TORONTO — BMO Field a Funhouse? Not on this night—it was more like a House of Horrors for Toronto FC.
Despite being a man up for 47 minutes and dominating the majority of the game, TFC still managed to lose 1-0 to the Montreal Impact on Saturday night, a result that ended the Reds’ seven-game unbeaten run.
Calum Mallace was sent off just before halftime, but the Impact pulled off a shocking win against the hottest team in Major League Soccer thanks to Ignacio Piatti’s goal in the 73rd minute.
The Impact ended a three-game winless skid to pull within six points of Eastern Conference-leading TFC. This was also Montreal’s first win at BMO Field in 11 games in all competitions since entering MLS as an expansion franchise in 2012.
“To come back [from being a man down] and fight even harder in the second half, and to get that goal and to close it out, it was an exceptional game for us, and a great boost of confidence,” Impact coach Mauro Biello said.
TFC could still finish this weekend in first place in the East if New York City FC fails to win on Sunday. Regardless, this one will sting for Toronto, who had a chance to make a statement with a victory against its bitter rivals.
Toronto coach Greg Vanney bemoaned his team’s lack of creativity in trying to break down 10-man Montreal, explaining his players relied too much on playing long balls and wide crosses into the box. But he was also quick to put this disappointing result into a larger context.
“It’s one game. There are things we have to clean up and get better at. … I just don’t think you can ride the high and lows of each game over a long season and let them affect you either way. You have to stay consistent, and stay honest with the things you’re doing well and not doing well, and keep trying to improve along the way,” Vanney said.
It’s always tense whenever these two sides meet, and Saturday was no exception. Before the game, Toronto supporters in the south end of the stadium unfurled a massive, three-piece tifo display that read, “Our funhouse, your nightmare. Welcome to the circus,” a playful dig at Impact fans who in previous games have hoisted banners referring to TFC as “clowns.”
Toronto was without defender Mark Bloom and Canadian midfielder Jay Chapman due to injuries. After missing the last six games with a hamstring problem, French midfielder Benoit Cheyrou was on the bench for TFC. Italian midfielder Marco Donadel was absent for Montreal due to a hamstring issue.
Saturday marked the third game in a week for both clubs and it showed. The first half was played at a slow and deliberate pace, with TFC looking a bit sluggish and the Impact parking as many bodies as they could behind the ball. The teams traded half-chances, although neither one came close to scoring.
An already-tense affair boiled over just before halftime when Marky Delgado fouled Dominic Oduro from behind. The ref blew it dead, but play continued for a few seconds before Mallace appeared to barge into Steven Beitashour who tumbled to the ground. A scuffle broke out and the players had to be separated. In the aftermath, Mallace was red carded, while Delgado received a yellow for the initial foul on Oduro.
Biello disagreed with the ref’s decision to send off Mallace.
“It was harsh to give that card in a game like this, especially when it was our foul, and it was a little melee in the middle of the field, and he could have easily separated the players and gave two yellows if he wanted and the play goes on. It worked out for us [in the end],” Biello opined
Already down a man, Montreal substituted Didier Drogba out early in the second half after the Ivorian received treatment from the team trainer for the second time in the match. Likewise, Sebastian Giovinco had to come out of the game in the 65th minute with an injury.
Totally against the run of play, the Impact opened the scoring in the 73rd minute. TFC couldn’t clear away Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush’s goal kick, with the ball eventually landing to Dominic Oduro who deftly flicked it forward with the outside of his boot. Piatti latched onto it, held of Beitashour, and scored past TFC goalkeeper Alex Bono.
It was the ultimate sucker-punch, with the majority of the 28,454 fans in attendance stunned into silence, as the Impact bunkered the rest of the way and held on the for the win.
“We’re disappointed, there’s no two ways about that. It’s been a good stretch for us in terms of results in terms of the way we’ve played,” Toronto captain Michael Bradley said.
“They forced us to break them down and we couldn’t make a final play in terms of the right timing, the right execution, the quality of the last pass, the cross, the shot, and obviously it all gets compounded and we let our guard down for two seconds on a goal kick and they punish us.”
In the post-match press conference, Vanney said Giovinco suffered a problem with his quad, and that he would have to be evaluated to determine the seriousness of the injury. Afterwards, Vanney pulled aside this correspondent to correct himself, saying that Giovinco’s injury was, in fact, to his groin.
NOTES: Toronto FC honoured the 1976 Toronto Metros Croatia team in a special on-field ceremony at halftime. The Metros Croatia, which featured Portuguese legend Eusebio, won the ’76 Soccer Bowl 3-0 over the Minnesota Kicks, bringing a North American Soccer League championship to Toronto… TFC leads the all-time MLS series against the Impact with six wins and three draws in 13 meetings. The Reds earned a 2-0 win in Montreal on April 23. These teams will meet for a third and final time this season on Oct. 16 at Stade Saputo… Both clubs have a bye next week. Toronto returns to action on Sept. 10 when it visits the Chicago Fire. Montreal hosts Orlando City on Sept. 7.
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