Toronto FC delivered a statement performance on Saturday night, crushing Canadian rivals CF Montreal 6-1 in a lopsided MLS clash marked by early drama and relentless attacking.
Former Juventus star Federico Bernardeschi and Canadian international Theo Corbeanu each scored twice, capitalizing on Montreal being reduced to 10 men just minutes after conceding the opening goal.
Montreal initially took the lead in the 19th minute through Trinidad and Tobago’s Tyrese Spicer, who finished off a swift counterattack. But their momentum evaporated just two minutes later when Joel Waterman received a straight red card for a reckless tackle on Ola Brynhildsen.
Toronto quickly took control. Bernardeschi equalized in the 30th minute with a calm finish, followed by a well-worked goal from Brynhildsen after a clever setup by Maxime Dominguez. Despite twice hitting the post before halftime, Montreal couldn’t recover from the early setback.
In the second half, Bernardeschi dazzled with a solo strike, curling the ball into the far corner to make it 4-0. Although Montreal pulled one back through Giacomo Vrioni, substitute Theo Corbeanu sealed the rout with a late brace.
“This is a tough place to play and a big rivalry match,” said Toronto head coach Robin Fraser. “I thought we showed maturity and control. Going up a man helped, but that alone doesn’t win games. Fede [Bernardeschi] was a threat every time he touched the ball.”
Elsewhere in MLS, New York City FC defeated rivals New York Red Bulls 2-0 at Citi Field. Alonso Martinez opened the scoring with a stunning long-range goal, and Maxi Moralez capitalized on a goalkeeper error to double the lead.
The weekend of rivalry matchups continued with the high-stakes Ohio derby between the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati, while Sunday’s slate features Inter Miami vs. Orlando City and the much-anticipated El Trafico clash between LA Galaxy and LAFC.
