Previewing the 1st Leg of the MLS Conference Finals

After a long layoff of 16 days, the Major League Soccer playoffs will resume on Tuesday with the first leg of the Eastern and Western Conference finals. 

The opening match of the doubleheader will be played inside the Olympic Stadium in Montreal between Canadian rivals Montreal Impact and Toronto FC. 

The second contest features the best defensive team in MLS, the Colorado Rapids, against the dynamic Seattle Sounders led by attacking midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro.

The major plot twist in the Western Conference final is the appearance of Zac MacMath in the Colorado net after Tim Howard suffered an injury on duty with the United States men’s national team. 

Below is a preview of both of Tuesday’s contests in the MLS Cup play-offs. 

Toronto FC at Montreal Impact (Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN) 

The Eastern Conference final is the biggest moment to date for Canadian soccer in MLS.

Toronto and Montreal are heated rivals in every other sport, and the two-legged showdown with a spot in the MLS Cup final on the line will bring a new element to the clash of prominent sports towns. 

“Each time we play these games they’re more meaningful than the last,” Toronto FC manager Greg Vanney said. “This rivalry continues to grow and become more exciting and more interesting for the fans.” 

Instead of playing at Montreal’s regular home field, Stade Saputo, the first leg was changed to the Olympic Stadium, where close to 60,000 fans are expected to be in attendance. 

“This is going to be special,” Montreal midfielder Patrice Bernier said. “It’s great to see the crowd has responded and we’re able to fill the Big O with 60,000 people.” 

“Soccer is the most beautiful and popular sport in the world and it deserves huge attendance, and we can only be more inspired by more people, so the more people, the better for us,” Toronto forward Sebastian Giovinco said through a translator.  “It’s more exciting for everybody.” 

The Reds are looking for revenge from last year’s knockout-round game in which the Impact blitzed Toronto by a 3-0 score at Stade Saputo. 

“We have enough guys on the roster who remember last year, and we were embarrassed on that day,” Vanney said. “Our mindset and mentality will be different than it was last year.” 

In order to keep the hosts at bay inside the packed house in Montreal, the Reds have to keep Ignacio Piatti from creating a good amount of attacking opportunities. 

The goal for the Reds isn’t just to stop Piatti when he’s on the ball, it’s also to have an eye on the Argentine a few steps …

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