TORONTO – Major League Soccer’s upcoming Eastern Conference final pits Toronto FC against the Montreal Impact in a battle of the two hottest clubs in this post-season.

Toronto brushed aside the Philadelphia Union in the first round, and then thrashed New York City FC 7–0 on aggregate. The Reds put on a mesmerizing display in a 5–0 win at Yankee Stadium, a result that forced the rest of the playoff field to sit up and take notice.

While Toronto might be garnering the majority of the headlines, Montreal has impressively gone about its business in efficient fashion. The Impact beat D.C. United 4–2 on the road, and then upset the New York Red Bulls, the top team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, by winning both legs of their series.

The Canadian rivals will meet in the Eastern Conference final on Nov. 22 and Nov. 30, with the first leg scheduled for Olympic Stadium in Montreal and the return match slated for Toronto’s BMO Field.

With just one loss in its last seven games overall, Montreal is playing some of its best soccer of 2016 after struggling for consistency on the pitch earlier on in the year. That hasn’t gone unnoticed by TFC coach Greg Vanney, who credits the Impact fully embracing its counter-attacking style as one of the main reasons behind their late-season and playoff surge.

“They’ve gone with the identity that they’re most comfortable with. It was similar to a lot of what they did at times last year,” Vanney said.

“Their player personalities tend to match up now nicely. They all seem to be on the same page and they have a lot of experience on the field…. They have a pretty good sense of themselves and they have a nice mix of players that collaborate with each other on the field in a good way.”

Toronto midfielder Will Johnson concurred.

“Montreal is a team that has an identity now, and they are very, very good when they stick to that identity. They create a big challenge for us, so we’ll have to rise up another level,” he said. “They’re a difficult team to play against and they’re a difficult team to score goals against. It’s going to be fun to see how our two very different but very effective playing styles play out against each other.”

Central to Montreal’s success has been Ignacio Piatti. The Argentine playmaker has been outstanding in the playoffs, scoring three goals and adding three assists—and this after an MVP-calibre regular season that saw him score 17 goals and collect six assists.

TFC defender Eriq Zavaleta admitted that trying to stop the mercurial Piatti poses a unique challenge for a Toronto club that has conceded just one goal in the post-season.

“He’s obviously a very good 1-v-1 player,” Zavaleta said. “It’s going to start with the defensive pressure up front, and then to get numbers around Piatti as quickly as possible because in open space he’s as good as it gets in this league.”

Vanney described Piatti as a very clever creator who defends up to a certain point when Montreal isn’t in possession, but then quickly looks to peel away and start the counter-attack before the Impact even win the ball back.

“He’s a very good player in non-transition moments, but where he’s been killing teams lately is being able to break out of defensive positions early, and getting [opposing players] isolated in one-on-one situations with the other team not having enough time to get numbers around him. That’s where he’s done a lot of his damage,” TFC’s coach warned.

Matteo Mancosu is another key component for Montreal. According to Vanney, Mancosu likes to break forward in a similar fashion to Piatti.

“He’s a guy that gets into good spots when you least expect it, and he finds these little gaps and holes [to exploit],” Vanney said.

The Italian striker has proven to be a solid mid-season pick-up for the Impact. Having joined the team in the summer on loan from Italian outfit Bologna, Mancosu has impressed during his time in Montreal, so much so that he displaced Didier Drogba’s as the team’s starting striker.

With three goals and four assists in the regular season, and another three goals in the playoffs (including the winner against the Red Bulls in the first leg), Mancosu has helped revitalize the Impact’s attack.

“He’s done great for them. He’s really changed their season. They rely a lot on him now and he’s a workhorse. When I watch him, the thing I see the most is how hard he works and what that brings to the team,” Toronto defender Justin Morrow said.

Dominic Oduro is another attacker that the Reds have to keep close tabs on. The former TFC forward isn’t the most clinical of finishers. However, as one of the league’s fastest players he keeps opposing defenders honest. You simply have to respect his pace when you’re playing against him.

“Dom’s all about speed, speed all day. You have to be wary of that. You can’t get too tight to him knowing that if he gets a couple of steps on you he’ll be gone,” Morrow stated.

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