Toronto FC 1-0 Montreal Impact: Reds tie MLS regular-season points record

Toronto FC tied the MLS regular-season points record by beating the Montreal Impact on Jozy Altidore’s first-half goal.

The Reds are now level with the 1998 LA Galaxy’s 68-point mark - and 12 points clear at the top of this season’s standings - with one game remaining before the playoffs begin.

Toronto’s defence was once again not as secure as has been the norm this season but the combination of the Impact’s poor finishing and some excellent Alex Bono saves saw them keep an unlikely clean sheet.

Altidore scored the decisive goal when Marky Delgado’s pass deflected fortuitously into the path of the striker, who made no mistake from inside the box.

The Impact had two excellent chances to level it before half-time. Bono stood up well to deny Matteo Mancosu after the wind guided the ball over the head of Drew Moor and then made amends for his own error, having spilled a Hernan Bernardello shot, to stop Mancosu from close range again.

They should have paid the price for those misses when Sebastian Giovinco was tripped in the box just before the break.

But despite getting two bites of the apple due to Maxime Crepeau advancing too far off his line, Giovinco put both shots against the same post.

Bono frustrated Mancosu again in the second half when Victor Cabrera’s deflected shot bounced off both posts and the goalkeeper pounced on the loose ball to take it off the Italian’s toe.

Toronto steadied the ship thereafter, though - with a move to a 4-4-2 diamond helping their ball movement considerably - and Giovinco should have doubled the lead after being played in on goal by Altidore.

As it was, the single-goal advantage held up to leave the Reds needing one point at Atlanta United to make outright history.