It was certainly an entertaining weekend to be following Canada's MLS sides, with the Canadian Classique living up to the billing, and creating some viral scenes on social media.

Meanwhile, out West, a resilient Whitecaps performance saw them clinch a playoff spot and remain atop the Conference for another week.

Here are a few things that stood out about both matches.

Still alive

For about 90 minutes, it seemed like an abject failure for Toronto.

Needing nothing less than three points to cling to any faint hopes of the playoffs, beating their biggest rivals at home in the derby was an absolute must.

Throughout the allotted time of the game, it felt like nothing was coming. The same problems that have plagued this team all season long were at the forefront again, from the lack of offensive innovation in possession, to the inability to progress the ball through midfield, to the killing of transitional moments due to poor decision-making.

But sometimes moments in the derby are just bigger. In stoppage time, a beautiful cross from Niklas Dorsch arrived right on the foot of substitute Lewis Morgan at the back post, who fired a volley into the top corner. 

Then, just moments later, with Montréal pushed high up the pitch trying to find their winner again, the right decisions were finally made in transition. Đorđe Mihailović played a ball inside which opened up a ton of space, Richie Laryea drove forward and played it wide to Theo Corbeanu, who fizzed it to the back post for Mihailović to tap home, completing an unforgettable comeback and sending BMO Field into raptures.

Robin Fraser has been criticized a ton this year – usually rightfully so – but to his credit, it was his two outfield substitutes who found the goals in this one, and potentially changed the fortunes of Toronto's season. 

Looking at the table now, TFC sit on 32 points and 11th in the Conference, four points back of the ninth and final wild card spot with six games to go.

Each of the club's next four opponents – Orlando (7th, 36pts), Red Bull New York (8th, 36pts), Columbus (13th, 29pts) and DC (12th, 30pts) – are all right in the mix for the final few playoff spots in the East. 

It's stating the obvious, but the entire season rests on this next stretch.

Capitulation

Montréal, after a poor run of form in the league, are no longer in that mix for the final playoff spot. They wouldn't have been even if they won on Saturday. 

But when you take a lead into stoppage time at your biggest rivals' home, with the opportunity to potentially spoil their season, blowing it in this fashion is an embarrassment.

The mentality from the players on the pitch on both goals was frankly quite shocking. The entire back line switches off on the equalizer, failing to react to a quick throw-in. Because of this, Morgan is totally unmarked as he ghosts to that back post, and has all the space in the world to pick out his finish.

The winner is even worse. When the ball reaches the halfway line, there are only three Impact defenders anywhere near the ball. Where is everyone? From there, Neal makes a risky and poorly timed step up to try and stop the ball, and it becomes a three-on-two, which creates the goal.

These defensive lapses have cost Montréal all season, and now more bad decisions sink them to the bottom of the East. There is only one game left that actually matters for this club in 2026, and it's the Canadian Championship final. But this loss will sting even more if it's what ends up being the tipping point for their rivals to get back into the playoffs.

Masterclass down a man

If you simply put this following gamesheet on the table, you'd have no idea one team played down a man from the seventh minute onward.

The possession was 52-48% in favour of the visiting Whitecaps. They won the xG battle 1.20 to 1.12, were outshot 11-9 (4-3 on target), and created three big chances to LAFC's two. The final score was 1-1.

But that was exactly the case. A ball from Heung-Min Son through to speedy CanMNT winger Jacob Shaffelburg coincided with a miscommunication between Édier Ocampo and Tristan Blackmon. That forced the American centre-back to foul Shaffelburg, denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity and therefore bringing an early red card out of the pocket of Guido Gonzales Jr.

A side note, but in those DOGSO situations that early in the game, there's data that suggests it's actually better not to foul the attacker, allow him to score (or, if you're lucky, miss), and continue playing 11v11.

The argument is that it's more likely to come back from 1-0 down with so much time on the clock and even numbers on the pitch than it is to hold on to a result down a man for an extended period of time.

All that said, that idea didn't stop the 'Caps from putting in a stellar road performance, carrying the play at times and even finding the first goal through Oliver Larraz. The beauty of Jesper Sørensen's coaching and the mentality of this group is that they're always in it, and always looking to control the game. 

Even down a man, Vancouver executed this vision on Saturday, which officially earned them a trip back to the playoffs. The next step is to secure the top seed in the West, a feat that would be made much easier if they can manage to stop St. Louis City's 20-match unbeaten run Wednesday in a must-watch battle at BC Place.