Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact | MLS Match Preview

TORONTO FC vs MONTRÉAL IMPACT
BMO FIELD, Toronto, Ont.
July 3, 2013 (WEEK 19, MLS Game #161)
7 p.m. ET (TSN/RDS)

The rivalry for eastern Canada takes centre stage in the holiday festivities as Toronto FC meet the Montréal Impact on Wednesday evening at BMO Field. TFC are looking to snap a two-game winless run, coming off a 1-0 home loss to Real Salt Lake, while the Impact saw their home winning streak put to an end in a 4-3 loss to Colorado last weekend. The Impact won 2-1 when the clubs met in league play earlier this year, also advancing past TFC on their way to a Canadian Championship thanks to a 6-2 victory on aggregate in a semifinal series.

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REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. AR1 (bench): Brian Dunn; AR2 (opposite): Mark Cahen; 4th: Jose Carlos Rivero
MLS Career: 154 games; FC/gm: 25.0; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 52; pens: 60

DISABLED LIST: none
SUSPENDED: TOR: Doneil Henry (through July 3)
WARNINGS:

• SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: MTL: Felipe Martins
• SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: TOR: Doneil Henry, Darren O’Dea, Darel Russell, Matias Laba … MTL: Dennis Iapichino, Hassoun Camara

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: TOR: Kyle Bekker (CAN), Doneil Henry (CAN), Ashtone Morgan (CAN), Jonathan Osorio (CAN)

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (MLS) (4 meetings): Toronto FC 1 win, 5 goals … Impact 2 wins, 4 goals … Ties 1
AT TORONTO (1 meeting): Toronto FC 0 wins, 1 goal … Impact 0 wins, 1 goal … Ties 1
FUTURE MATCH: 10/26: Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact, 4 p.m. ET (TSN, RDS)

• The teams are meeting for the second time this season in league play. First-half goals from Patrice Bernier and Marco Di Vaio sent the Impact on their way to a 2-1 win March 16 in Montréal.
• The teams also met in the semifinals of the Canadian Championship. TFC won the first leg 2-0 at home, but Marco Di Vaio scored two and set up two others as the Impact won the second leg 6-0 on their way to a second Canadian national title.
• Since coming to MLS, the Impact have not won in Toronto, with two losses and a draw in three meetings in all competitions at BMO Field.
• Coaches record: Ryan Nelsen vs. MTL: P1 W0 L1 T0 … Marco Schallibaum vs. TOR: P1 W1 L0 T0

LAST MEETING (MLS)
3/16: MTL 2, TOR 1 (Bernier 34, Di Vaio 46 – Earnshaw 68)

• The Impact took the lead in the 34th minute. Andres Romero was into space on the right side of the area, and after he and TFC fullback Ashtone Morgan, the assistant referee flagged for a foul. Patrice Bernier converted the resulting penalty.
• Montreal doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time. Davy Arnaud sent a through ball for Marco Di Vaio, and he put home a composed finish from an angle on the right side of the box after rounding TFC goalkeeper Joe Bendik.
• TFC were given a lifeline in the 67th minute as Impact left back Dennis Iapichino was whistled for an off-the-ball foul in the penalty area on Toronto's Terry Dunfield. For the second consecutive week, Robert Earnshaw coolly slotted the penalty kick home, but the visitors could draw no closer.
• MONTREAL IMPACT (4-1-4-1): Troy Perkins - Hassoun Camara, Matteo Ferrari, Alessandro Nesta (Dennis Iapichino 12), Jeb Brovsky - Patrice Bernier - Andrea Pisanu (Collen Warner 72), Davy Arnaud, Felipe Martins, Andres Romero (Sanna Nyassi 85) - Marco Di Vaio.
• TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Joseph Bendik - Richard Eckersley, Darren O'Dea, Danny Califf (Jonathan Osorio 84), Ashtone Morgan (Darel Russell 65) - John Bostock, Jeremy Hall (Kyle Bekker 60), Terry Dunfield, Reggie Lambe - Robert Earnshaw, Hogan Ephraim

TORONTO FC
Toronto FC saw their league undefeated run come to an end after three games, Real Salt Lake getting their first win ever at BMO Field in a 1-0 victory Saturday afternoon. TFC sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 12 points from 16 matches.

READ: TFC sign Steven Caldwell, acquire Michael Thomas from SKC

LAST MATCH

• The game's lone goal arrived just before halftime. Yordany Alvarez stepped into a rocket of a shot from outside the box that beat TFC keeper Joe Bendik and found the inside of the far post.
• Both teams were reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute following a melee set off after a clash between Salt Lake’s Tony Beltran and Silva, both of whom were shown straight red cards by referee Chris Penso.
• TFC boss Ryan Nelsen made two changes to the team that reached a scoreless draw with the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium. Jeremy Brockie and Danny Koevermans formed an all-new strike pair, in place of Robert Earnshaw and Luis Silva.
• TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Joseph Bendik - Ryan Richter, Doneil Henry (ejected 79), Steven Caldwell, Darren O'Dea - Jonathan Osorio, Matias Laba, Jeremy Hall (Justin Braun 59), Bobby Convey (Reggie Lambe 86) - Jeremy Brockie, Danny Koevermans (Luis Silva 55).

