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Canadian rivals clash as TFC tangles with Montreal

Jun 24, 2015 - 12:05 AM Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - The Montreal Impact head to BMO Field to take on Canadian rivals Toronto FC on Wednesday with the Impact aiming to continue their current good run of form.

Montreal collected a third win in four games over the weekend in a 2-0 triumph over Orlando City SC that snapped Orlando's five-game unbeaten streak.

Donny Toia scored his first MLS goal in the 36th minute to open the scoring, while Dominic Oduro capped the win with a stoppage-time goal just before the final whistle.

Getting all three points was certainly satisfying for head coach Frank Klopas, but he was particularly pleased with the fact that Toia's goal came from set piece, marking the third time this season that Montreal has found the net off a set play.

"It's something that I put a lot of emphasis with Mauro [Biello, assistant coach], to keep working with the guys on set pieces," Klopas said. "The delivery [by Marco Donadel] was very good. Mauro works extremely hard with the group, with their movements, the timing of the runs with the service going in. It was great, a much-needed goal at that moment. I'm happy for Donny. He's been really positive for us in our squad."

Montreal failed to score a goal from a set piece last season, so the newfound scoring ability from dead-ball situations is a big bonus for Klopas and his team.

Toronto was on a good run itself prior to Saturday's 2-0 defeat at the hands of New York City FC, which snapped a three-game winning streak for Greg Vanney's team.

David Villa scored from the penalty spot in the eighth minute before adding a second goal in the 58th.

It wasn't so much the result that bothered Vanney after the match, however, as much as it was the way that NYC disrupted his team.

"[NYCFC] stalled and killed the game at every opportunity, which was clearly a tactic," Vanney said after the match. "The referees allowed that to happen. For me, when 30,000 fans show up at a stadium, it's to watch a game play and move. Instead, it was allowed to stop and be choppy and slowed down at every turn. Credit to them, because it worked out for them and they found a way to play us on the day."

The match was a very physical affair as the teams combined to commit 34 fouls over the course of 90 minutes.

And while Vanney wasn't pleased with NYC's tactics, he felt the game provided a valuable lesson for his team.

"The lesson for me is we have to play with a little more urgency," Vanney said. "We've got to recognize how the game is being refereed and adjust our performance of being physical and being tight and all those things. We also need to be a little bit sharper."