Toronto FC is in must-win mode against Montreal on Sunday

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It’s appropriate that BMO Field is close to the Food Building at the CNE because the Toronto FC players are really hungry. At least they should be hungry. In fact, they should be starving for a victory on Sunday night when arch-rival CF Montreal rolls into town.

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While the boys from Quebec have all but secured an MLS playoff spot after what has been a solid regular season, TFC is still on the outside looking in. Toronto has just five games left and every match is extremely important. The Reds are 10th in the Eastern Conference with 34 points, two points out of a playoff spot, with three teams to jump over to make it over the post-season line. Montreal is coming off a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls but it is having an excellent season (15W 9L 4D) and are in second place in the East with 49 points, eight points behind the Philadelphia Union who are running away from the pack.

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“A very good game,” said TFC coach Bob Bradley, when asked what he expects from Sunday’s match. “Montreal has been in good form lately but they also deserve credit for being a good team most of the year. (They) have a clear idea on how they want to play, have some different options that fit into their system, so that gives them different looks, different-type attackers. They can play 1 underneath 2. They can play sort of a version of 3. The starting points in the back and in the midfield are normally the same — they rely heavily on their wing backs, solid guys in the centre of the midfield and a back three that has good understanding, especially Kamal Miller. He becomes important in the way they play because he moves up, not wide, but up in a narrow way.

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“They play a lot with two of the centre defenders and then they make a three in front of them which is normally like Kamal Miller, (Victor) Wanyama, and sometimes (Samuel) Piette goes a little bit right,” Bradley added. “So they’re a good team.”

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TFC has been a good team of late as well, having lost just once in its last eight matches (W4 D3) following a 2-2 draw against the LA Galaxy on Wednesday at BMO Field. The Reds have scored 18 times in those games after scoring only eight times in their previous eight matches. Right winger Federico Bernardeschi has scored in all four of his home matches for TFC, including against the Galaxy on Wednesday. He is the fourth player to score in four straight home matches for Toronto after Jozy Altidore in 2019, Danny Koevermans in 2012 and Dwayne De Rosario in 2010.

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CF Montreal is unbeaten in four straight matches against TFC for the first time in the club’s MLS history, following a 1-0 win on July 16. Only once has the either team swept the season series against the other in MLS with Toronto winning both meetings in 2019.

The Montrealers have won four straight away matches this season for the first time in club history. CF Montreal’s eight wins, 26 points and 25 goals are all the most its ever had on the road in a single MLS season. Still, TFC right back Richie Laryea said there is a firm belief in the locker room that reaching the playoffs is attainable.

“I think if we take care of these next couple of matches, I think the playoff line is very doable for us,” Laryea said. “We have the team to do it and I think we’ll get ourselves in that position to cross that line. And once we get (to the playoffs), I think it will be obviously a good achievement for the club but it will also mean that we’re hitting good momentum because we’ll have to win the majority of these games coming up.”

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TFC midfielder Jonathan Osorio, who hasn’t played since Aug. 20 because of an undisclosed, non-COVID related illness, was back in full training on Friday, so that bodes well for Sunday’s match. Another veteran midfielder, Mark-Anthony Kaye (lower body injury), is likely out. Bradley revealed that Kaye “came with a little something” from the Colorado Rapids in the trade with Toronto in July. TFC captain Michael Bradley, the only veteran midfielder who has been healthy of late, has done a good job adjusting alongside young fill-ins Jayden Nelson, Kosi Thompson and Noble Okello. But it has been a challenge.

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“(It’s) harder when the younger guys are on the field,” said Bob Bradley of the situation at midfield. “(The young guys) have improved at it. Obviously if Lorenzo (Insigne) comes into the middle, there have been a few moments in the last couple of games where Michael moves a little bit, first pass goes to Lorenzo, and that gets the wheels in motion. But we know — and this is taking nothing away from Kosi and Jayden and now Noble — that they’re still younger players and when Mark and Oso are not on the field, we miss them. There’s no two ways about that.”

The big news out of Montreal this days are reports that the club is going to lose midfielder Ismael Kone to Sheffield United and that the move is imminent. Last month, CFM negotiated the $6-million transfer of Djordje Mihailovic to Dutch first division club AZ Alkmaar, but the two sides reached an agreement for Mihailovic to finish the season in Montreal.