As if the most intense rivalry in Major League Soccer needed even bigger stakes.
Through a quirk in MLS scheduling, arch rivals Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact will face each other three times over the remainder of the regular season. The games will kick off the latest round of the so-called "401 Derby" between the two teams — a rivalry that has quickly become among the best in the league.
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Recent meetings include last year's epic MLS Eastern Conference final, a 7-5 result for TFC which required an extra 30 minutes to decide despite it being a two-game aggregate series. This year's Canadian Championship final, also a two-legged affair, nearly brought BMO Field down with Sebastian Giovinco's stoppage-time winner.
It's fair to say that there is always a little bit extra on the line whenever Montreal and Toronto meet up.
That will definitely be the case over the next seven weeks, with the three meetings between the two sides shaping up to carry a lot more weight than any run-of-the-mill regular season matches.
With three games left vs. one another, it's fair to say #IMFC and #TFC hold each other's respective fates in their hands. #MTLvTOR #401Derby pic.twitter.com/sIurQWgnf4
— Rudi Schuller (@RudiSchuller) August 25, 2017
TFC has just eight games remaining on its schedule, and each passing contest represents another step toward the Supporters' Shield as the top team in the regular season. It's a long-stated goal of Toronto's to claim that particular piece of silverware, and the team is well on the way to doing so in potentially historic fashion.
At its current pace, TFC would finish the campaign with 69 points. That would be good enough not only for the Supporters' Shield, but also for the all-time single-season points record in MLS (currently held by the 1998 LA Galaxy, who had 68 points).
For a team that has gone on record as wanting to win everything available to it, three games of the final eight against its arch rival — which always plays TFC tough regardless of either team's form — is not the best of scenarios for Toronto.
MORE: Toronto FC inches closer to Supporters' Shield
The same could be said for the Impact, who are currently riding the playoff line in sixth place thanks to a four-game winning streak. Montreal has played two fewer games (24) than TFC, and the Quebec side has games in hand on several of the other teams in the Eastern Conference, but with 30 percent of the remaining games against a team chasing history the extra matches could be more of a curse than a gift.
Clearly, both sides have reason to be wary.
"There are only three [MLS] teams in Canada, and the proximity of our two teams obviously makes it interesting," TFC head coach Greg Vanney said to TSN of the rivalry. "Probably the most important of all of it, that just builds on the rivalry, is the way the games have gone the last couple of years and how dramatic they've been. Between us each team has had their moment so it's just becoming more and more intriguing."
Indeed, while TFC has had the upper hand in the most recent editions of the 401 Derby, the Impact can lay clam to some big victories as well. The difference here is that these upcoming games — starting Sunday at Stade Saputo — are part of a stretch run rather than a knockout-style competition, which could lead to a unique series of matches as both sides continue to pursue their respective goals (while simultaneously trying to hinder the opposition from reaching its goals).
"I think a lot of eyes are on this [rivalry]," Vanney said. "It's two good teams and there's still a lot riding on this game [on Sunday] as we try to solidify our position at the top, and Montreal's on a good run and they're trying to solidify their spot in the playoffs."