Three keys to the game for the home opener
We won’t mince our words. The enemy is in town. Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact have had a burning rivalry, off the field as much as on the field, for quite a few years now. Saturday, a new chapter will be written at Olympic Stadium as of 3pm – and there are still tickets left here.
Toronto just got back from Mexico, where the Reds faced Tigres, featuring players like André-Pierre Gignac and Eduardo Vargas among others. Although the hosts won the game 3-2, it wasn’t enough, and TFC progressed to the Concacaf Champions League semifinals thanks to the away goal rule (4-4 on aggregate).
- Cool, calm, collected
It’s easy to let emotions get the better of you in this type of game: the team will play in front of its supporters for the first time in 2018; there’s a sense of revenge among the players, after the Impact performed well in its first two games of the season, but came away with no points; and, of course, the Reds, with Giovinco, Altidore, and Bradley, are Saturday’s opponents. It’ll be important for Montreal’s starters to control their emotions and channel them in a positive way, even – and especially – after they concede, if they do concede.
- Limit set pieces near the 18-yard-box
We already know by now that Giovinco is one of the best in the world on free kicks – and earning them as well, but that’s another story. The line is thin, and can often be unintelligible, between legal physical play on the tiny Italian and a foul given for excessive use of force. The Montreal Impact will have to tread lightly on that line when the atomic ant strikes.
- Be more opportunistic
During its two first games, the Impact had several scoring chances: seven in Vancouver, 15 in Columbus. All these opportunities for just three goals scored. Little imprecisions and posts need to turn into precise shots and goals if the Impact wants to get a head start on the scoreboard and gather its first points (or point) of the season.
