CF Montréal (1) - Toronto FC (6) Postgame summary

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MLS Toronto FC

CF Montréal (1) - Toronto FC (6) Postgame summary

May 17, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Toronto FC News Release


SCORING SUMMARY

TOR - Tyrese Spicer 14' (Ola Brynhildsen)

TOR - Federico Bernardeschi 30' (Deybi Flores)

TOR - Ola Brynhildsen 33' (Maxime Dominguez, Federico Bernardeschi)

TOR - Federico Bernardeschi 55' (Lorenzo Insigne)

MTL -Giacomo Vrioni 64' (Luca Petrasso)

TOR - Theo Corbeanu 66'

TOR - Theo Corbeanu 90+1' (Federico Bernardeschi)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

TOR - Kosi Thompson 9' (caution)

MTL - Joel Waterman 21' (ejection)

MTL - Fernando Álvarez 45+4' (caution)

MTL - Jalen Neal 57' (caution)

MTL - Dante Sealy 88' (caution)

RECORDS (W-L-T)

CF Montréal 1-9-4 7 points

Toronto FC 3-7-4 13 points

LINEUPS

CF MONTRÉAL - Sébastian Breza; Dawid Bugaj, Joel Waterman, Jalen Neal (Brandan Craig 58'), Luca Petrasso (Prince Owusu 76'); Dante Sealy, Nathan Saliba (Aleksandr Guboglo 46'), Samuel Piette (C), Tom Pearce (Fernando Álvarez 34'); Caden Clark (Victor Loturi 34'), Giacomo Vrioni

Substitutes Not Used: Jonathan Sirois, Kwadwo Opoku, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, Owen Graham Roache

TORONTO FC - Sean Johnson; Kosi Thompson (Henry Wingo 80'), Sigurd Rosted, Kevin Long (Zane Monlouis 46'), Lazar Stefanovic; Maxime Dominguez, Deybi Flores, Lorenzo Insigne (Matty Longstaff 70'); Federico Bernardeschi (C), Tyrese Spicer (Theo Corbeanu 62'), Ola Brynhildsen (Derrick Etienne Jr. 62')

Substitutes Not Used: Luka Gavran, Alonso Coello, Charlie Sharp

MEDIA NOTES:

Lazar Stefanovic started his first MLS match for Toronto FC.

Federico Bernardeschi scored his third brace for Toronto FC.

o Bernardeschi recorded four goal contributions (2 goals, 2 assists) for the first time in his career with Toronto FC.

Ola Brynhildsen scored his first goal and registered his first assist for TFC.

Maxime Dominguez registered his first assist for Toronto FC.

Theo Corbeanu scored his first brace for Toronto FC.

Toronto FC scored six goals in an MLS match for the first time in club history and the most since scoring five against CF Montréal on May 18, 2024 at BMO Field.

MEDIA ASSETS:Media assets including match photos and post-match press conference from Head Coach Robin Fraser and forward Theo Corbeanu are available HERE.

ROBIN FRASER - HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

Q: Obviously a great result. I mean six goals. Maybe you can just talk about the positives about the team's performance tonight.

Well, there were a couple. One is they set up a little bit differently than we expected, and the guys just adjusted on the fly, and we talk a lot about engagement with this team, and we thought they would play a certain way. It was slightly different than what we thought. And they didn't skip a beat, they just kept working, figured out kind of what was going on. And that was really the start of the tide turning, I think. And then obviously we had some decent plays and a fantastic play by Ola [Brynhildsen] to create the red card. And then from there, what I really liked was that it was a really mature performance. Four weeks ago today, we were at Real Salt Lake, and we were up a man. And if you watch a game, it never looked like we were up a man. And I just think this speaks volumes of the confidence, the belief that has been growing. So here we are. Obviously, this is a tough place to play, a big rival, and I thought the performance was very mature, very composed, and through some good patient play we were able to find some really good opportunities.

Q: You've been saying for a while now that once Ola [Brynhildsen] gets going, we're going to see the very best of him. Did we see the best of him today? Did you get a glimpse?

I don't know if I'd say the best. I think he has a lot more to offer, but I think you saw some of his real strengths. I mean, truly creating the red card the way he did. He's so good at holding the ball and he's a tough forward for center backs to deal with because he initiates contact. I've said this many times, he reminds me of Carlos Ruiz, who I used to play against, and I think his ability to hold defenders, use his body, it's such a weapon. And today, obviously he got us the red card and then outside of that I thought he was very good. So, I still don't think we've seen the best of him and I feel like there's a lot more to come with him.

Q: A lot to like about what Berna [Federico Bernardeschi] produced today too.

Yeah, for sure. Two goals and two assists. Yeah, it was a really good day. I mean, make no mistake to go down a man early, put Montreal in a very, very difficult situation. But as we've seen, as we've all seen at some point, just to be a man up doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have success. But I thought the way we played, we were pretty diligent about finding the people we needed to find. And as we moved the ball, opportunities started to open up for the forwards to get behind. And Fede [Federico Bernardeschi] was so dangerous almost every time he touched it. And it's really fitting that he's had a two goal two assist day just on the fact that I thought his decisions with the ball were really, good times to give it up, times to keep it himself. And when he shares the ball like that, he becomes less predictable. And when he's less predictable, he's super dangerous.

