Victory Saturday would send Impact to playoffs

Third-place squad heads to Toronto where team has yet to record a win

The Impact controls its own destiny when it comes to making the Major League Soccer playoffs.

It’s simple: If the Impact beats Toronto FC Saturday afternoon in Toronto, it will qualify for the postseason in its second season in MLS.

If the Impact loses, things get a lot more complicated.

The first five teams in the Eastern Conference qualify for postseason play. New York and Sporting Kansas City have already secured two of those spots, leaving the Impact, Chicago, Houston, New England and Philadelphia to battle for the remaining three places.

Montreal (14-12-7) is in third place with 49 points following a dramatic, 2-1 comeback win over Philadelphia last weekend at Saputo Stadium. Chicago (14-12-7) also has 49 points, followed by Houston and New England (13-11-9), both with 48, and Philadelphia (12-11-10) with 46.

Toronto has struggled again this season with a 5-1711 record, but Montreal has yet to win at BMO Field since joining MLS, posting a 0-2-2 record in all competitions. The Impact beat Toronto 2-1 this season in Montreal, but tied 3-3 in Toronto.

“We’re going to Toronto with only one objective: winning,” Impact coach Marco Schallibaum told MLSsoccer. com.

“The morale is very high,” he added. “With those strong emotions, I even feared that the stadium might explode when the 2-1 goal went in (against Philadelphia). We lived very nice, intense moments. (The players) are in top shape mentally now that they’ve experienced that allimportant release from the previous games. They’re in top shape, very motivated for Saturday’s game.”

Impact goalkeeper Troy Perkins knows Toronto will be motivated.

“This will make their season,” he told MLSsoccer.com. “If they can knock us out of the playoffs, or even knock us down to that fifth spot where we have to play an extra game, it’d be great for them. For them to get a result, the way they’ve had this whole season, would be a huge relief for them going into next year.”

If the Impact loses or ties on Saturday, it will need help from to make the playoffs.

In that scenario, Montreal wouldn’t know its fate until Chicago, Houston and New England play on Sunday.