Toronto FC (3W-7L-4T, 13 points) recorded an emphatic 6 – 1 victory in their Rivalry Week matchup against CF Montréal (1W-9L-4T, 7 points) at Stade Saputo in Montréal, Québec on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of braces from Federico Bernardeschi and Theo Corbeanu with goals from Tyrese Spicer, Ola Brynhildsen and Theo Corbeanu.
TFC Head Coach Robin Fraser made three changes to the side that fell short against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday with Raoul Petretta, Alonso Coello and Theo Corbeanu making way for Lazar Stefanovic, Maxime Dominguez and Tyrese Spicer.
Toronto FC took an early lead at the home of their arch-rivals when Tyrese Spicer’s electric run down the left wing culminated in a clinical, side-footed finish past Montréal goalkeeper Sébastian Breza.
The 14th minute strike was the Trinidad and Tobago international’s first goal of the 2025 MLS campaign and marked Norwegian forward Ola Brynhildsen’s first assist for the club.
Seven minutes later, CF Montréal were reduced to 10 men when defender Joel Waterman was shown a straight red card for a last man challenge on Ola Brynhildsen.
The Reds wasted no time in asserting authority and capitalizing on their numerical advantage, scoring a pair of quick-fire goals to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the first half.
First, Federico Bernardeschi latched onto Deybi Flores’ slipped pass, created space and unleashed a powerful right-footed strike to double Toronto’s advantage.
The 30th minute goal was the Italian winger’s fifth goal contribution of the 2025 MLS season and also marked the Honduran midfielder’s first assist of the campaign.
Toronto FC added a third goal three minutes later, when Bernardeschi and Maxime Dominguez combined to set up Ola Brynhildsen for a close-range finish.
The 33rd minute goal marked a pair of firsts – Norwegian forward Ola Brynhildsen’s first goal for TFC and Swiss midfielder Maxime Dominguez’s first first assist for his new club.
TFC came within inches of adding a fourth goal before the half-time whistle, as Italian playmaker Lorenzo Insigne saw his powerful effort crash off the crossbar in stoppage time, following an inch-perfect trivela set-up from compatriot Bernardeschi.
Ten minutes into the restart, the Italian duo combined again – this time with better results. On the play, Bernardeschi collected Insigne’s pass and unleashed an unstoppable strike from outside of the box.
The 55th minute goal marked Bernardeschi’s third brace since joining Toronto FC, having previously scored twice against CF Montréal in August 2023 and FC Dallas in May 2024.
The hosts pulled one back in the 64th minute when Albanian striker Giacomo Vrioni tapped home from former Red Luca Petrasso’s low cross into the box.
The Reds, however, responded instantly. Theo Corbeanu, celebrating his 23rd birthday, added the Reds’ fifth of the afternoon with a driven left-footed strike moments after entering the pitch.
The 66th minute effort marked Theo Corbeanu’s fifth goal contribution of the 2025 campaign, after joining Toronto FC earlier in the year.
Toronto FC added a sixth and final goal on the wet Saturday afternoon when substitute Theo Corbeanu ran onto Federico Bernardeschi’s slipped pass and executed a perfectly timed chip over keeper Sébastian Breza to complete the historic victory.
The stoppage-time goal marked Corbeanu’s first brace for the club and Bernardeschi’s fourth goal contribution of the afternoon, sealing the Reds’ emphatic 6-1 rout of arch-rivals CF Montréal.
Robin Fraser’s Toronto FC side cemented their place in history by scoring six goals for the first time in an MLS regular season match during the latest edition of the ‘401 Derby,’ recording their third consecutive MLS victory over the Bleu-blanc-noir.
Up next, Toronto FC return home to host Nashville SC on Saturday, May 24. Kick-off from BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and on TSN3 in Canada.
LINEUPS
CF MONTRÉAL – Sébastian Breza; Dawid Bugaj, Joel Waterman, Jalen Neal (Brandan Craig 58’), Luca Petrasso (Prince Owusu 76’); Dante Sealy, Nathan Saliba (Aleksandr Guboglo 46’), Samuel Piette (C), Tom Pearce (Fernando Álvarez 34’); Caden Clark (Victor Loturi 34’), Giacomo Vrioni
Substitutes Not Used: Jonathan Sirois, Kwadwo Opoku, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, Owen Graham Roache
TORONTO FC – Sean Johnson; Kosi Thompson (Henry Wingo 80’), Sigurd Rosted, Kevin Long (Zane Monlouis 46’), Lazar Stefanovic; Maxime Dominguez, Deybi Flores, Lorenzo Insigne (Matty Longstaff 70’); Federico Bernardeschi (C), Tyrese Spicer (Theo Corbeanu 62’), Ola Brynhildsen (Derrick Etienne Jr. 62’)
Substitutes Not Used: Luka Gavran, Alonso Coello, Charlie Sharp
MEDIA NOTES
- Lazar Stefanovic started his first MLS match for Toronto FC.
- Federico Bernardeschi scored his third brace for Toronto FC.
- Bernardeschi recorded four goal contributions (2 goals, 2 assists) for the first time in his career with Toronto FC.
- Ola Brynhildsen scored his first goal and registered his first assist for TFC.
- Maxime Dominguez registered his first assist for Toronto FC.
- Theo Corbeanu scored his first brace for Toronto FC.
- Toronto FC scored six goals in an MLS match for the first time in club history and the most since scoring five against CF Montréal on May 18, 2024, at BMO Field.
