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TORONTO — This could be the beginning of something good: another Montreal-Toronto rivalry in sports.
And it could be that one day they will meet in Major League Soccer, where Toronto FC already resides and the United Soccer Leagues' Montreal Impact would some day like to be.
For now, the Impact can savour the fact they have won the first Nutrilite Canadian Championship in a three-team tournament between the country's top professional teams.
The Impact earned a 1-1 draw with Toronto last night before a crowd of 20,107 at BMO Field, winning the right to go on to the new CONCACAF Champions League this summer.
Toronto FC goalie Greg Sutton comes down on top of Montreal Impact's Roberto Brown after making a save. (Fred Thornhill/Reuters)
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Montreal went into last night's game needing only the tie to finish first with two victories and a tie in its three previous games.
Toronto needed to win, but could only hold the lead established by Rohan Ricketts's header off Jim Brennan's pass in the 15th minute for 11 minutes before Montreal's Roberto Brown scored the equalizer off Joey Gjertsen's corner kick.
"It didn't take us very long to get back into the game, and I think that was a big help for us," Impact head coach John Limniatis said. "If the game went on and we didn't get a chance to tie the game, it would have gotten harder and harder."
The third team of the tournament, the Vancouver Whitecaps, who also play in the USL and would like to be in MLS, helped set up last night's situation. The Whitecaps earned a 1-0 victory over Toronto at BMO Field on Canada Day and then scored a late goal to tie Toronto 2-2 in the rematch eight days later.
Limniatis was asked whether he felt winning the championship could be used as a platform to get Montreal an MLS franchise.
"No, I think the platform is already set," he said. "I think obviously this helps. It just shows we're capable of competing. But the platform has been already set and from what I understand, we're aiming for the start of the 2011 season to be in the MLS. The talks are already there."
Toronto won the opener of the tournament 1-0 in Montreal, but the Impact defeated the Whitecaps twice.
"Congratulations to Montreal," Toronto head coach John Carver said. "If it's a one-off game and it's a draw, you sort of accept it, but it's been over a number of games and the best team usually wins the league. And I have to give them credit, the best team won the league."
Carver disagreed with the notion that Montreal plays in a lower league.
"That's absolute rubbish," he said. "Because they've shown that again tonight, and although we've taken four points off them, they've actually gone on to win it."
Carver gave Montreal credit for not coming out defensively to try for the tie, but playing its normal style. "And they got the result that they deserved," he said.
Carver was disappointed that after taking a 1-0 lead, his team "sat off them a little bit.
"And they got back into the game with an equalizer," he said. "And then we took the game to them again and we huffed and puffed and couldn't blow the house down."
After Toronto hit a post late in the game, Jeff Cunningham, still a 99-goal career scorer in MLS, could not nudge the ball over the line with the goal to be had.
"You want my honest opinion on that, I'm thinking, 'How's he scored 99 goals,' that's what I thought," Carver said. "How's he scored 99 goals in this league, because if you're a poacher and you've got desire no matter how you put the ball over the line, you put it over the line."
Montreal will now play in the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions League against Nicaragua's Real Esteli FC in a home-and-home series on Aug. 27 and Sept. 2.
"I told the players before the game," Limniatis said. " 'What would you rather do? Would you rather play more games or practise more?' "
