MLS Matchday 2: Canadian clubs fail to deliver the goods … again

Matchday 2 in MLS for the Canadian clubs was almost a repeat of last weekend. Toronto FC found themselves the only club to pick up a result on Saturday in what was expected to be a high scoring match turned into a cagey affair. CF Montreal and the Vancouver Whitecaps both dropped their second game in a row.

Atlanta United 1-1 Toronto FC

Toronto FC earned a hard fought point on the road in a place where they have given the home side fits over the years. TFC’s all-time road record at Mercedes Benz Stadium improved to 1W-3L-4D which is not terrible considering how dominant Atlanta United’s home play has been since their inception in MLS.

Federico Bernardeschi struck gold in the 52nd minute to give TFC the lead. Bernardeschi’s found the back of the net in back-to-back games. His goal was set up by club veteran Michael Bradley.

Matheus Rossetto opened his account netting his first career goal in 66 MLS matches, equalizing the match eight minutes later.

After the Five Stripes bagged their goal in the 60th minute, the rest of the match set the tone as both sides wanted to get a point and not lose a much needed result. Atlanta had the majority of the chances, directing 16 shots towards target versus Toronto’s four. The home side in the final five minutes had a few decent looks inside the box but couldn’t cash in on their opportunity.

Austin FC 1-0 CF Montreal

CF Montreal look poised to earn their first point of the campaign on the road inside Q2 Stadium, but Austin FC had other ideas. The 32-year-old striker Maximiliano Urruti put the dagger shot on the road side as his right footed shot in close range in the 88th minute was the difference maker,.

CF Montreal for the second straight season, start the campaign off with two straight defeats. This was also the second match in a row where CFMTL failed to register a goal as they were shutout against Inter Miami last weekend.

Rookie goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois was the bright spot for the club in their defeat. The 21-year-old from Canada deserved a result for the performance he put on, registering four saves total, of which two were inside the box, giving Montreal a chance to walk away with a much needed point.

Vancouver Whitecaps 1-2 San Jose Earthquakes

It was a case of deja vu for the Whitecaps. The Caps took the lead and looked like the better side in the first half and looked like a different side in the second half, the complete same script from their loss to Real Salt Lake last weekend.

Alessandro Schöpf gave the away side an early lead in the 19th minute, which happened to be the Austrian International’s first ever goal in MLS. His goal was set up by Julian Gressel, who has provided the assists in Vancouver’s two goals so far this season.

Once the second half kicked, off you could feel the home side was gaining momentum and was only a matter of time before their shots towards target would go in. The Quakes finally broke through in the 68th minute as Jeremy Ebobisse got the equalizer from a set-piece header. Carlos Akapo in the 77th completed the comeback for San Jose to help give them their first win in 2023.

Upcoming MLS dates

On Saturday, March 11, all three Canadian clubs will be in action again. Toronto FC will host the Columbus Crew, CF Montreal travel to Nashville while the Vancouver Whitecaps play host to FC Dallas.