It’s a double-derby week for Toronto FC and CF Montreal, two teams that have been on roller-coaster rides already this season.
Toronto (2-3-6) plays host to Montreal (4-6-0) at BMO Field on Tuesday in the Canadian Championship quarter-final, with the two teams meeting Saturday in Major League Soccer play at Saputo Stadium.
While both teams have 12 points in league play, Montreal appears on the rise while Toronto seems caught in a stutter-step that is preventing movement upward.
Injuries have not helped Toronto’s case, and they keep coming.
TFC is coming off a disappointing 2-0 loss Saturday to the visiting New England Revolution that saw veteran centre back Matt Hedges sidelined with a lower leg issue during the pregame warm-up and his replacement, Shane O’Neill, exiting in the 69th minute after feeling something untoward in his leg. O’Neill was slated to undergo an MRI Monday.
TFC was already missing midfielders Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio and Victor Vazquez, fullbacks Raoul Petretta and Cristian Gutierrez and forward Jordan Perruzza.
Toronto had 18 players involved in the portion of training that was open to the media Monday.
“We’ve got a lot of questions for [Tuesday], there’s no doubt,” said head coach Bob Bradley. “So what you saw on the field today, that’s most likely the group that we’re choosing from. … Even of the guys that are out there today, one or two are still feeling a little sore from the game so we’ll have to evaluate them [Tuesday].”
That included fullback Richie Laryea, who was at training Monday but skipped a planned media session to undergo treatment. Petretta was also part of the training group.
TFC stands 13th in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Chicago Fire (2-3-5) and three ahead of the New York Red Bulls (1-4-6), who both dumped their coaches Monday.
CF Montreal, in contrast, has seemingly found its feet and won four straight in all competition after a dismal 1-6-0 start to the season that saw the team fail to score in all six losses,
Montreal has not lost or conceded a goal since April 16 in a 1-0 loss to D.C. United – a shutout streak that stretches 404 minutes in all competitions. The fact that Montreal is currently tied for 26th in the league in defence, giving up an average of 1.70 goals a game, demonstrates just how bad the team’s start to the season was.
Canadian defender Joel Waterman attributes the recent defensive turnaround, in part, to time spent playing alongside French veteran Rudy Camacho and Italian Gabriele Corbo. But he says the whole team has bought into defending.
“I just think it’s more determination and more of a mindset. I think we needed to really change our mentality and not give up goals easily as you saw at the beginning of the season,” said Waterman. “We really want to maintain clean sheets and give ourselves a chance to win games and give our forwards a chance to score goals as well.
“It starts with us but it’s the whole team. It’s not just us three at the back.”
Bradley says he sees confidence these days when he looks at Montreal.
“They’ve turned around and played well of late,” he said.
Forge FC plays host to Atletico Ottawa in Tuesday’s other cup quarter-final.