Toronto FC dropped the opening leg of their Voyageurs Cup semifinal in Montreal on Wednesday.

Jack McInerney scored the game winning goal in the 68th minute, giving the Impact a 1-0 win.

There weren’t a lot of fans at Stade Saputo, 12, 518 in total, but that wasn’t a big surprise.

“With the [Montreal Canadiens] game on, it was going to happen, but we got the win and that’s what is important,” said McInerney following the game.

Though TFC failed to notch a crucial away goal Greg Vanney and his players believe they have everything to play for next week at BMO Field in the second leg.

“I like our chances a lot,” said Vanney following the match. “One of the things we’ll have to do is not give up an away goal which is important but on the year with our collective group we’re averaging two-plus goals per game so I think we’re in decent shape when we get everybody out there.”

The second leg commences next Wednesday night at BMO Field.

Here are three takeaways from the first leg of this Canadian Championship semifinal.

A “Preventable” Goal

There was a dearth of chances on both sides, though Dominic Oduro was easily the most dangerous player on the pitch.

The former TFC speedster gave Toronto's defence fits, but he wouldn’t be a factor in the game’s only goal. Instead, two separate cases of ball watching led to McInerney’s tally. Daniel Lovitz failed to close down Nigel Reo Coker and Eriq Zavaleta did not secure the back post.

“(Reo Coker) is a right-footed player on the right side, and you should never allow him to hit a right-footed cross,” stated Vanney.

Offensively the Reds didn’t muster many chances. A header from Jonathan Osorio that drifted wide was their best look at goal.

“There were some ‘sort-of’ chances (we created) but I thought we were okay for being on the road,” Vanney said.

TFC’s head coach hinted that we could see Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco play in the second leg, depending on the circumstances. Both players were left in Toronto in order to get them rest ahead of Sunday’s league home opener.

“We’ll revisit it at home but there’s a good chance you’ll see some of the players you didn’t see [Wednesday night],” Vanney concluded.

Everything To Play For In Toronto

For the third consecutive game TFC was on the wrong side of the possession battle but the defence held strong aside from the gaffe on the lone goal. Turnovers in the midfield were a constant problem.That’s the product of a group of players not used to playing with each other for an extended period.

“We put in a tough defensive shift in, a tough 90 minutes,” said Justin Morrow, who moved to left back after starting at right back in Orlando and Philadelphia.

“It’s a change, I haven't played there in a while but it felt great.”

The home opener on Sunday is obviously at the forefront for the squad, but the Canadian Championship remains a priority.

“We’ll go home, get a win there and be on our way,” said Morrow.

Delgado Puts In A Full 90

It’s setting up to be a big week for Marky Delgado.

He registered his first start for TFC on Wednesday night and could get the call to the U-20 United States World Cup squad.

Delgado started on the right wing and acquitted himself well, though Vanney pointed to some positional issues in his post match press conference.

“Marky ended up wide a lot, and we wanting him to come inside and connect with Bradley, Warner and Osorio,” Vanney said.

Delgado expects the fans at BMO Field to give TFC the edge during the second leg.

“It’s 1-0, it’s not a big deficit for us,” he said. “We’ll have our supporters and I feel like we have a better crowd. That will give us a lot of drive to push forward. I like our chances.”

