The Montreal Impact made life more difficult in its fight for a place in the MLS playoffs following a 3-1 loss against New York City FC on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium.
Posted on October 24, 2020 at 9:52 p.m.
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Jesus Medina, at 68e minute, Maximiliano Morales, about fifteen minutes later, and Tony Rocha at 87e minute, managed the goals of the NYCFC (9-8-3), which was deprived of five regular holders.
Romell Quioto scored the Impact’s only goal, his seventh this season, in a lost cause, at the 89e minute.
Following this setback, the Impact (7-11-2) remains in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Inter Miami CF (6-11-3), which surprised Orlando City SC more early Saturday, and ahead of the Chicago Fire (5-8-6).
For this match, Thierry Henry was able to find defender Luis Binks, who had missed last weekend’s game against Inter Miami CF due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Moreover, defender and captain Jukka Raitala was back from his stint with the Finland national team, although he did not find himself in the starting XI. Emanuel Maciel also started the game on the bench after an injury-related absence.
The Impact will take over on Tuesday for a game of great importance, against Nashville SC.
A less convincing start
During his videoconference on Friday, Thierry Henry said that the small size of the playing surface left him neither hot nor cold. The quality of the show during the first half probably left viewers with the same feeling. Especially those who encouraged Montreal training.
A week after offering an energetic and spectacular start against Miami, the Impact was not very active during the first twenty minutes of play, leaving its rivals to control the ball and take their place in the Montreal zone.
Goalkeeper James Pantemis had to make a nice save, using a dive to his left, on a quality shot from Gary Mackay-Steven, in the 18e minute of play.
After the half hour, we felt the Impact a little more dynamic, to the point of eroding possession time, which the NYCFC largely dominated.
Quioto served a good shot that New York goaltender Sean Johnson stopped, at the 31e minute.
About four minutes later, Bojan managed to lodge the ball in the opposing net after a precise cross from Amar Sejdic. The linesman, however, ruled that Bojan was offside.
The Montreal team got off to a good start in the first quarter of an hour of the second half and Quioto had two golden opportunities to break the tie 0-0.
At the first, at the 61e minute, his shot from close range, from the left flank, was stopped by Johnson before giving on the vertical rod. At the 64e minute, Quioto shot several meters over the horizontal bar, after a two-on-one push with Samuel Piette.
Some four minutes later, Medina didn’t miss her chance, hopping on a loose ball after an ineffective heel from Rudy Camacho.
Inserted in place of Camacho at the 73e minute, Maximiliano Urruti came very close to equaling the mark but his shot, released with a quick heel gesture, after a pass from Quioto, was blocked by Johnson.
The Impact collapsed in the next 15 minutes, and Morales and Rocha put an end to the Impact’s hopes in this game with two goals in four minutes.
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