Impact and Toronto Playing Playoff Positioning
With the MLS in a regionalized regular season the three Canadian teams are playing each other three times since they aren’t allowed by governments to cross the Canada/US border. Toronto got off to a 2-0 start against Vancouver while Montreal Impact will host Vancouver Tuesday before hosting Toronto Friday.
The three teams are competing not only for MLS regular season points, but also for a spot in the 2020 Canadian Championship final. Friday’s game at Stade Saputo kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Toronto is in second place, one point behind Columbus but with one more game played. Montreal sits in sixth place with seven points. They will meet again next Tuesday (Sep 1) in Toronto and again in Montreal on September 9.
The teams met in the group stage at the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando with Toronto winning a wild 4-3 game on the back of an Ayo Akinola hat trick. In MLS play last season Toronto FC won both games with a 2-1 home win and a 2-0 road win. Overall Toronto has 24 wins to Montreal’s 13 with 10 draws in the Canadian Classique’s 12-year history.
Toronto FC Outlook: Keep Attacking
Granted they have only played one team in the last week, but Toronto is flying high out of the tournament with back-to-back 3-0 and 1-0 home wins over Vancouver. That not only puts TFC at the top of the mini-standings to make the Canadian Championship Final but also into second place in the MLS Eastern Conference.
While they were without Akinola (hamstring) in both games, they got two goals from Pablo Piatti, one from Nick DeLeon and one from Richie Laryea in the two Vancouver wins. Toronto has won 17 straight regular season games dating back to August 3, 2019, the fifth longest streak in MLS history.
Akinola, who is questionable for Friday’s game, has a team-high five goals on the season while Laryea has three. Alejandro Pozuelo leads Toronto with six assists while goalie Quentin Westberg has three clean sheets.
Montreal Impact Outlook: Shake off the Rust
Thierry Henry’s squad went a full month between games after losing in the round of 16 to Orlando City on July 25 and then hosting Vancouver on August 25. Three days later they are back in action against Toronto FC in a pivotal home game for the Canadian Championship Final bid. The September 1 game will give them three games in eight days before they end this phase in Vancouver.
Saphire Taider and Maxi Urruti lead the Impact with three goals each this season while Romell Quioto has two goals. Five different players have logged one assist on the year while both of Taider’s goals against Toronto came on penalty kicks. Clement Diop has started all five games in goal with 16 saves and eight goals allowed.
Montreal made it through the group stage in Orlando with a last-game win over DC United 1-0. That pushed them through despite losses to Toronto and New England but they lost in the Round of 16 1-0 to Orlando City.
Toronto FC at Montreal Impact
Betting Lines By Realbookies
Toronto FC to win: -120
Montreal Impact to win: +275
Draw: +285
Over/Under: o2.5 -154
Toronto had the most goals in the Eastern Conference through six games and they added another in their seventh. Even without Akinola expect the Altidore-Piatti-Laryea combination to put the pressure on Montreal. The Impact have had just three goal scorers on the season and will need more than penalty kicks to end Toronto’s regular-season win streak.
When betting this match, head to our favorite pay per head bookie site and take Toronto FC to win.