Q: How big of a morale boost is this, just getting six goals past Montreal?

I think it's huge and it's a great day and we're going to enjoy it, but we know we have so much more to do, and we know that we have to make up for what was not a great start. So, we will enjoy this for sure, but come Tuesday, it's back to work. We've got another tough game next week. But I do want them to enjoy these two days because they really earned it. And like I said, it's a very tough situation to go down a man as early as Montreal did, but it doesn't mean the game would necessarily end up this way. And I think a lot of good mature play and good mature decision making is what ended up creating the opportunities for us.

Q: Was that our first chance to get a real extended look at the attacking for [Lorenzo] Insigne, [Federico] Bernardeschi, [Maxime] Dominguez and [Ola] Brynhildsen out there together? There was a ruthlessness and a decisiveness from that group on the day. Was that an attitude change, or a function of the personnel out there? What did you say?

That's really interesting that you used those words, ruthless and decisive. We've talked about when we get into the final part of the field that those are things we've talked about. We need to be, and again, we can't speak about the game without speaking about the red card. So obviously put Montreal in a tough position, but you still have to execute to take advantage of that man advantage. And I felt like the patients we showed in the build led to some opportunities to make decisive passes, incisive runs, and then obviously we needed to be clinical in the moments that we were able to get behind. So, I think we really saw, again, a mature performance and a group of players, a group of attacking players that have a really good understanding of how to hurt a team when an opportunity shows up.

Q: What do you want the group to remember about today going forward?

The biggest thing for me is commitment. And from the very beginning we looked like we were up for it. I thought midweek, we were half a step slow kind of everywhere. And having said that, we were still able to be in a one zero game with a team. That's a very good team in Cincinnati, but we talk about it often that for us to be at our best, we can't have a few guys off it and six or seven guys on it. We need the entire group. And what I want them to remember from today is the commitment level that we had from the very beginning.

THEO CORBEANU - FORWARD, TORONTO FC

Q: Six goals past Montreal. I'm not sure a lot of people saw this coming. Obviously, a fantastic result. Maybe you can just speak to what you liked about the team's performance on the day today.

Absolutely. It's an amazing result. First of all, especially after what happened a couple of weeks ago. We were very down after that day [Canadian Championship]. We felt like we deserved more, and it was a shame to go to the Canadian championship. So, we felt like we had a point to prove today, and I feel like that's exactly what we did. We started off on the front foot Spicer an incredible goal, where he was very direct with so much determination, went down the line, took his man on one against one and a ruthless finish. And then from there Fede that the exact same, an amazing one against one ability, and then a great goal. From Maxim to assist Ola, but some great interchange. And then the rest of them are also brilliant. So, it's a very, very happy day for us, especially. These are our biggest rivals. This was a derby day, and like I said, we had a point of proof, and we proved that point.

Q: Two composed finishes from you too. Coming off that bench, maybe you can just talk me through both goals if can.

Yeah, so obviously coming into the game, especially when the scoreline was 4-0, it's, it's never easy because you are winning and everything's going perfectly. So, you feel like you can't screw up, you want to adjust to the game. You want to be on the same wavelength as the rest of the players. And that's exactly what I tried doing. So, once I received the ball in the middle, I saw it and making the run on the first one I gave it to him, and then fortunate enough to get it back from a deflection when he shot it. And yeah, calm and composed finish, and I was very happy about that. And then the second ones just great interchange, great link up, play with him, and once he drove inside, I knew there was one thing on his mind. He even gave me a little gesture to make the run in behind. And once I saw that, I said, this is it. I need to go in behind. And then from there, it's a chip. So, I'm very happy with that.

Q: Just given the rough kind of last two or three weeks with results of being eliminated from a Canadian championship, how big of a morale boost is this, especially being in Montreal against the team's biggest rival?

Yeah, a hundred percent. Like I said, we were very disappointed and especially the way it ended in penalties. And obviously on a personal note as well, I was devastated once I put that over the bar. And we didn't have a good feeling at all from that. It was a bitter taste. And our main goal now was to come here and completely change that, get our redemption, and obviously to beat them - by the amount that we beat them - our archrivals can be better. So, the morale boost is great, and we need to take this energy going into the next games for sure.

Q: How are you going to remember today and what do you want the group to take from this one?

Well, on a group perspective, this is very memorable day because as everybody knows, this is our biggest rival in the MLS. This is our biggest game of the season, really. And we were waiting for this day, for weeks now, ever since the elimination in the Canadian Championship. So, to do it against Montreal in the way that we did it, with the amount of goals that we scored - and the goals that we did score - it's an amazing feeling. And on a personal point of view, it's my birthday and two goals, honestly, I actually can't ask for much more. So, I want to thank God, and I want to thank the whole group for help me achieve this.

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