By Canadian Press

CF Montreal, Toronto FC on divergent paths ahead of derby rematch in MLS

May 12, 2023 | 10:40 AM

MONTREAL — CF Montreal and Toronto FC are two spots apart in the Major League Soccer standings, yet the two clubs head into Saturday night’s Canadian Classique derby rematch with very different outlooks.

Montreal (4-6-0, 10th in East) has won its last five games in all competitions and is outscoring its opponents 10-1 in that span.

That fifth win was Tuesday, when Montreal beat Toronto 2-1 on the road in the Canadian Championship quarterfinal, a match overshadowed by fights in the BMO Field stands between fans of both clubs, leading CF Montreal to close the visiting supporters’ section for Saturday.

Ahead of Montreal’s second match in five days against its rival, this time as hosts at Stade Saputo, head coach Hernan Losada plans to stick with what’s working.

“We made so much progress the last couple of weeks that slowly everyone is really starting to understand when to play forward, when to keep the ball, when to press,” said Losada. “Those kinds of things we want to keep on doing, we don’t want to change it. 

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“No, our style is the Montreal style and we will defend that style until the very end.”

Toronto (2-3-6, 12th in East) has one win in its last eight matches, having gone scoreless in four of them despite boasting elite offensive talent.

“Plain and simple, we’re not where we want to be,” said Toronto sporting director and head coach Bob Bradley, reflecting on the state of his club 50 games into his tenure. “We’ve got to continue to work and we’ve got to improve because this club deserves, the fans in the city deserve a team that’s competing at the top year in and year out.” 

Bradley says he doesn’t always see a full effort from his team and identified situations where players give up after losing the ball, using Montreal’s counterattack goal to open the scoring Tuesday as an example.

“I’ll see situations where we’ll lose a ball and the guy that’s closest to the ball, in frustration instead of maybe going and closing down and making pressure, stops,” said Bradley. “Part of the challenge as a team goes through a tough stretch … is to keep them focused on the next play. Right? Not getting caught up on the play that just happened. But then how quickly do we react to the next play?”

The club is also struggling to get full value from high-profile stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, players who can be game-breakers. Insigne, who has dealt with injuries, has one goal in five games played this season, while Bernardeschi has three goals and three assists in 11 appearances.

Although Insigne scored on Tuesday, CF Montreal defender George Campbell says they had success limiting Toronto’s two Italian stars by defending as a team.

“We didn’t give them a lot of chances to counterattack and run at us one on one,” said Campbell. “We know they have qualities on the wing and good players, but I think if you play as a team and we move together, then there’s only so much you can do. 

“I think we just limited their space and from that they kind of became just like any other player.”

Campbell, who should start Saturday with defender Joel Waterman suspended, is one of several Montreal players back in form. Campbell, star striker Romell Quioto and midfielder Matko Miljevic, among others, have all returned to the lineup in recent weeks as Montreal continues to shake the injury bug that plagued the team early this season.

Toronto, meanwhile, is going through injury trouble right now. Coach Bradley announced Thursday that captain Michael Bradley is undergoing a hamstring procedure and midfielder Alonso Coello has a serious ankle injury, adding to a list that includes midfielders Jonathan Osorio and Victor Vazquez, centre backs Matt Hedges, Shane O’Neill and Sigurd Rosted, and forward Jordan Perruzza.

“It’s the longest (list) I’ve ever had,” said Bradley. “By far.”

But the bad injury luck also gives other players a chance to fill the void, says Aime Mabika, Toronto’s youngest centre back who’s getting more of a chance to play.

“We have guys that are willing and wanting to step up,” said Mabika. “We’re just going to need whoever has been on the bench to step up and then for the guys that have been injured just to get back as quick as possible.”

No matter where the momentum lies going into Saturday’s match, both Montreal and Toronto expect it to be closely contested.

“You know that it’ll be another tough game,” said Bradley. “You know it’s this rivalry and what that means.”

“At the end of the day, it’s three points, but it gives you the feeling that it’s a lot more than just three points. … It gives you more motivation, it gives you more drive, more energy,” said Losada. “You can’t disappoint your fans in these kinds of games, and it’s beautiful to be alive and be part of this kind of derby.”

— With files from Neil Davidson in Toronto.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2023.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press