2-0.”

“It's about starting games a little bit more aggressive, not as naive, not taking as many risks early on, and just really scrapping from the get-go,” he added. “We did compete until the end, it's just not enough when you give away those two goals.”

TFC have no interest in throwing in the towel.

“Yes, we can do it,” replied Bradley, asked about the playoffs. “It's going to be hard work. We have to play well, have to pick up points, have to avoid some of the mistakes we've made of late.”

“The work to become a better team goes hand-in-hand with the work to take points,” he continued. “Every one of us has been through that many times over – different leagues, different clubs, different situations, but that's what it's all about.”

That journey begins on Saturday night against the old enemy.

Many members of the squad have already sampled the vintage of an away date in Montreal, for some it will be their first sip.

“I'm excited to see it, to be out there. I don't really know what to expect,” said O’Neill. “First and foremost, I know it's going to be a good atmosphere, it's going to be an intense game.”

“It's exciting,” he relished. “Obviously, they're playing well and this is a huge opportunity for us to show in a big game what we can do. It's a big opportunity for us to steer the ship back in the right direction.”

The two sides have already met once this season, in the semifinal of the 2022 Canadian Championship where Toronto dismantled Montreal 4-0 at BMO Field on June 22. 

Montreal enter Saturday’s match towards the top of the Eastern Conference, but in a bit of a funk, winning two and losing three of their five MLS matches since the international break in June, they have lost the last two – 4-0 away to the LA Galaxy and 2-1 at home to Sporting KC last Saturday.

“They're a good team,” levelled Bradley. “They have solid organization, a clear idea of what they want to do on the field. Slight differences, whether up top it's like a 10 underneath two strikers or sometimes it's almost like two underneath one, that changes a little bit and gives them a little different way of getting at teams, but use of wing-backs, diagonal balls, getting numbers in the box, good on set-pieces.”

Not coincidentally, much of Montreal's recent struggles have been without Djordje Mihailovic, who looks set to return on the weekend. His seven goals has him level with Romell Quioto for the team lead and with four assists he trails joint-leaders Kei Kamara and Joaquín Torres by a single helper.

“Excellent start to the season, he’s a skilful player,” said Bradley. “In the way they play, his ability to create for others, his timing to get into the box are important qualities.”

Mihailovic was absent from that earlier meeting in Toronto and he was missed.

The old saw is that form goes out the window on these occasions. For what it’s worth, Montreal are unbeaten in three in the league against Toronto. 

But that hardly matters. Every derby day is unique. It’s never easy. 

This should be fun.

“You never just get handed good fortune, do you?” remarked O’Neill. “I feel like we haven't really had an easy game all season – maybe Montreal at home in the cup was like the easiest, but even in that game, in the first half, there were really tough times.”

“That’s the game,” he closed. “We’ve got to earn that. We’ve got to be able to dictate these games and compete from the first minute.”