Montreal Impact coach Marco Schällibaum suspended vs. TFC

Montreal Impact head into tonight’s MLS match against the rival Toronto FC without their head coach Marco Schällibaum and assistant coach Philippe Eullaffroy. Schällibaum received a one-match suspension for stepping onto the player’s field in last weekend’s 4-3 home loss to Colorado. Eullaffroy was also handed a one-game ban for throwing a ball in the direction of Rapids midfielder Tony Cascio.

“Marco had no bad intentions towards the referee or the players from the other team,” Impact sporting director Nick De Santis told reporters. “We were really surprised to learn about the suspension as he was not ejected from the game, nor sanctioned by the referee. We tried to appeal the suspension, but unfortunately the rule is quite clear. You cannot step onto the pitch, even if the distance from the coach’s box to the touchline is very short at Stade Saputo.”

That was the first game the Impact lost at home all year and they’re looking to get back in the winning column tonight as they head to BMO Field. That’s not going to be easy against the Reds, who will be looking for revenge after a 6-0 loss to the Impact in Montreal earlier this season.

“It’ll be tough in Toronto,” Schällibaum told reporters earlier this week. “They’ll want to hurt us. They haven’t forgotten.”

Meanwhile, Toronto FC head coach Ryan Nelsen didn’t escape last week without word from the league either. He and TFC were fined an undisclosed sum for violating the MLS’s “mass confrontation policy” during a 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake. More concerned about the task at hand, Neslen isn’t worried about how his side will respond following the 6-0 blowout loss to Montreal earlier this year.

“We had a very young team out, a very inexperienced team,” Nelsen said. “We just got caught on counters. It can happen to the best teams.”

Toronto sits second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference at 2-8-6 while managing just 14 goals this season. Montreal is top of the table at 9-4-2 with 27 goals for. Toronto did make a couple roster moves this week in acquiring Michael Thomas from Sporting Kansas City for a second-round pick and also signing Scottish international defender Steven Caldwell at the end of his loan agreement.

Sports Interaction’s MLS betting odds have Montreal as a +139 favourite against Toronto (+174). The draw is priced at +235 and the total sits at 2.5.