CF Montréal advanced past Toronto FC in the Preliminary Round of the 2025 Canadian Championship on Wednesday evening, winning 3-2 in penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw at BMO Field.
Toronto thought a home victory was in hand when Theo Corbeanu (30') opened the scoring and Tyrese Spicer (74') gave them a late lead. But Montréal twice equalized in the second half, first through Joel Waterman (70') before Giacomo Vrioni (89') forced spot-kicks with an incredible side volley.
From the spot, Dominic Iankov scored the winning PK and goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois denied Ola Brynhildsen to seal this edition of the Canadian Classique rivalry.
With the result, Montréal join reigning champions Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the CanChamp quarterfinal round. They'll play respective home-and-away series in May and July, building towards the October tournament final.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Montréal have their first victory of the 2025 campaign across all competitions, and their first win under interim coach Marco Donadel. Can this result inspire a turnaround for the Eastern Conference's last-place team? Toronto's hopes of lifting a record ninth Canadian Championship title will have to wait. Instead, it's Montréal moving closer towards a trophy and a spot in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: My word, Giacomo Vrioni. The DP striker, acquired in the offseason from the New England Revolution, opened his Montréal account in style.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Joel Waterman grabbed Montréal's first equalizer and scored during the PK shootout. The Canadian international center back hopes to feature at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup this summer.
Next Up
- TOR: Saturday, May 3 vs. New England Revolution | 4:30 pm ET (MLS Season Pass) | MLS Regular Season
- MTL: Saturday, May 3 vs. Philadelphia Union | 7:30 pm ET (MLS Season Pass) | MLS Regular Season
