On Tuesday afternoon, 24 hours prior to the Impact taking on DC United, there was a renewed sense of optimism around the Montreal Impact. Fresh off their best run of the season (which included winning the Canadian Championship) the Impact announced that MLS Commissioner Don Garber would be in Montreal on Wednesday for a press conference. Immediately, speculation spread like wildfire that the next DP (Ignacio Piatti) would be announced, or that Montreal would be given an upcoming MLS All Star game. There was no Piatti, no official announcement of an all star game, and if Mr. Garber was hoping to see a good game, he was in the wrong place on Wednesday night.
The Start, the Bad, and the Ugly
On a cold, windy, rainy night at Stade Saputo manager Frank Klopas decided to abandon the 4-4-2 formation, which had granted them success of late, and opted for a 4-2-3-1. With Marco Di Vaio only “80 percent fit”, Klopas did not want to risk further injury, and has yet to find trust in Santiago González. Klopas also chose to stick with Heath Pearce and Wandrille Lefèvre as the central defensive pairing, a decision he would certainly rue by halftime.
The first half saw 6 goals in total and DC United take a 4-2 lead into the break. Luis Silva was able to score the easiest hat trick of his life, and any confidence the Impact had built up over the last two weeks had been pulverized. The only positive was 10 minutes of attacking the Impact were able to put together, after DC United opened the scoring. Jack McInerney and Andrés Romero were able to continue their good form and scored the two goals for Montreal. With the defending for both teams resembling swiss cheese, the referee decided to award a dubious penalty shot to DC United in injury time of the first half, effectively killing off the match.
The second half started oddly as the Ultras packed up and left the Kop, after three of their members had been ejected from the ground. With Stade Saputo now quieter than a morgue, the Impact were able to generate very little. Montreal was awarded a penalty in midway through the second half, however Patrice Bernier hit the post and the Impact limped towards the 4-2 defeat. DC United were able to improve their defending in the second half and shut down Marco Di Vaio who came on as a sub.
Jeb Brovsky Trade
The Impact remain in last place in the MLS going into the World Cup break with little reason for optimism. To hammer this fact home, Montreal traded fan favourite Jeb Brovsky to New York City FC on Friday for a 2016 draft pick. Brovsky’s impact will be felt both on and off the pitch, as he was very involved in the local community.
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