Just the thought of corner kicks will give Impact supporters nightmares throughout their offseason. All three TFC goals in regulation time of the second leg came off of corners that Montreal couldn't deal with.

This teams goes from “off” to “on” so often, it’s like the soccer version of a strobe light. It’s not as if this team goes from good to bad from game to game; you see the Jekyll-and-Hyde transformations at least a few times per game.

He would not be the only Impact player sent off. Montreal would have only eight men left when the final whistle blew.

Reluctant to rotate his personnel for the bulk of the season, Impact head coach Marco Schallibaum, prompted by injuries and suspensions to his regulars, fielded a squad that read like a reserve side, starting Evan Bush in goal, putting three youthful academy products on the back line and adding another couple to his bench.

“We saw fresh legs tonight, good movement and, in the end, it was a big victory for us,” Biello said after the match. “I think we played well defensively. We were very compact and were able to counter-attack several times. We saw a little of everything."

Challenging to the very end, Montreal’s last attempt came on a set play in the third of four minutes of added time. Romero’s cross sailed into the six-metre box and was met by Matteo Ferrari. The Italian central defender headed it towards the inside of the near post, picking a spot that was defended by five-foot-eight, 146-pound Rolfe rather than Johnson, a six-foot-three, 217-pounder.

“We had to do what was best for our club. We’ve played three games in eight days,” Watson said before mentioning that the lineup Schallibaum sent out came as a bit of a surprise. "We didn’t expect them to field their A-team.”

“I come to MLS to stay in MLS, not to go back to Europe because I think MLS is going to be amazing and in a few years it will be a top league,” Lopez Rodriguez said. “I’m looking forward to staying here and to belong to that period to become one of the best leagues in the world.”

That’s not to blame Payne for the Forlan mess. The sexy DP is a key part of the strategy of Maple Leaf Sports and President Tim Leiweke, who is quickly finding that selling star players on the notion of coming to a last-place team in Canada isn’t quite as easy as selling them on the rock-star lifestyle of Los Angeles. Let’s face it, Cherry Beach ain’t the Santa Monica Pier.