They Montreal Impact lack the star power that Toronto FC boasts, but don’t refer to them as the underdogs in their upcoming Eastern Conference final series against TFC.

After a bit of a stop-start nature to their Major League Soccer regular season and dealing with the soap opera surrounding Didier Drogba, the Impact clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive year—and for the third time in franchise history—and then proceeded to upset the natural order in the post-season.

D.C. United, regarded as one of the hottest sides in MLS down the stretch, were duly dispatched by the Impact 4-2 at RFK Stadium in the first round, a score line that rather flattered the club from the American capital.

Few pundits gave Montreal much of a chance in the next round against the New York Red Bulls, the top team in the Eastern Conference, even after the Impact earned a 1-0 win at home in the opening leg courtesy of a brilliant strike by Matteo Mancosu. In the return match, Ignacio Piatti stole the show, scoring both goals at Red Bull Arena to guide Montreal to an upset 2-1 victory and playoff series win over New York.

Now the Impact face their rivals TFC for the right to become the first Canadian outfit in league history to advance to the MLS Cup final. Montreal hosts the opener of the Eastern Conference final on Nov. 22 at Olympic Stadium, with the second leg scheduled for Nov. 30 at BMO Field.

On paper, TFC, who finished third in the East and eight points above the Impact in the standings, is considered the favourite. That suits Montreal just fine, according to midfielder Harry Shipp. Underestimate the Impact. He dares you.

“We felt confident as the fifth seed [in the East] that we could go to D.C. and win, and then beat New York over two legs. We didn’t consider ourselves underdogs before the playoffs started and certainly not now going into the East final,” Shipp told Sportsnet.

“At this point, after advancing through the first two rounds, we match up well with Toronto. It’s not going to be easy for them.”

To be sure, the Impact won’t simply roll over against TFC. Still, Montreal’s superb run in recent weeks raises questions about why they couldn’t show this stellar form on a more consistent basis during the regular season when they failed to win more than two consecutive games, and had to wait until late in the campaign to finally clinch a playoff berth.

Shipp provides one theory, as he believes the Impact fully embraced their tactical identity as a side that will suffocate you in midfield before hitting out on the counter attack.

“We had the talent all year. It was frustrating for us at points because we weren’t getting the results we thought we could get based on the talent we had. In the first three games of the playoffs, I think you’ve seen us as a team play to our strengths,” Shipp said.

“We’ve been compact defensively and breaking quickly. With the players we have out there right now, that’s going to be our most effective way of playing. We’ve been clinical in terms of finishing off chances and putting teams away in games.”

Shipp also said the playoffs served as a bit of a wake-up call for the Impact in that it forced the team to quickly gain its focus.

“We had the talent on the field, but that’s not enough in the playoffs—our attitude is different now because when you have that urgency, and knowing it could all end, it tends to bring out the best in guys. I think that’s what happened with us,” Shipp offered. “We have that sense of desperation now.”

Montreal has also benefited from key players stepping up. The midfield trio of Piatti, Marco Donadel and Patrice Bernier effectively combined to shut down the Red Bulls’ potent attack, while Mancosu, a mid-season loan addition, has bagged three goals in the playoffs.

“He’s great at making those little runs behind the other team’s back four,” Shipp said of the Italian forward. “The big thing is just stretching the other team, and the more he can do that it gives room for guys like [Piatti] to pick up the ball and run at the defence. [Mancosu has] been a very complimentary piece for our midfield.”

Piatti also has three goals in the post-season, but it’s the playmaker’s defensive work and his pace that Shipp feels often goes unnoticed.

“Credit to him—he’s tracking back and working hard defensively… he’s not just sitting up there waiting for us to go forward and get him the ball,” Shipp said. “He’s deceptively fast, I don’t think people give him enough credit for his speed. He’s just as fast with the ball as he is without it, which is extremely rare.”

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