THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — A tight game turned on one lightning moment for Toronto FC’s Chad Barrett and Dwayne De Rosario.
Barrett’s low blast from the right side was tipped by diving Montreal Impact goalkeeper Matt Jordan to red-hot De Rosario on the left for a blast into an open net in the 74th minute to give Toronto FC a 1-0 victory in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship on Wednesday night.
Defending champion TFC beat Montreal 2-0 in Toronto on April 28 and has six points from two games, with a pair of matches remaining against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the three-team, round-robin tournament. The winner gets the Voyageurs Cup and entry into the CONCACAF Champions League.
"We knew they’d be tough here," Toronto coach Predrag (Preki) Radosavljevic after his team’s first away win of the season. "They’re experienced, they know how to play together, but we were ready mentally and physically."
It was De Rosario’s seventh goal in as many matches this year and his second against the Impact. And it brought the knot of TFC fans in the southwest corner of the grandstands to their feet.
"I saw the ball was rolling to Nick Labrocca and I just started a run," Barrett said of the goal. "He played a great first-time ball over the top.
"The defender overcommitted, so I brought the ball back, gave myself a better shot and Jordan made a great save, but DeRo cleaned it up. He brings so much more than his goals. He brings leadership. He’s a pleasure to play with."
TFC, now in their fourth season, have five wins and a draw in six games all-time against the Impact. TFC plays in Major League Soccer, while Montreal and Vancouver play in the USSF Division-2, although both will join MLS in the next two years.
Montreal coach Marc Dos Santos said De Rosario’s goal underlined the edge TFC has over his club.
"I think the teams are very equal," he said. "But the difference between the USSF and MLS is that they have one or two players that can, at a certain moment, make the difference."
He lamented that late in the match, striker Peter Byers had the ball in almost the same spot as Barrett, but sailed it to the far side of the field instead of putting it on goal.
"Making the Champions League was one of our objectives this year, but that’s over," added Dos Santos, whose team was champion of the United Soccer Leagues last season. "Now we have to worry about winning the USSF title."
Montreal has one point from three games, a 1-1 draw in Vancouver, and has one game remaining against the Whitecaps.
It was a bizarre night, with most of the city focused on the Montreal Canadiens’ 5-2 Game 7 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL playoffs.
Attendance at 13,034-seat Saputo Stadium was announced at 10,737, but the facility was more than half empty. Hoots from the seats went up each time the Canadiens scored as fans followed soccer on the field and the hockey on their mobile phones at the same time.
"It was a bit weird," said Montreal defender Nevio Pizzolitto. "But we’re rooting for the Canadiens as much as anyone."
The best chances in an uneventful first half came in the 29th minute when Toronto’s Martin Saric headed over the bar and O’Brien White headed a Sam Cronin corner just wide in the 41st.
White was front and centre again in the first 10 minutes of the second half, as he was thwarted on the rebound after Jordan made a diving save. In a wild scramble inside the Montreal box off the ensuing corner kick, White had a shot from seven yards blocked by a defender.
White then left the game with what looked to be a foot problem and was replaced by Labrocca.
The TFC defence anchored by Adrian Cann and Nana Attakora allowed the Impact few openings, although ‘keeper Stefan Frei had to be sharp as Rocco Placentino headed a throw-in from Byers on goal in the 27th minute.
"There was good communication among the back four and the midfield — we kept the gaps fairly narrow," said Cann, whose team also got a strong game from Nick Garcia playing at left back.
TFC’s Maxsim Usanov was show the yellow card in 14th minute when he took down Placentino from behind. Usanov was substituted at half time for Barrett.
The Whitecaps visit Toronto May 19 and the round-robin tournament ends June 2 when TFC visits Vancouver.
The Impact wore pink shirts and socks for the Canadian Championship.
NOTES : Montreal was without striker Roberto Brown, who was suspended by the team after he shown the red card against TFC in Toronto on April 28. Defender Adam Braz and forward Reda Agourram also served suspensions for red card against Vancouver May 5. Agourram was given an extra game by the CSA that will be served against the Whitecaps May 26… Toronto’s Ty Harden scored but also rolled an ankle against Montreal and is still out. Da Gargan, who hurt an ankle in TFC’s 4-1 win in Chicago on Saturday, did not play.
