Nothing sweeter than a derby day victory.

Toronto FC defeated CF Montréal 1-0 on Saturday night at Stade Saputo with Richie Laryea scoring the game’s only goal in the 38th minute.

Laryea, playing his second match since returning from Canada’s epic run at Copa América, arrived at the back-post to cap off an incisive move that saw TFC captain and fellow Canadian international Jonathan Osorio play Federico Bernardeschi down the right side. He cut in-field before laying a reverse ball down the side of the box for Lorenzo Insigne, who spotted Laryea arriving at the back side for a sliding finish.

Both teams had chances in the second half – Bernardeschi ripped a shot just over the bar after cutting in from the flank and Matías Cóccaro redirected a Bryce Duke ball onto the bar while Josef Martínez put one over from close range in the penultimate minute of the 90 – but Laryea’s tally would prove decisive.

“There was a maturity in the performance tonight,” said John Herdman post-match. “We had, particularly in the first half, spells where the team found a good rhythm and you can see with the depth we've got, we can manage games. That's the exciting thing.”

“Players knew, coming in at half-time, it was about doing whatever it took to get the result. Collectively it was a real team performance. There wasn’t one man I could single out that I could say he was brilliant tonight,” he continued. “That's the tightest I've seen the group and they maintained a clarity right till the end.”

Said the goalscorer: “Playing away against rivals is always tough, we had a good game plan, we executed it well. When we were on the ropes in some moments, we dealt with it really well.”

“It was a positive performance as a team, a very solid away win,” he added. “We just have to kick on from here on out. This is just the beginning. We can't get too high on this result, we need to keep going now.”

It was Toronto’s second win in three matches.

Having fallen 3-1 to Inter Miami CF midweek, the side started brightly. There was an intensity to their play, the ball movement was sharper, more incisive.

“We knew this was a tough place to come,” explained Herdman. “We knew [Montréal] had to win. We knew they wanted revenge, redemption, all of those things. We controlled that first 25, 30 minutes of the game; that was important for us.”

“And then we didn't let it get away from us,” he continued. “They had some good moments, there’s no doubt. We just didn't let the game get away from us. Even when they had spells of possession, we had good control.”

In important matches big players need to step up. On the field together for just the third time this season, all four of Osorio, Bernardeschi, Insigne, and Laryea combined to provide the breakthrough.

“Fede [Bernardeschi] did very well to dribble in, beat his guy. Lorenzo makes a really good run in behind and Fede finds him,” recounted Laryea. “As soon as Lorenzo had the ball, I made for the back-post, threw myself at the ball, and scored. It was good.”

Playing as the left-sided wing-back, Laryea “was a threat” all night, according to Herdman.

“Seeing him and Lorenzo on the left side. Richie was, similar to what Tyrese Spicer was doing for Lorenzo, stretching the lines and opening spaces. That commitment,” he continued. “We talked about scoring on the back-post, that’s something we’ve been really pushing. That's what DPs do for teams.”

The opposite side full-back attacking the back-post is a point of emphasis for Toronto.

“That's one of our key patterns and when [DPs] combine you're expecting good things to happen,” Herdman added. “We know we've got the quality to win matches.”

It was a chippy night that risked boiling over on occasion: the teams combined for 30 fouls and 4 yellow cards.

“We expected that. We wanted that. It was important,” said Herdman. “The game in Miami, we were solid, then we just lost the fight for a period, which cost us the game.”

“I don’t think the guys pulled out of the fight tonight. They stayed tight,” he continued. “I'm proud of them and happy for the fans – the fans needed that. That's the double this year, which is a big step for us.”

TFC were committed to winning the individual battles, forcing more of the little moments that decide the day to fall in their favour, whether it was Raoul Petretta and Kosi Thompson lunging to get a vital block in, Bernardeschi tracking back to win a defensive header at the back-post, Sean Johnson getting his fingertips to a dangerous cross, or Nicksoen Gomis doing applying enough pressure to complicate the finish on a potential equalizer.

“It was a commitment to do those little things that absolutely make the difference,” underlined Herdman. “That was what we worked on in training, that's what we discussed in the meetings, just that level of concentration, focus, discipline in our defending.”

“We were a little bit soft against Miami,” he continued. “We'd done so well in that game and tonight there was a commitment – the lads made that commitment to do it in both boxes. Whatever chance we got, we were looking to take. Richie did that. And then we would deny with everything we had. Even the Martínez miss at the end, Nicksoen never gave up – he was battling with him, making sure that he couldn't get a real clean contact.”

“It was a workman-like performance, a real professional performance there,” Herdman credited. “It was solid.”

Added Laryea: “Very professional on both sides of the ball, today.”

“Defensively, last game we were very good on the ball, especially in the first half against Miami and we fell asleep on a few plays. I said to the group that the first goal I could have done much better and maybe it’s a different game,” he continued. “Laser focus from there, we really harked on defensively being very good today and for the rest of the season. It paid off today. We just have to keep trucking in this direction.”

With the three points, Toronto maintained their grip on a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. MLS action now pauses for the Leagues Cup until August 24 with a trip to the Houston Dynamo. When play resumes, TFC will have eight games left.

“Double over Montreal, very positive,” said Laryea. “We needed that, especially in the moment that we’re in as a club. It's a morale booster, but we have to narrow back down as soon as tomorrow comes in, start looking forward to the next game and building on it.”

“Going into Leagues Cup with a win is a very positive result,” he added. “It brings a better feeling within the group leading into the match.”

Toronto will face the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena next Saturday in their Leagues Cup opener and then host CF Pachuca, who defeated the Columbus Crew earlier this year to lift the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, at BMO Field on Sunday, August 4.

Then, after the trip to Houston, the second leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal against Forge FC is set for August 27 in Toronto.

“We've got three trophies to play for,” said Herdman of the road ahead. “This team are confident that if we get on a run, they'll deliver – it's about getting on that run and this step tonight was a big one.”

“The beauty is we get a break,” he continued. “I don't mean a break as in we're going to take a holiday, but we've been back-to-back-to-back games and you can see a couple of lads tonight, they started to be on fumes in the last 10 minutes of that first half. We need this break, we need a physical break, we need a reset in terms of being able to get people back down off that red-line for a minute.”

“The Leagues Cup is something exciting to play for,” he closed. “We’ve got the Red Bulls, who we had a tough match against, and obviously the champions, [Pachuca]. That'll be in Toronto, exciting for our fans.”