TEAM NEWS

• It was the fourth home loss of the season for Toronto FC, the most of any club in Major League Soccer. Real Salt Lake won for the first time – and scored their first goal – at BMO Field.
• Our performance was probably not as good as it has been in the last few games,” said TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen. “ … The killer blow is that the guy hits a wonder strike outside the box and then at the end, as you guys probably saw; there were many chances in the last 10 minutes.”
• TFC were also shut out at the attacking end for the second consecutive match and the fifth time in the last seven league games.
• "The last few performances have been very good results. Like I said, we created more chances but unfortunately it didn’t roll into the back of the net,” said Jeremy Brockie. “I don’t think we are going to dwell too much on this result as we need to get our heads right for Wednesday night. Montreal are a good side and we need to take the three points off them.”
• Brockie made his second MLS start, his first since May 25. It was also his first start as an out-and-out striker, the initial appearance in the first XI coming as a wide midfielder.
• Danny Koevermans made his first start of the season, playing 55 minutes. He had made two substitute appearances in MLS play, totaling 17 minutes, after undergoing offseason knee surgery.
• “He is a big lad up there and has a good presence. Obviously we haven’t worked too much together but we are understanding each other more and will work together,” said Brockie.
• Doneil Henry was sent off for a second time in the last four games. His suspension will be delayed as he has been called into Canada’s team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
• “He’s a bright kid with a head on his shoulders, there is nothing wrong with Doneil,” said defender Darren O’Dea. “He has a good temperament about him, he just needs to manage it a wee bit better.”

MONTREAL IMPACT
The Montréal Impact had their four-game home winning streak put to a dramatic end, the Colorado Rapids scoring two late goals for a 4-3 victory Saturday evening at Stade Saputo. The Impact lead the Eastern Conference with 29 points from 15 matches.

READ: Impact likely to stick with starters for TFC grudge match
LAST MATCH

• The Rapids took the lead in the 24th minute. On a Dillon Powers free kick, Atiba Harris outjumped two Impact defenders to loop a header inside the far post.
• But the Impact took the lead with two goals in four minutes. After Colorado goalkeeper Clint Irwin failed to hold onto a loose ball following a corner, Hassoun Camara chipped the ball up then hooked it into the net while sitting on the ground at close range. Then Daniele Paponi, slipped in by Marco Di Vaio, curled a beautiful shot into the far corner from outside the box.
• But after the break, the Rapids pulled even when Powers found a pocket of space in the box to redirect a Nathan Sturgis cross with the outside of his right boot. Yet the Impact regained the lead when Paponi slotted in his second from inside the area, set by Davy Arnaud.
• Yet the Rapids had the final answer. The equalizer came in the 77th minute when left back Chris Klute centered the ball at the penalty spot for an onrushing Deshorn Brown, who blasted it home first time. Then six minutes into stoppage time, Tony Cascio hit Montreal on the counter and fired a shot that took a deflection before sailing past 'keeper Troy Perkins for the winner.
• Impact head coach Marco Schällibaum made one change to the team that recorded a 2-0 win against the Houston Dynamo at Stade Saputo. Andres Romero came into the side in place of Sanna Nyassi.
• MONTREAL IMPACT (4-3-1-2): Troy Perkins - Hassoun Camara, Matteo Ferrari, Alessandro Nesta, Jeb Brovsky - Andres Romero (Blake Smith 67), Patrice Bernier, Andrea Pisanu (Davy Arnaud 58) - Felipe Martins - Marco Di Vaio, Daniele Paponi (Andrew Wenger 84).

TEAM NEWS

• The Impact suffered their first home loss after six wins and a draw in league play this season, their first loss at Stade Saputo since a 1-0 defeat by the New England Revolution in the final match of their inaugural season.
• “My team had intensity, heart and a will to win,” head coach Marco Schällibaum said. “But individual mistakes cost us the tie, and they’re a part of football. Maybe we wanted the win too much, but that’s my team: we absolutely wanted the three points.”
• “We want to win at home. We feel like we can win every game at home,” Davy Arnaud said. “On the last corner, we had numbers forward and maybe weren’t organized like we should have been, around the top of the box or whatever. We wanted to win the game. We still could have taken care of the situation and we didn’t.”
• The Impact allowed their most goals in an MLS game since March 31 of last year in the loss. The Impact lost 5-2 at New York in that defeat in their inaugural season.
• “When giving up that many goals, it’s hard to think that you’re going to win. To give up four goals is not good enough and at home it disappointing, especially for us as the back four,” said defender Jeb Brovsky. “It’s a heartbreaker for the fans at home as we beat ourselves, so we are definitely not happy. You get punished for making mistakes in this league, but it’s something we need to learn from.”
• Making his second consecutive start and third in MLS, Daniele Paponi scored two goals, his first two goals in league play. Paponi scored in Montréal’s 6-0 defeat of Toronto FC in the second leg of their Canadian Championship semifinal.
• While Marco Di Vaio was not able to add to his joint league-leading 10 goals, he did record his first assist of the season. He had three assists in his first MLS season, to go with five goals.
• “It’s always tough to explain a loss like this at home. We were able to create a number of chances offensively, so it’s disappointing, but we can’t panic,” said Di Vaio. “We have to stay calm and analyze the game tape and work on some of those things we didn’t do so well.”
• Davy Arnaud made his first appearance since April 27, missing seven games with a concussion. He came on for the final half-hour and contributed his second assist of the season.
• “On the last goal, I made a bad decision,” Arnaud said. “I was trying to come inside and make a play. It was the wrong decision. I got caught. It cost us the last goal. I take full responsibility for that.”