Montreal Impact 1–6 Toronto FC, often referred to as the Miracle in Montreal, was a soccer match played on June 18, 2009 at Saputo Stadium in Montreal, Quebec between Montreal Impact of the USL First Division and Toronto FC of Major League Soccer.

Miracle in Montreal
Saputo Stadium hosted the match
Event2009 Canadian Championship
DateJune 18, 2009 (2009-06-18)
VenueSaputo Stadium, Montreal
RefereeCarol Anne Chenard (Canada)
Attendance11,561

Background

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The match was the final fixture of the 2009 Canadian Championship. With Montreal already eliminated and the Vancouver Whitecaps leading the table, Toronto FC needed to win by 4 or more goals to capture its first Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League.[1][2]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification VAN TOR MTL
1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4 3 0 1 5 1 +4 9 Champions League 2–0 1–0
2 Toronto FC 3 2 0 1 2 2 0 6 1–0 1–0
3 Montreal Impact (E) 3 0 0 3 0 4 −4 0 0–2 Jun 18
Source: CanadaSoccer.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) points in matches between drawn teams; 3) goal differential; 4) number of goals scored; 5) drawing of lots.[3]
(E) Eliminated

Match

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Tony Donatelli gave Montreal a 1–0 lead early in the first half on a penalty kick which meant Toronto needed 5 or more goals to beat Vancouver on goal differential. Toronto went on to score 6 unanswered goals, including 3 straight from captain Dwayne De Rosario on route to capturing the 2009 Canadian Championship and a place in the CONCACAF Champions League.[1] The 6–1 defeat was the worst in Montreal's franchise history at the time.

Details

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Montreal Impact1–6Toronto FC
Donatelli   24' (pen.) Report De Rosario   29', 39', 49'
Guevara   69', 90'
Barrett   82'
Attendance: 11,561
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Montreal Impact
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Toronto FC
Montreal Impact
GK 22   Srdjan Djekanović
DF 23   Stephen deRoux
DF 24   Simon Gatti
DF 13   Elkana Mayard
DF 2   Kevin Sakuda
MF 18   Leonardo Di Lorenzo
MF 14   Tony Donatelli   65'
MF 17   Joey Gjertsen
MF 7   David Testo   47'   50'
FW 28   Peter Byers
FW 30   Pierre-Rudolph Mayard   71'
Substitutes
DF 16   Stefano Pesoli   50'
MF 21   Félix Brillant   65'
MF 9   Rocco Placentino   71'   71'
Manager
  Marc Dos Santos
Toronto FC
GK 24   Stefan Frei
DF 6   Nick Garcia   42'
DF 3   Nana Attakora   80'
DF 11   Jim Brennan
DF 15   Adrian Serioux   64'
MF 2   Sam Cronin
MF 20   Amado Guevara
MF 33   Carl Robinson   63'
FW 14   Dwayne De Rosario
FW 9   Danny Dichio
FW 8   Pablo Vitti   45'
Substitutes
FW 19   Chad Barrett   45'
DF 4   Marco Vélez   64'
FW 7   Fuad Ibrahim   80'
Manager
  Chris Cummins
Assistant referees
  Cameron Blair
  Philippe Brière
Fourth official
  Dave Gantar

Aftermath

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Final results

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification TOR VAN MTL
1 Toronto FC (C) 4 3 0 1 8 3 +5 9 Champions League 1–0 1–0
2 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4 3 0 1 5 1 +4 9 2–0 1–0
3 Montreal Impact 4 0 0 4 1 10 −9 0 1–6 0–2
Source: CanadaSoccer.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) points in matches between drawn teams; 3) goal differential; 4) number of goals scored; 5) drawing of lots.[4]
(C) Champions


Montreal and Toronto perspective

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Toronto FC would go on to lose to Puerto Rico Islanders in the preliminary round of 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League.[5]

The match was a significant moment in shaping the rivalry between Montreal Impact and Toronto FC.[6] In 2011, Montreal Impact officially joined Major League Soccer becoming the third Canadian team to do so after Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. This only furthered the rivalry which became known as the 401 derby and later the Canadian Classique.[7]

Montreal would get retribution against Toronto, beating them 6–0 in the same venue during the 2013 Canadian Championship.[8] This remains the largest margin of victory in Canadian Classique history.[a]

Vancouver perspective

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The Montreal Impact were accused of fielding a weaker squad against Toronto FC to rest key players for the league, since they were no longer in contention for the championship. This was seen as unfair by Vancouver Whitecaps' supporters, as Montreal's alleged uneven efforts against their opponents was the reason behind Toronto FC scoring as many goals as they did.[9] This became additionally controversial when Montreal's rested players returned in a regular season match against Vancouver, which was not only won by Montreal, but also lead to Montreal gaining a home advantage over Vancouver in the playoffs due to the regular season seeding.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Toronto FC pull off miracle, win Canadian Championship". CBC Sports. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  2. ^ "MasterCard Priceless Moments - The Miracle in Montreal". torontofc.ca. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Nutrilite Canadian Championship Tie-Breaker scenarios". CSA Website. June 1, 2009. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  4. ^ "Nutrilite Canadian Championship Tie-Breaker scenarios". CSA Website. June 1, 2009. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  5. ^ Nock, Fred. "Full Time: Toronto FC loses to the Puerto Rico Islanders 1-0". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  6. ^ Infurna, Patrick. "The rise of the Canadian clásico, a new twist on a long-standing rivalry". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  7. ^ "Pozuelo, Altidore lead Toronto FC past Impact in Canadian Classique". TSN. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Montreal Impact 6, Toronto FC 0". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  9. ^ a b McColl, Michael (June 20, 2009). "Montreal Screws Vancouver Again". Retrieved June 8, 2023.

Notes

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  1. ^ As of July 19, 2019.
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