Second consecutive win for Bleu-blanc-noir
SEATTLE, Washington – The Montreal Impact won a second consecutive game with a clean sheet, Saturday night at CenturyLink Field, beating the Seattle Sounders FC 1-0. For a second straight game, Jeisson Vargas, assisted by Nacho Piatti, was the lone scorer for Montreal.
“After battling the way we did, there was a lot of happiness and satisfaction in the locker room,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde, following the Impact’s first road win. “We played a good game and I really liked our first half. In the second, Seattle pushed hard, but we showed character and solidarity, especially against a team like the Sounders, it’s nice to get the win after the long trip.”
Three-man defense brings Bleu-blanc-noir smiles
Garde once again opted for the Víctor Cabrera, Rod Fanni and Jukka Raitala trio in central defense, the same men that had handled Toronto’s forwards just two weeks ago at Olympic Stadium. The three defenders continued their good work, allowing no shots on target in the first half.
In the 12th minute, Piatti, receiving the ball from Vargas in the final third, turned and beat defender Román Torres with a quick change of direction, but his shot was blocked by another defender.
Five minutes later, off a free kick just outside the box, Vargas’ attempt was spot on, but the goalkeeper Stefan Frei made a fingertip save to deny the young Chilean.
After 23 minutes, Nacho Piatti played his 10,000th minute with the Bleu-blanc-noir in all competitions. He became the 16th Impact player to reach the milestone.
Before the break, in the 40th minute, Sounders defender Kelvin Leeram was shown a red card due to a violent gesture following an altercation with defender Daniel Lovitz.
Using the man advantage
The visitors came out strong after the break, using the man advantage to instill their style of play and control the rhythm.
On the hour mark, Saphir Taïder pressed Seattle’s defense and recovered the ball deep in enemy territory. He gave the ball to Piatti with a backheel flick, and the Argentine dribbled past Chad Marshall before finding Vargas, alone on the penalty spot. He took a first-time shot and gave Montreal the lead.
“Given the difficult schedule on the road to start the season, these three points are very important,” said midfielder Saphir Taïder. “It wasn’t easy, but we were solid and patient. There’s work to do, but defensively we are solid.”
With a one-goal lead, Evan Bush was once again crucial between the posts, saving four shots, most notably in stoppage time following a set piece, to protect the shutout, his 25th in MLS.
“It’s satisfying to earn two straight shutouts, especially against last year’s other MLS Cup finalist,” said goalkeeper Evan Bush. “We had situations to handle in the second half, and I think we handled them with confidence.”
Upcoming games
The Impact will visit Gillette Stadium, next Friday night at 7pm for a game against the New England Revolution (TVA Sports, TSN, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690) before flying to the Big Apple, where the New York Red Bulls await the Bleu-blanc-noir on Saturday, April 14 at 1pm (TVA Sports, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690). Montreal will then come back to Stade Saputo for Los Angeles FC’s first visit on Saturday, April 21 at 1pm ((TVA Sports, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690 – TICKETS).
LINEUPS
MTL – G-Evan Bush; D-Chris Duvall, Víctor Cabrera, Rod Fanni, Jukka Raitala, Daniel Lovitz; M-Samuel Piette, Saphir Taïder, Ken Krolicki (Alejandro Silva 81’); A-Ignacio Piatti, Jeisson Vargas (Anthony Jackson-Hamel 72’)
Unused substitutes – Clément Diop, Rudy Camacho, Louis Béland-Goyette, Dominic Oduro, Raheem Edwards
SEA – G-Stefan Frei; D-Chad Marshall, Kelvin Leerdam, Román Torres, Waylon Francis (Nouhou Tolo 84’); M-Cristian Roldan, Gustav Svensson, Handwalla Bwana (Alex Roldan 74’), Magnus Wolff Eikrem (Jordan McCrary 46’), Nicolás Lodeiro; A-Will Bruin
Unused substitutes – Bryan Meredith, Harry Shipp, Jordy Delem, Lamar Neagle
GOAL
MTL – Vargas (Piatti) 60’
CAUTIONS
MTL – Lovitz 41’
MTL – Krolicki 48’
SEA – Torres 71’
MTL – Piette 83’
EJECTION
SEA – Leerdam 40’
