IMFC v TFC - Fun With Numbers

Tomorrow evening sees the 43rd edition of the Canadian Classique, the rivalry which began at the highest continental level when Montreal Impact joined MLS rans in 2012.

The previous 42 have seen Toronto win 20, and Montreal, 14, with eight draws, the last of which was 15 derbies ago in June 2017, when the sides shared the spoils in the Canadian Championship Final 1st Leg at Stade Saputo.

The Impact certainly do better in home games however, with a record of 11-6-4 at Stade Saputo, although the Montreal east venue has been a happy hunting ground for TFC in MLS regular-season fixtures. They’ve won six times there and drawn once, outscoring the Montrealers by 18-12.

Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

The record number of appearances in a Canadian Classique is held by TFC’s Jonathan Osorio (33 apps). In fact the top three men on the list are all current TFC players with Patrice Bernier in at #4, the highest Impact appearance maker.

Impact’s most experienced current outfield player in the fixture is Samuel Piette on 11.

Top Appearing Players in Canadian Classique -
1. Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC) 27+6 33
2. Justin Morrow (Toronto FC) 27+3 30
3. Michael Bradley (Toronto FC) 27+0 27
4. Patrice Bernier (Montreal Impact) 21+4 25
5. Hassoun Camara (Montreal Impact) 21+3 24
6. Marco Delgado (Toronto FC) 20+3 23

Five players have appeared for both clubs in the Classique -
Dominic Oduro 17 apps (IMFC) 2 apps (TFC)
Lauren Ciman 16 apps (IMFC) 3 apps (TFC)
Collen Warner 10 apps (IMFC) 9 apps (TFC)
Daniel Lovitz 7 apps (IMFC) 7 apps (TFC)
Kyle Bekker 4 apps (IMFC) 5 apps (TFC)

The goalscoring list sees three men dominate. As well as Ignacio Piatti and Jozy Altidore on 11 at the summit, there’s Sebastien Giovinco close by on 10. But then it drops to three players on 4 goals, all Montreal Impact: Marco di Vaio, Dominic Oduro and Didier Drogba. Jonathan Osorio, Michael Bradley and Ayo Akinola (all TFC) come next on 3 goals.

At the Orlando MLS-is-Back tournament Ayo Akinola became the only player to hit a hat-trick in the fixture’s history.

Discipline has been better on the Toronto side than Montreal, who lead the red card count 7-3, with Patrice Bernier the only player to see red twice, courtesy David Gantar, each time at BMO Field.

Montreal’s Hassoun Camara leads the way with yellows on 7, again Impact players dominate the top of the bad-lad list -

Yellow Cards In The Canadian Clasique
Hassoun Camara (Montreal Impact) 7
Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact) 5
Victor Cabrera (Montreal Impact) 5
Patrice Bernier (Montreal Impact) 4
Eriq Zavaleta (Toronto FC) 4

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Goalkeepers
Fourteen different goalkeepers (IMFC 6, TFC 8) have appeared in the derby, but as far as shut-outs go, Impact’s Evan Bush is without peer on 6. Closest to him is Toronto FC’s Milos Kocic, the Serbian claiming all three of his in 2012.

The ‘keeper with the best record in the series is Quentin Westberg with a record of 4-1-0 over IMFC, while for Montreal, again it’s Evan Bush with a 9-8-3 record. With 20 appearances in the fixture, Bush has appeared between the sticks more than anyone else. Toronto’s Alex Bono, 4-5-0, is next highest on 9.

Tomorrow evening’s custodians are likely to be Clement Diop and Quentin Westberg, each are aiming for their third shut-out in the fixture.

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Coaches
Tomorrow evening Greg Vanney will take charge of Toronto FC for the 30th time in a Canadian Classique, easily the highest tally for a coach in the derby. The only other coach to reach double figures was Mauro Biello (IMFC) on 14.

There have been 11 different coaches involved in the Canadian Classique. In terms of win percentage, Vanney just holds sway over Remi Garde and Paul Mariner (TFC).

Coach’s Win Percentage
Greg Vanney (TFC) 15/29 Wins/matches Win % 52%
Remi Garde (IMFC) 2/4 50%
Paul Mariner (TFC) 1/2 50%
Marco Schallibaum (IMFC) 2/5 40%
Mauro Biello (IMFC) 5/14 36%
Aron Winter (TFC) 1/3 33%
Wilmer Cabrera (IMFC) 1/3 33%
Thierry Henry (IMFC) 1/3 33%
Ryan Nelsen (TFC) 2/8 25%
Frank Klopas (IMFC) 2/8 25%
Jesse Marsch (IMFC) 1/5 20%