TORONTO – As if all the excitement of a potentially historic end to the 2017 campaign was not enough, the schedule makers have something extra in store for Toronto FC.
Eight matches remain in Toronto's regular season, three of which will be against archrivals Montreal Impact.
The familiar foes – the two have met eleven times since October 2015, where they clashed on the final day of the regular season and the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs Knockout Round days later – Toronto know just what to expect from Montreal on Sunday at Stade Saputo (4:30 pm ET; ESPN in the US | TSN 1/4/5, TVA Sports in Canada).
“I expect what has gotten them to where they are today,” head coach Greg Vanney said following Toronto's 3-0 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday night. “At their best, they're a team that is very defensively organized, have guys who are clever, know when to defend and when they can cheat on the attacking side.
“[Ignacio] Piatti is a difference maker in every way; you've got to know where he's at. [Matteo] Mancosu, [Blerim] Dzemaili, [Dominic] Oduro. They've got options, they've got attacking players. They're a veteran team; they understand who they are and how they go about their business. That, along with the intensity and the hype – all of our games in the last two years have been very intriguing – adds to a cagey match. Two different styles of play; two teams that can hurt you without having to have a ton of chances.”
Both teams head into Sunday’s match in strong form.
Toronto have won their last three, are unbeaten in eight, top of the league and the East, with a playoff spot assured and the Supporters’ Shield squarely in their sights. Montreal are winners of their four straight, a run that has vaulted them into the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“They're on a great run,” said Michael Bradley on Wednesday night. “They, regardless of the form they're in, always find ways to challenge us. We understand that it is going to take a huge effort to go there and come away with another big result.”
That all three regular season matches will take place in such a compressed period – after Sunday’s contest, the two will meet in Toronto on Sept. 20 and Oct. 15 – is peculiar, but sets up an exciting finale.
“It's fun,” Bradley said of the upcoming trio of matches. “As a competitor you want to play in the biggest games when the lights come on the brightest. We've had some unbelievable games with Montreal over the years. We have a huge amount of respect for them and what they're about.”
“They have such a unique way of playing,” he continued. “They can almost lull you to sleep. You think that they're very deep, not totally into it, but when you get careless and plays turnover, the speed and the quality with which they counter is better than any team in the league. They're unique games, in terms of the atmosphere and the rivalry, but also the contrast in how we play. It'll be a fun few games.”
The wild Eastern Conference Final series between the two rivals last season was unforgettable, hailed as the best playoff series in MLS history. TFC fell behind 3-0 in the first leg before clawing back to a 3-2 road defeat. Back home, in the pouring rain, a 5-2 extra time win allowed TFC to advance 7-5 on aggregate.
And the two have already met twice this year in a tense Canadian Championship series that saw TFC hoist the Voyageurs Cup in June.
The results from this triple-header will have serious ramifications for each side's season. Montreal could damage Toronto's assault on the record books, while TFC could doom the Impact's hopes of a postseason berth.
“For both of us, us trying to get a Supporters’ Shield and them trying to make a playoff spot, they're three pivotal games,” said Vanney. “We're going to focus on the one this weekend, go there [to] their place, and try to get a result. One game at a time.”
