TORONTO - The pressure continues to grow on the Montreal Impact. Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney, however, was able to breath a sign of relief Saturday.

Toronto defeated the slumping Impact 2-1 before a BMO Field sellout of 30,266 to bolster its playoff position in the crowded Eastern Conference.

The loss cost Impact coach Frank Klopas his job. Less than seven hours after the final whistle, Montreal announced Mauro Biello was taking over as interim head coach.

Toronto (11-10-4) started the day in fourth, six points ahead of Montreal which was in the last playoff spot in sixth — with four teams breathing down its neck.

The Impact loss, coupled with an Orlando tie, dropped Montreal to seventh.

Winless in four league games, Montreal (8-11-5) has picked up just 11 points out of a possible 33 in its last 11 outings — a 3-6-2 stretch that started with a 3-1 loss in Toronto on June 24.

It was the third loss in a week for the travel-weary Impact, beaten midweek in Vancouver in the Amway Canadian Championship final.

"Every game becomes critical now," said Klopas.

Not for him any more.

Toronto has outscored the opposition 7-1 in posting its first back-to-back victories since a three-game win streak ended June 20. That was a dozen games ago.

"A great three points," said Toronto captain Michael Bradley, who scored the opening goal in the 35th minute and was a driving force on the pitch. "In some ways I didn't think it was our best afternoon, just in terms of the sharpness and the performance, but you have to know how to win these kind of games."

Added Vanney: "In an important moment like this, where we needed the three points to separate ourselves from a group that is chasing us, they dug deep and they pulled out the three points in a critical moment. So I'm proud of them for that."

Jozy Altidore, with his third goal in two games off the bench, scored the winner in the 55th minute. Former Toronto striker Dominic Oduro, who could have had a hat trick on the day, collected a consolation goal for Montreal in the 74th minute.

The 11 wins tie a franchise record for Toronto, which went 11-15-8 last season. It has nine games left — including seven at home — in its bid for a first-ever playoff berth.

Toronto's 44 goals this season also ties a club record.

Montreal, already without star striker Didier Drogba (toe) and playmaker Ignacio Piatti (calf), will have to play its next three games without Laurent Ciman.

The influential defender, who was one yellow card away from a suspension, was sent off in the 77th minute after receiving a second yellow. Combine that with his Belgium national team duty and he will miss the next three Impact games.

"Sorry for my match tonight. Not up to standard. I will work hard to get back to the top," Ciman tweeted in French.

Klopas tried to see positives.

"We went down a man and I still felt with 10 guys we were the better team," he said. "We pushed the game, we found a way to get one goal and we kept pushing. The team showed a lot of character. I was proud of the group."

Klopas was concerned coming into the game about where goals might come from. He was proved right when the Impact flubbed several early chances.

"Piatti's a guy definitely that we miss because he's another guy on the field who can score, but can also create. And he takes a lot of pressure off certain guys," he said. "And obviously when you have a guy like Didier, I mean he's a threat as long as he plays."

Toronto got the win despite having to take off midfielder Benoit Cheyrou (ankle) in the 33rd minute, fullback Daniel Lovitz (heel) at the half and Italian star Sebastian Giovinco (adductor) in the 51st minute.

None of the injuries was deemed serious with Vanney saying Giovinco still planned to join the Italian national team for a pair of Euro 2016 qualifying games. Giovinco had been feeling soreness earlier in the week.

Oduro almost dribbled into a prone Cheyrou when the Frenchman went down, prompting Toronto's Collen Warner to hack down the Impact forward to end the play. Warner was yellow-carded.

Saturday's game seemed to turn after Altidore came in for Cheyrou. Suddenly Montreal was being pulled in several directions and Toronto had more space to play with.

Toronto started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Giovinco up top. The Italian star was well marshalled, with Montreal players bodying the five-foot-four 135-pounder whenever they could

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