With still six games to go in the regular season, the Montreal Impact is well positioned in the MLS Cup playoff race. With a five-point cushion on the seventh placed team – and with a game in hand on New England Revolution, its next opponent – and a four-point lead over Orlando City in sixth, the Bleu-blanc-noir can look up in the standings and aim for a top four finish which would give the team the advantage of playing the knockout game at home. Philadelphia Union, last weekend’s opponent, is notably only three points in front of Montreal who hold a game in hand.
The point won in Philly on Saturday night allowed the Impact to breathe a little, thanks to favourable results across the Eastern Association: Orlando and New York City FC lost, while D.C. United stole a draw at Red Bull Stadium in stoppage time. Only the Revs got closer to IMFC by beating New York City, but are still five steps behind.
The Impact’s favourable spot in the standings comes mostly from a fine road record (3-4-7, 16 points, tying the club record), but also from a low number of defeats: the eight losses are the lowest total in the East with Toronto and Orlando. Only the LA Galaxy (4) and the Colorado Rapids (5) were beaten less often in MLS. Sure, home results were mixed, but the Bleu-blanc-noir still has three games at Stade Saputo to iron that wrinkle. More consistency in the last stretch of the season would certainly be beneficial.
“It’s been a little bit our identity all year to be able to fight back and be a team that doesn’t give up, especially on the road,” said head coach Mauro Biello, after Saturday’s game. “At home, we’ve been a little bit more unlucky. But for the most part this season, we’ve been able to come back in games even when we’re down. It think that’s an important quality to have. We have some important games at home and we need to find rhythm to be ready to get into the playoffs. I know we’ve gotta take care of business now at home. If we’re able to do that, I think we’ll be able to move up in the standings.”
