Toronto FC and CF Montreal renew their rivalry, with both teams in need of a win
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There is never a shortage of emotion when Toronto FC and CF Montreal square off, but TFC's penalty shootout loss to its rival in Telus Canadian Championship play April 30 adds to the spice level of Saturday's league meeting at Stade Saputo.
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The cup game at BMO Field saw Italian-born Albanian international Giacomo Vrioni score in the 89th minute to force the shootout as Montreal twice rallied from one-goal deficits. Goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois then took over, stopping Tyrese Spicer and Ola Brynhildsen as Montreal won the shootout 3-2.
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'It's nothing we've spoken about but I think everybody knows the Montreal-Toronto rivalry. And to play pretty well in that game, have two leads and end up losing it, I think that sticks in everyone's craw,' Toronto coach Robin Fraser said after training Friday. 'And it's just more fuel to the fire.'
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Since the cup loss, injury-depleted Toronto has gone 1-2-0 in Major League Soccer play, compared to 1-1-1 for Montreal.
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Toronto (2-7-4) stands 14th in the Eastern Conference, one place and three points above basement-dwelling Montreal (1-8-4).
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Toronto is coming off a 1-0 loss Wednesday to Eastern Conference-leading FC Cincinnati and has won just one of its last five games in all competitions, a 1-4-0 run that includes the cup loss to Montreal.
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Montreal tied visiting Columbus 1-1 midweek, conceding a 63rd-minute goal by Canadian Jacen Russell-Rowe after former Toronto player Luca Petrasso scored for Montreal. Columbus outshot Montreal 14-4 (4-2 in shots on target) and had 57.6 per cent of the possession.
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Toronto recorded its first home win of the season last Saturday, 2-0 over D.C. United, while a goal by former Toronto forward Prince Owusu lifted Montreal to its first victory of the campaign, 1-0 at New York City FC.
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The NYCFC result snapped an 11-game winless streak (0-8-3) for Montreal, which played its first seven league games on the road. Head coach Laurent Courtois was fired March 24 with the club at 0-4-1 with assistant coach Marco Donadel, a former Montreal player, elevated to interim head coach.
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'I thin they really seem to have turned the corner since they've changed coaches,' said Fraser. 'They play with a lot of confidence. They've got some decent results and they're at home _ obviously in need of wins, like we are.
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'For us, we've had some really good moments this week. And, to be fair, even our bad moments weren't so bad. It was just not probably as sharp as it needed to be Wednesday. But I think we're both teams who are finding form. You throw in the rivalry, throw in where we both are in the table, I think it will be a pretty hotly contested game.'
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Toronto is missing injured captain Jonathan Osorio, defenders Richie Laryea, Nicksoen Gomis, Raoul Petretta and Kobe Franklin, midfielder Markus Cimermancic and forward Deandre Kerr, although Fraser reports that Osorio (shoulder) and Laryea (hamstring) are progressing well.
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