Toronto FC: 3 storylines to follow versus the Montreal Impact

We break down Tuesday nights’s game between Canadian rivals Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact, which could prove to be a significant occasion.

Times are good for Toronto FC, who are the only team yet to lose a game in MLS this season. As a result, they are currently at the top of both the Eastern Conference and overall league standings.

Next up are the Montreal Impact at BMO Field. TFC lead the all-time series 6-3-5 in 14 league games, although interestingly Montreal have a 21-19 overall edge in goals scored.

Combined with last Friday’s tight game, the Reds know they won’t have it easy against their Canadian rivals. Here are three storylines to keep an eye on:

1) On the verge of setting MLS history

We wrote recently about TFC closing in on MLS history and now the moment of truth is here. These next two games can see them leave their mark in the league record books, starting on Tuesday night.

Heading into the matchup with Montreal, the Reds are on a run of 18 consecutive league games unbeaten. This has them tied with Real Salt Lake (July 2010-April 2011) and the New York Red Bulls (July 2016-March 2017) for the second-longest unbeaten streak in MLS history.

If Toronto FC can avoid defeat at BMO Field, they will join Columbus Crew SC (July 2014-April 2005) and FC Dallas (May 2010-October 2010) at the top of the record books. This would then mean they can set a new MLS mark on Saturday in Vancouver, against a Whitecaps team they have already beaten twice this season.

Nothing is ever taken for granted when it comes to TFC. However, assuming they do at least equal if not beat the record for longest unbeaten league run, critics will claim they had an easy run due to only facing Canadian competition in recent games.

This is not necessarily true though, despite the reality the Whitecaps are not a strong club. The same can’t be said of the Impact though, who are in a playoff spot entering Tuesday night and with a game in hand on the teams above them in the Eastern Conference.

In addition, TFC have had to face several distractions and stoppages to get to this point, with the unbeaten run starting with the final 10 league games last season and then seeing this year being impacted by the coronavirus. Assuming they do equal and then set the record, don’t listen to the critics; it will be a richly deserved achievement.