- Home
- Major League Soccer
- TFC Scores Late To Rescue Draw From 401 Derby
Photo Courtesy: Toronto FC
TFC Scores Late To Rescue Draw From 401 Derby
By In the latest edition of the Canadian Classique, Toronto FC hosted CF Montreal to a Saturday evening kickoff at BMO Field in hopes of recreating the 6-1 scoreline from when the two sides first met earlier in the season.
Since that meeting back in May, both sides have been busy and have made a number of squad changes. The most recent exchange amongst the clubs saw Matty Longstaff in blue-and-black with forward Jules Anthony Vilsaint in Red. Longstaff joined Montreal after spending the last two seasons in Toronto accumulating 3,133 minutes across 49 games.
Played a midst a loud Canadian National Exhibition, the two sides played against a announced crowd of 27,076 at BMO Field.
Head coach Robin Fraser would only make one change following last weekends 0-0 draw and starting eleven against Atlanta United, with Kosi Thompson stepping in for Sigurd Rosted. For the visiting side, Coach Marco Donadel selected three former Reds to start at familiar grounds – Luca Petrasso, Matty Longstaff, and Prince Owusu.
Toronto would outshoot Montreal and control the majority of pressure in the opening half. The action wasn’t short of heat with Montreal’s Hennadii Synchuk, Luca Petrasso, and Prince Owusu, along with Maxime Dominguez for Toronto, all getting booked in the first 45 of play.
The pressure would continue for Toronto in the second half as Coach Fraser turned to his bench in the 74th minute in hopes of shaking things up on the attack, adding Jose Cifuentes for his club debut and Deandre Kerr for his 100th appearance with his very own hometown club TFC.
Just ten minutes following Fraser’s two-man sub against CF Montreal, however, the visitors found a breakthrough instead as Dant Sealy would head in a Bryce Duke cross in the 84th minute.
The Reds, however, would not surrender and would respond just fie minutes later as substitute Jules- Anthony Vilsaint would force a save on Thomas Gillier and captain Jonthan Osorio would find the rebound and send a powerful left-footed finish in front of the south end. Osorio’s 89th minute equalizer marks his 68th goal and his third of the 2025 MLS season.
Both sides would continue to push the gas in hopes of finding a late winner, but the 401 Derby would come to a close with both teams taking a point apiece away in the second edition of the Canadian Classique.
“Probably I didn’t feel it as much going into the game but about 15 minutes in, I was like ‘Yup, this is a Toronto-Montreal game,'” said Toronto coach Robin Fraser. “Not a whole lot of elaborate tactics as much as it was emotion, hard work, determination.”
“I don’t think the game was ever going to be a beautiful game, given the rivalry. And it really became a war of attrition. It was a fitting game for Toronto-Montreal.”
Toronto FC will be back in action on September 13 following the international break, with a road trip on the horizon for a matchup against New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium.
Header Image Photo Courtesy: Toronto FC
