CF Montreal looked better than they did two months ago, but suffered a 1-0 loss to Toronto FC on Saturday night at Stade Saputo.
On May 18, the Bleu-blanc-noir was crushed 5-1 at BMO Field, triggering a good bit of soul-searching within the club. This time, it lost honorably, but it’s not moral victories that count against a long-time rival.
Richie Laryea was overlooked by defenders and scored the game-winning goal for Toronto FC (9-14-3), which solidified its grip on eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
It was the first time since 2019 that Toronto’s squad won both MLS clashes between the two rivals.
CF Montreal (6-10-9) suffered its first home defeat in its last eight outings, since May 15 against the Columbus Crew. It also slipped out of the playoff picture in the East.
By starting the match, Samuel Piette took first place in the history of the Bleu-blanc-noir for matches played in MLS, with 177. He was ahead of Evan Bush.
CF Montreal will return to action on Friday night for the start of the Leagues Cup, when they visit Orlando City SC.
Battle of all times
Despite being in hostile territory, Toronto FC didn’t let the game come to them early in the first half and imposed their pace. By dominating possession, they forced Montreal to retreat, but the latter played well defensively.
The Bleu-blanc-noir gave the first warning shot at the 13e minute, and he came within feet of opening the scoring. Joaquin Sosa served up a beautiful pass into the penalty area to Josef Martinez, but the Venezuelan’s shot hit the side netting to the right of goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
The rivalry went to another level in the next 20 minutes and the offensive sequences were greatly jerky due to several fouls. Despite all the muscular contact, referee Armando Villarreal only awarded one yellow card, to Ariel Lassiter, because the striker reprimanded him.
The visitors showed they were also capable of playing with the ball. Federico Bernardeschi stayed on to accept a pass from Jonathan Osorio and then returned to the penalty area. The Italian picked out his compatriot Lorenzo Insigne, who slotted the ball to the far post, where Laryea was waiting.
CF Montreal responded well and tried to finish the first half strong. Sosa saw his shot blocked by an enemy player before Jules-Anthony Vilsaint missed the target on the ball recovery.
Laurent Courtois’ men increased the pressure after the break, but it was Jonathan Sirois who had to make his mark. Osorio managed to slip between two defenders quickly, but his powerful shot was blocked by the Quebec goalkeeper.
Looking to tie the game, Courtois made some attacking changes and his team had a few good scoring chances.
The first came from Piette’s header, which deflected the ball into the top of the net. After Johnson made a routine save on Nathan Saliba, he needed the help of his crossbar when Matias Coccaro was hit by Bryce Duke’s mishit cross.
In the dying moments of the game, Martinez had a golden chance in the penalty area, but his shot just went over the net.