Impact embarrass Toronto FC 3-0 in MLS Cup playoff matchup

By the time Didier Drogba struck for the 12th time in 12 games in the 39th minute Thursday, the Montreal Impact were already well on their way to an emphatic victory over Toronto FC

First-half goals from Drogba, Patrice Bernier, and Ignacio Piatti lifted Montreal to an easy 3-0 win against their rival at Stade Saputo in the Eastern Conference knockout round of the MLS Cup playoffs.

The Impact advance to the semifinals to face the Columbus Crew. The first game of the two-legged showdown is Sunday in Montreal and the second leg is set for Nov. 8 in Columbus.

It was a frustrating night from the start for TFC and star Sebastian Giovinco, as Bernier opened the scoring in the 18th minute and Piatti made it 2-0 in the 33rd. Toronto was outplayed in every aspect of the game in the first playoff action in the franchise's nine-year history and their biggest weakness, a soft defence, was once again a significant problem: Montreal's three goals came off TFC mistakes.

"First congratulations to Montreal," said TFC coach Greg Vanney. "I thought they outcompeted us, especially in the first half. I thought we were tentative, we were a little bit hesitant to close people down, to get tight to people. We were second to loose balls. And we made some poor decisions defensively."

Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush was not tested often, but he was good when called upon, making a diving one-handed stop on a well-taken Giovinco free kick early in the second half. That was as close as the Reds would come and Piatti almost made it 4-0 late, but his shot hit the post.

The result was especially gratifying for longtime captain Bernier, who at 36 has had a bit of a career renaissance since Mauro Biello replaced Frank Klopas as Montreal head coach back in August. Bernier was subbed off in the 76th minute and received a standing ovation from the home fans.

"It was against Toronto and it was a do-or-die game," said Bernier "I like to play these games. They don't come that often, so I just tried to do the best I could.

"The support has been tremendous for me every time I go on the pitch from the fans. I guess I owed them at least one good game at home."

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr