Toronto FC regroup, refocus for 1st-ever playoff match against Montreal

Toronto FC won't spend too much time focusing on Sunday night's 2-1 loss to rivals Montreal Impact. In fact, with a rematch planned on Thursday, the team won't really have much time to linger on it in the first place.

The Reds will remain in Montreal after being seeded against the Impact in the wild-card playoff game on Thursday night. A win would secure progression in the playoffs and also give Toronto a franchise-first home playoff game.

TFC striker Jozy Altidore is certainly raring to go, after finding the back of the net for his 13th goal of the season Sunday. However, Altidore watched helplessly as Didier Drogba notched two of his own for Montreal, and he is now urging defensive caution for the next encounter with the Impact.

"We gave up two soft goals when you look at them," Altidore said, according to a press release. "That's what happens when you have a player of that caliber in Drogba. To his credit, they were great finishes, but it was far too easy for him."

Toronto FC enters its first-ever MLS postseason after missing out on the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons since its inception in 2007. Toronto finished sixth overall in the Eastern Conference with 49 points. It's not a home game, but the Reds can take some solace in knowing that their first playoff game is against a familiar foe in Montreal.

"Tonight was an example of how playoff games are," Altidore continued. "It was a good dry run for us because we get the same opponent now on Thursday. We can't switch off at this level. You have to make sure you're on your toes."

"We've seen what they got now and they've seen us too, it goes both ways," midfielder Jonathan Osorio added. "We're confident that we can come here and get a result."

TFC head coach Greg Vanney now faces his biggest test yet as he prepares and plans for yet another 401 Derby match. Having seen what Montreal has to offer, he's already formulating his strategy to secure a win on Thursday night.

"I think we can't become a passive team where we're sitting deep in our half, especially against their team," Vanney explained. "We still need to get pressure on their central midfielders and we still need to be accountable to the guys that get up the flanks.

"We were not doing a good job of getting pressure on their midfielders who were spraying the ball around the field. I thought we were a little bit narrow across our back four, so they were able to find wide guys and open us up."

Regardless of the result, one milestone will be achieved at the end of this fixture: a Canadian team will win its first-ever playoff game, as both the Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps have yet to find a win in their previous MLS postseason appearances.