Impact get leg up in East final opener
Late away goals could be crucial for TFC when series returns to BMO Field
MONTREAL— It was a comedy of errors here Tuesday, as Toronto FC suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the rival Montreal Impact in a game delayed more than 40 minutes thanks to an embarrassingly narrow penalty box that required repainting.
The Reds, visiting Montreal for the first leg of the Eastern Conference final, allowed a pair of counterattack goals from Dominic Oduro and Matteo Mancosu by the 12th minute, repeatedly struggling to break down the tactic it had publicly identified as the Impact’s most cutting.
And they fell behind 3-0 jut minutes into the second half, before a late rally put some life back into the two-game set.
Striker Jozy Altidore gave Toronto a lifeline with a little less than a half an hour to play, when he managed to head home the ball from a scramble around the sixyard box.
Michael Bradley doubled that tally five minutes later.
Those away goals could be important when Toronto hosts the second leg of this set at BMO Field next Wednesday. The Reds could advance to the MLS Cup by winning by scores of a 1-0 or 2-1 — or by more than one goal — at home.
They will have to avoid the gaffes that plagued them early Tuesday, though weren’t the first mistake of the night.
Minutes before the game’s scheduled kickoff, it was announced that “technical difficulties” would delay the start. Stadium staff had already begun covering the outer lines of both end’s penalty boxes in green spray paint; the game would be delayed 41minutes as they widened the too-narrow 18-yard boxes by about four or five feet on either side.
Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo told ESPN the measurements were up to the referees to verify before, saying it was an “unfortunate” mistake that the club had to take responsibility for.
“It’s the responsibility of the referees to check it out. Unfortunately the referees got here a little late — whether it was traffic or traffic around the stadium.”
It was as inopportune a moment as any for such an amateur mistake in the young league; all eyes were on Montreal as 61,004 people crowded into the Impact’s temporary home, Olympic Stadium, making it the second-biggest crowd at any post-season game in Major League Soccer history.
An oft-used criticism — that soccer, MLS in particular, is as entertaining as watch paint dry — was tossed around as social media jumped to criticize the error, with even with grounds crews of Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders poking fun. But within minutes of the delayed kickoff, that criticism shifted to the visitors.
Montreal midfielder Patrice Bernier slipped a ball past sliding defender Nick Hagglund and on to Oduro with the Impact’s first real chance of the game. The midfielder’s first touch took him into Clint Irwin’s box; he used the second to slide the ball past the Reds goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.
It looked like the worst possible start for Toronto FC, until two minutes later. That’s when Impact star Ignacio Piatti broke free down the left side and into Toronto’s box, onetiming a bouncing long ball from Oduro into the six-yard box where Mancosu was waiting to smash it into the top of Irwin’s net.
Toronto managed to keep the damage to a minimum for the rest of the half, though it still struggled to quell Montreal’s speed on the transition.
But the team faltered again just after the break, when Impact defender Ambroise Oyongo ran untouched up the middle of the field, carrying the ball all the way to the top of Toronto’s box. His long-range, low shot beat a diving Irwin and snuck into the bottom corner of his net.