Montreal, Toronto meet with eye on second-half charges

Coach Philippe Eullaffroy will hope to continue steering CF Montreal in the right direction when they host Toronto FC on Thursday night.

The 58-year-old Frenchman, originally introduced as a stopgap while Montreal (4-8-2, 14 points) continued its search for a permanent head coach, had his tenure extended to the end of the season during the FIFA World Cup. Since taking over from Marco Donadel, Eullaffroy has guided the club to a 6-2-2 record in all competitions.

Montreal wrapped up its World Cup break with two 2-1 wins over Canadian Premier League side Vancouver FC in the Canadian Championship quarterfinals. They secured their 4-2 victory on aggregate even after center-back Efrain Morales was sent off in the 43rd minute of the second leg.

"Of course, we also have a responsibility when we play at home to put on a great show. So, it was a bit of everything," Eullaffroy said afterward. "To make sure we'd gotten back into the rhythm of competition, because we could attribute Wednesday's (Leg 1) rather average performance to the fact that we hadn't played for a month and a half."

Montreal will look to their backline for a sturdier outing, having allowed eight goals in their last three league fixtures. The match will mark Eullaffroy's first so-called 401 Derby and his first MLS match against another Canadian team.

He will be pitted against a Toronto side (3-6-5, 14 points) with the same point total but in the midst of a dreadful run of form. TFC was glad to go into the World Cup break after a nine-match winless run (0-5-4) in all competitions.

"There's urgency," head coach Robin Fraser said on Monday. "When you start a season, there's no wins and no losses, and you want to play well. When you start the second part of the season and you are in down at the table, I would say there's more urgency."

Canada's Richie Laryea and Haiti's Derrick Etienne Jr. will make their returns to the club after playing at the World Cup. Captain Jonathan Osorio also represented Canada on the world stage, but will be suspended from the match for yellow card accumulation.

Designated player Djordje Mihailovic and center-back Benjamin Kuscevic, meanwhile, are both taking part in full training after lengthy injury-induced absences. Prince Owusu, Montreal's leading goal scorer with nine, is also suspended.

Both teams sit four points back of D.C. United in the Eastern Conference's last playoff spot, though with a match in hand.

--Field Level Media