Impact draws rival Toronto FC in MLS tourney
It might have been a random draw, but there can be no denying the destiny of having the Impact and Toronto FC in the same bracket of the upcoming MLS is Back Tournament.
“I feel like it was written in the sky,” Canadian midfielder Samuel Piette said in a Thursday afternoon video conference call. “We needed to be together in the same group. I think it’s good.”
While there should be no shortage of motivation between the two geographical rivals, the tournament will be staged in a neutral site — the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. — and without live fans due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I won’t say the motivation won’t be the same, but it obviously will be a lot different than a regular-season game,” Piette said. “But to have the chance to play against Toronto will obviously raise that motivation bar for us. It’s always extra motivation, for sure.”
One day after a return to play was announced for the first time since the MLS schedule was suspended on March 12, the draw was announced for the 26-team tournament that begins July 8.
Toronto FC, last season’s MLS Cup finalists, was one of the seeded teams in the Eastern Conference along with Orlando, as the host, and Atlanta, which reached the conference final.
Joining Toronto and Montreal in Group C will be New England and DC United. Toronto general manager Ali Curtis picked the opponents at random for his bracket.
“We’ve got some good teams, good competition,” Curtis told Mls.com following the draw. “Montreal, of course, is a rival. But DC and New England have strong teams. You’re looking at some playoff teams. And Montreal won the Canadian Championship last year. There’s a lot at stake.”
All three of the Impact’s opponents qualified for the MLS playoffs last season; the Impact did not. In six games against those clubs, Montreal only defeated New England, once, while producing two draws.
But the Impact also captured the Canadian Championship, qualifying for Champions League play this year by defeating Toronto in the two-game, aggregate-goal final last September. The Impact advanced 3-1 on penalties after each team won 1-0 games.
Although only two regular-season MLS games have been played this season, Montreal launched its campaign with a 2-1 victory against the Revolution on Feb. 29 at Olympic Stadium.
“I feel confident,” Piette said. “I think we proved with the beginning of the season we have the players to compete against anybody. And we went through one round of Champions League play. We beat New England. I don’t see why we couldn’t do that again in this tournament.
“Toronto? It’s always a battle of emotions on the day,” he added. “We could have drawn any teams and it would have been difficult. But to have drawn Toronto, it’s destiny. I don’t know if it was arranged, but I’m happy with that.”
Each team in the tournament is guaranteed a minimum of three games. Should a team advance to the final on Aug. 11, it will play seven matches. The three preliminary-round games count in the MLS standings. The top two teams from each of the six groups, along with the four best third-place finishers, advance to the knockout stage.
The tournament will feature an almost daily schedule of matches, played at 9 a.m., 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., so the players avoid the hottest part of the Florida sun. The Impact’s schedule has yet to be determined.
Teams can arrive in Orlando as of June 24, but must be on site no less than seven days before opening matches. The players, coaches and support staff will undergo frequent COVID -19 tests, both before and following their arrival.
Piette’s girlfriend is pregnant, and that will lead to some separation anxiety, he admitted.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’d have preferred having a regular season and play one weekend out of two away,” he admitted. “This is a special situation and we have to adapt. At the end of the day, we’re football players and want to play.”