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Toronto FC 2 Montreal Impact 0
The Prelude to Battle
It’s been a rough year for Toronto FC.
After crashing out of the CONCACAF Champions League to finalists Santos Laguna, then starting their first eight games of the season in losses (a league-worst record, we’ve all been informed), the Reds went down to Montreal to play the Impact in the Amway Canadian Championship, and came home with an unfavorable 0-0 draw.
It’s exactly the kind of start Aron Winter didn’t want to have. No Champions League, no points in the regular season, and now playing Montreal at BMO Field with the constant threat of every single draw result going against them should Montreal score even once.
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Playoffs remain a distant dream; the Canadian Championship is still attainable, and Toronto FC are desperate for a win. So, with that, Toronto FC host the Montreal Impact in the second leg of their home-and-away series, in what will surely be the make-or-break game for Aron Winter. A win gives Toronto FC something to play towards; a loss would effectively end any hope for Toronto FC’s season.
You can’t write this kind of drama, this early on in a season – only in Toronto!
The First Forty-Five
Finally, finally, Toronto FC started off the stronger side, when Joao Plata cut in and slipped the ball to Eric Avila, who played the pass right back, before Plata’s shot was deflected to the foot of Reggie Lambe. Lambe took a chance and found the back of the next, in the 3rd minute.
Yet, as all good fortunes go for Toronto FC, misfortune would soon follow; In the 15th minute, Richard Eckersley stuck his foot in on a challenge, studs up, and saw red from the referees pocket. Toronto FC were down one man but up one goal.
In the 20th minute, a Julian de Guzman pass found an open Ryan Johnson, who volleyed the shot into the arms of a grateful Donovan Ricketts. In the first 20, Toronto FC pressed and pressed, earning five corners – their first positive start in recent memory, imagine!
In the 31st minute, Montreal had their best chance so far, when Davy Arnaud swung a low cross over to the right to an onrushing Sinisa Ubiparipovic, who hit the ball high. He found another in the 37th minute after Montreal strung several good passes together before finding Ubiparipovic open on the right flank.
Toronto FC responded in kind soon after, Torsten Frings swinging in Toronto’s 7th corner of the night, which found the head of Doneil Henry, bounced around a bit, before finding the foot of Ryan Johnson, who slotted the goal home in the 39th. Toronto FC are 2-0 up.
Adrian Cann picked up a yellow card in the 41st minute after pulling down Bernardo Corradi outside the box. The resulting free kick, taken by Tyson Wahl was punched away by Milos Kocic in a dramatic save. Joao Plata and Julian de Guzman pushed forward late into the first half, continuing their positive pressure, but the eventual shot was well wide. Montreal had no answer to Toronto FC’s first two goals, though a scuffle right at the end of extra time ensured the second half would start with a bang.
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Shocking the game could have easily been 3 or 4-1 despite #TFC being down a man for 70 minutes ... De Guzman was very good tonight.
- @KurtLarSUN |
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The Second Half
Felipe replaced Patrice Bernier to kick-start the second half, along with Justin Mapp for Shavar Thomas. The substitutions seemed to be very effective, as distribution to the forwards became more regular and much more dangerous. Montreal dominated the first ten minutes of the second half, and Toronto FC were happy to defend.
Terry Dunfield replaced Eric Avila in the 56th minute Toronto FC were playing a defensive game, opting to counter attack rather than build pressure. In the 59th minute, Sanna Nyassi whipped a cross in from the left, which came to Corradi, who headed towards the net but found Milos Kocic.
The counter-attack almost bore fruit when Ryan Johnson pushed forward and sent a pass over to Ashtone Morgan (on the right!) who swung a cross in to a wide-open Torsten Frings, who couldn’t get enough meat on the ball. Jeremy Hall came on for Joao Plata to solidify that midfield trio in the 66th minute.
