The Seattle Sounders have already punched their ticket for the 2016 MLS Cup. Tonight, one of the two remaining teams will join them. Montreal hosted the first leg of the match-up between them and Toronto FC, and came out with a 3-2 victory. They lead the competition by one goal-- but now, Toronto FC is taking the competition back home.
In the first match, Montreal dominated early. They scored two goals in the first fifteen minutes by Dominic Odure (10th minute) and Matteo Mancosu (12th minute). They ended the half winning 2-0. In the 53rd minute, Montreal found their 3rd goal, scored by Ambroise Oyongo. All appeared lost for Toronto FC, but they managed to comeback to tighten the score with goals by Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley in the 68th and 73rd minutes, respectively.
The rivalry between Montreal and Toronto has a long history. Tonight that story will continue. Even though Montreal won the first match, Toronto’s two away goals were a massive boost for the team. All Toronto needs is a 1-0 victory to secure their spot in the MLS Cup (a tie in number of goals is broken by who has the highest number of away goals). Toronto comes in as the higher seed, but Montreal will bring the momentum with them from Sunday night’s tense match-up.
This game is anyone’s to take. Both teams have strong players and different styles of play. Montreal will focus on bunkering the defense and scoring on the counterattack. Toronto has had one of the best offenses in the league this season, led by Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore. Neither team will be easy to stop-- but only one will go on to face Seattle in the 2016 MLS Cup.
The match will air at 7:00pm ET on FS1.
