Toronto advances with thrilling win
TFC beats Montreal 5-2 in extra time to become 1st Canadian team to reach final game
TORONTO — The champagne bottles spelling out TFC on the floor of the Toronto FC locker-room told the story. As did the big bin of empty beer cans.
In its 10th season, Toronto FC is one win away from celebrating the MLS championship. There have been times in this franchise’s checkered history where that seemed a pipe-dream.
Greg Vanney’s team got to the championship game against Seattle in a rollercoaster ride of an Eastern Conference final against the Montreal Impact.
Substitutes Benoit Cheyrou and Tosaint Ricketts scored two minutes apart in extra time to send Toronto to the MLS Cup final with a 5-2 win on the night and a 7-5 aggregate victory over the Impact.
“One of our messages was there was no way, no chance, no how we were going to be outcompeted tonight in front of our fans in our stadium,” said Vanney.
“And we were going to run hard and we were going to run through everything that we had to make sure that those margins turned in our favour.”
It took extra time and 12 goals to decide a scintillating series. Toronto will host the Sounders on Dec. 10 in the MLS championship game, becoming the first Canadian team to go for the title.
“For me, the most exciting playoff event that I’ve ever been a part of,” said Vanney. “And for sure that I’ve ever seen.”
Toronto trailed 3-2 after Game 1 in Montreal and had to come back the hard way after the Impact scored first. And when Toronto responded, Montreal came back in a heavyweight battle played out in the rain before a BMO Field record crowd of 36,000.
Tied 5-5 on aggregate, Cheyrou scored on a header in the 98th minute, just one minute after entering the game, when he knocked in a Steven Beitashour cross. Then Jozy Altidore outmuscled a couple of defenders to send in a cross that Ricketts, beating two more defenders to the ball, swept in.