Yet the backline of Montreal went further and further up the field, and Toronto FC dropped further back. The second half was all Montreal, as they attempted to break the Toronto FC defense. Reggie Lambe came off in the 73rd, making way for returning winger Nick Soolsma. Montreal made their last change in the 75th, Hassoun Camara coming in for Jeb Brovsky.
Kocic decided to go for the ball off the cross in the 80th, but didn’t get enough on it, and deflected the ball to the foot of Justin Mapp, who saw an open net and struck, hitting the crossbar. Toronto FC kicked things up a notch and started biting back. With Soolsma, Frings, Hall and Johnson all getting minor chances, Montreal’s offense sizzled away in the last five minutes.
Call it a shooting gallery in the four minutes of added time; both Montreal and Toronto started lining up shots one after the other.
Post-Match Reaction
Talk about a Post-Game reaction! Bob de Klerk ran over to Jesse Marsch almost immediately after the referee blew the whistle; ignoring handshakes, the two began yelling and screaming, de Klerk being held back by Winter. Like a bulldog, and in less than 10 seconds, de Klerk flared up the 401 Derby.
Goalscorer Ryan Johnson backed his managers, after his team picked up their first win since the victory over Los Angeles Galaxy:
"He wants to win really bad,” said Johnson. “We were unlucky on a lot of them. He has our backs and we have his."
After the game, Montreal Impact fans reportedly threw chairs at passing Toronto FC fans, before getting into a fight with Toronto police. The Toronto-Montreal rivalry is getting bigger and bigger, and we here at RedNation Online would like to remind everyone that rivalries can be heated without being violent!
Leave the fights on the ice!
The Final Word: Excellent – so now what?
Toronto FC get to play the Amway Canadian Championship Final where they will (probably) play the Vancouver Whitecaps.
They also got their first win in a while. All very good!
Ultimately, the result for Toronto FC stays the same; they sit bottom of the league with zero wins and zero points. Regardless of the result on the night, Toronto FC still have plenty of work to do to catch up to the other 18 teams in the league, for a coveted playoff spot.
Distractions in this competition may cloud the importance of a strong finish in the league, and as the first half of the MLS season approaches, Toronto FC must be sure that they focus on the league as well as the Amway Canadian Championship.
For the first time, the team looked relatively potent, with the wingers Ryan Johnson and Reggie Lambe pushing forward well. Center forward of the night was Joao Plata, and he was dangerous, albeit not from crosses towards him – his size was both an asset and a liability.
We have seen that Toronto FC does have a few goalscoring options available to them, yet the obvious gaps still remain; Henry, though impressive, is too young to be relied upon: the midfield still lacks a passing touch and the build up play, though direct, yields little besides corners and half-chances. Still, Toronto FC can at least be proud of the way they played tonight; their first solid performance.
As for Ryan Johnson – have you ever seen a player so reliant on one leg? It’s getting a little bit frustrating watching plays break down from his inability to use the right foot. Plenty of work for Toronto FC!
Toronto FC Line-up:
30 Milos Kocic
27 Richard Eckersley
12 Adrian Cann
4 Doneil Henry
5 Ashtone Morgan
6 Julian de Guzman
22 Torsten Frings
8 Eric Avila
19 Reggie Lambe
9 Ryan Johnson
7 Joao Plata
Substitutions: Terry Dunfield in for Eric Avila (56), Jeremy Hall in for Joao Plata (66), Nick Soolsma in for Reggie Lambe (73).
Montreal Impact Line-up:
1 Donovan Ricketts
5 Tyson, Wahl
3 Shavar Thomas
13 Matteo Ferrari
15 Jeb Brovsky
28 Sinisa Ubiparipovic
8 Patrice Bernier
18 Collen Warner
22 Davy Arnaud
23 Bernardo Corradi
11 Sanna Nyassi
Substitutions: Justin Mapp in for Shavar Thomas (46), Felipe Martins in for Patrice Bernier (46), Hassoun Camara in for Jeb Brovsky (75)
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