Impact vow to return in '17 after heartbreaking loss to TFC

There are two sides to every sporting fairy tale, and for the Montreal Impact, a rainy Wednesday night at BMO Field spelled only agony at the hands of the club's most bitter rival, Toronto FC.

As these two foes squared off over two legs in the Eastern Conference Championship, the Impact endured a roller coaster of emotions, going up 3-0 in the first leg before conceding a bevy of goals in a series that ultimately ended 7-5 in Toronto's favour.

For Montreal head coach Mauro Biello, few silver linings help ease that pain.

"It is tough," Biello told reporters after the match. "I look at even the game in Montreal, we had that lead and you let that second goal slip. We could score two goals here and we were close, we were right there. They found a way with those two set pieces at the end, to get those goals.

"In the end it was the difference, in us going home and them going in the MLS Cup final."

Impact captain Patrice Bernier has been dreaming of this series since he was a child. He said as much in the build-up to the first leg, and told reporters after the match that the team must regroup and focus on 2017.

"Mauro spoke and the (club) president spoke and it's tough," Bernier said. "You know when you're here you think that you can go all the way. Any team that gets this far thinks they can get through so it's just sad for this team as we've had a lot of adversity and nobody said we'd get this far.

"We did better than last year and this club will be back here again."

In the end, Toronto FC became the first Canadian team to contest for the MLS Cup, and while Montreal would've certainly liked another crack at a major title - the Impact made the CONCACAF Champions League final in 2015 - Biello finds solace in the grander scope.

"In the end, there are many young soccer players watching these games and feeling the emotions of a game like that is something that stays with you and grows with you," Biello said. "I think that can only help soccer in this country."