TAMED BY IMPACT
Turnaroud time from beating Tigres proves tough for TFC in 1-0 loss to Montreal,
MONTREAL— The conditions were ideal for the Montreal Impact to pull off an upset with a 1-0 win in their home opener on Saturday over rival Toronto FC, the defending MLS champions.
Jeisson Vargas, a 20-year-old rookie, scored his first MLS goal in the 41st minute of a game that, with sharper finishing, could easily have had more scoring at both ends of the field.
It was a second setback in as many league outings for Toronto, who finished off a rousing win over Tigres in a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday, then had to fly back from Mexico, get some rest and then go to Montreal. They found themselves against an opponent set up to defend and counterattack. Montreal kept players back and clogged the middle of the field.
Toronto had the ball 64.2 per cent of the game. “There were a few moments when we missed the final pass but for about 60 minutes we were playing possession for the sake of playing possession,” Toronto coach Greg Vanney said. “We weren’t actually trying to get behind their back line, get to the end zone, get into dangerous areas, put their back line in tough situations.” Balancing CONCACAF and league play is a challenge. The Impact started the 2015 season 0-3-2 while making their run to the Champions League final.
“It has something to do with it because you’re flipping competitions,” Vanney said. “For example, when you go to Tigres and you have an edge and you’re playing to make sure you maintain that edge, it’s a different mindset than coming into Montreal and going after it and trying to win the game.”