There are few better feelings in sports than really sticking it to your rivals and few worse than being on the other end of that blowout.
Toronto FC and Montreal Impact fans know those emotions all too well – they have, after all, experienced both the ecstasy and the agony that comes with such results in a pair of games that players from each side called some of the most memorable in the history of the 401 Derby.
Toronto dominated the the early series between the two clubs with an undefeated 5-0-1 record against their rivals while Montreal were still playing in the lower divisions of the North American soccer pyramid. The Reds landed the first humiliating blow when they dropped the the hammer in a 6-1 thrashing of the Impact to decide the Canadian Championship at Stade Saputo on June 18, 2009, with Dwayne De Rosario scoring a hat trick:
Montreal finally got one over on their rivals in the inaugural MLS meeting between the two sides in 2012. But the Impact saved their best for a year later, when they headed back home for the second leg of their Canadian Championship semifinal trailing Toronto 2-0, with no one giving them much of a chance to turn it around.
What happened next was nothing short of spectacular:
Not only did Montreal get their first Canadian Championship win over the Reds, but the win paved the way for Montreal to lift their first Canadian Championship since the inaugural 2008 tournament. The Impact stung Toronto once more with a dramatic win in the 2014 final and topped them again in the 2015 semifinals.
TFC did win last year's season series, and the teams will resume their MLS rivalry Wednesday night (8pm ET, TSN 1,3,4,5, RDS in Canada, MLS LIVE in US).
What is your most memorable moment from the 401 Derby? Share and debate in the comments section below, and be sure to follow MLS on Vine for more memorable rivalry moments!
