On Monday, new men’s national-team coach John Herdman and his newly hired assistant, Mauro Biello, were talking about systems and structure.

To call the Impact head-coach job a poisoned chalice would be an understatement. Basically, the day you get hired, you get a cyanide capsule. 

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.

But you could have started a drinking game with the media involved in Monday’s conference call — they had to drink every time TFC coach Greg Vanney said that he respected the Impact.

At the 67-minute mark, the score was 3-0 for the Impact, the Big O was rocking, and it was looking like the second leg at BMO Field was going to be nothing but a formality — a wake by the lake

“We expect a very defensive game on their part, and we’ll get ready for that,” Giovinco said through an interpreter as part of an MLS conference call previewing the conference final.

Even the most seasoned soccer prognosticator would look at the Montreal Impact and say “no way can I figure this team out.”

And, in Montreal’s playoff match against their 401 rivals, Bernier was called upon to start. And, he stomped all over the hearts of Toronto FC fans.

With NASL having a shorter schedule than MLS, this was basically a catch-up week for the second division, which gives us a better idea on how NASL teams rank against the MLS sides when it comes to giving first-team minutes to Canadian players. And, we see Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio fall out of top spot in the Canadian minutes-played ranks. Atlanta’s Kyle Porter retakes the lead.

Cyle Larin went into this weekend's action knowing he just needed one goal to set the MLS rookie-scoring record.