Toronto FC vs Montreal Impact: A Lackluster Performance, A Game to Forget

Au revoir et Adieu to the Canadian Championship, the Voyageurs Cup and the CONCACAF Champions League. The Montreal Impact fell to Toronto FC by a score of 2-0 at BMO field, a stadium that was never kind to the Impact. First of all congratulations to Toronto FC on making it to the final, a deserved qualification if you look at both legs of the semi-final.

The game plan for Jesse Marsch probably did not include and did not want to count on an early goal in the game as Reggie Lambe scores in the 2nd minute. His shot from the corner of the box deflected off , Montreal Impact fans punching bag, Tyson Wahl surprised Donovan Ricketts. The 2nd goal came from a scramble in the box that saw bad clearances attempts and panic: Ryan Johnson didn't ask twice and scores a '' goal '' .

Both goals were indicative of a team that seemed frozen and afraid of what would happen as the tea seemed to watch Toronto FC do their thing without ever responding the way the Impact usually does. The squad did not seem ready to the game and that mistake was paid cash especially when you play Toronto FC in a do-or-die situation. The Richard Eckersley red card at the 16th minute could have and should have been the turning point game for Montreal but TFC solidified even more and did not let up one inche. Like in their MLS encounter, TFC was 1 man down but still managed to create chances and score a goal. The soccer dogma of being a man down and sometimes play better seems to come back to haunt the Impact as they fail un their quest to the Voyageurs Cup. The Impact tasted a bit of their own medecine as they played a cohesive, united and desperate team that did not let up.

When you look at the chances missed (and rejected by Milos Kocic) in the 1st leg at the Olympic Stadium, you know that regrets were already felt in Montreal and motivation and hope grew in Toronto. The Impact's strengths during a difficult MLS stretch of losses was learning from its defeats and Jesse Marsh will make sure never to forget this kind of performance as not to repeat it. But the team will have to move along pretty quickly as they host the LA Galaxy, one of the league's best team even though the record does not show it.

More after the jump

Game Highlights

Quotes from the Montreal Impact

Jesse Marsch

I'd like to congratulate Aron Winter and Toronto FC, they were the better team tonight and I wish them the best moving forward.As for us, we weren't ready for that game. If you show up to a game like that, it doesn't matter who you are, you won't win. In the end, we just got out competed

Jeb Brovsky

Toronto has a team that has fast guys up top, who can score off the counter. Thankfully Donovan [Ricketts] kept us in it, but we weren't able to score. This is a good lesson that is coming off a great win against Sporting Kansas City. Nothing is guaranteed and we have to take every opponent seriously

Match Stats

Outside the many chances that Toronto had, these stats are almost inversely similar to the ones against Sporting Kansas City. This time, the Montreal Impact was the team dominating possession, doubling on the numbers of passes and attempts on goal. Outside some stats, both games are very different but have a few similarities thats make you think that Aron Winter thoroughly analyzed Montreal's game against SKC. One interesting stat is the duels stats that pretty much reflects what we saw and also reflects '' L'Etat D'Esprit '' of TFC: tough, agressive and desperate. With so little possession, Toronto FC still managed to have 16 attempts at goal, the same number of shots on target and higher number of corner kicks.

Montreal Impact's game in a nutshell: Sterile Dominance and Lack of Finishing.