One game, 100 words (or less): The momentum Columbus build in recent wins over Los Angeles and Houston failed to make it through customs, with the last place Impact opening the scoring before halftime. The Crew’s second half pressure never evolved into chances on goal, and when Marco Di Vaio drew the defense’s attention in stoppage time, Ignacio Piatti was set up for his second score of the night,. The Argentine’s first two MLS goals gave Montréal the 2-0 win, ending Columbus’s two-game winning run.
Goals
Montréal: Ignacio Piatti 40′, 93′
Columbus: None
Three moments that mattered:
40′ – Piatti’s payoff – A deserved breakthrough for a home team that tested the Columbus defense from the get go, but whereas many of those tests came via through balls from deep, the home side’s opener came in transition, allowing the team’s new Designated Player to record his first MLS goal. After Ignacio Piatti broke down the Crew defense, converting from just inside the penalty area, the Impact had a 1-0 lead, the third straight match Frank Klopas’s team had drawn first blood.
71′ – Di Vaio’s chance – Columbus took control out of intermission, but a Montréal defense showing a newfound resilience managed to keep the Impact in front. In the 71st minute, with the Crew pushing, the home side had a chance to put the game away, creating a chance for Marco Di Vaio on the counter. From the right of goal, the former All-Star nearly found the gap between Steve Clark and his near post. The shot into the right side-netting left Columbus within one.
93′ – Caught in pursuit – The Crew’s push for an equalizer finally bit them in added time when another Di Vaio counter drew the attention of the two defenders kept behind the ball. Free in the right of the area, Piatti waited out a moment’s chaos for his chance at a second, with his finish high into Clark’s net giving his new team its 2-0 result.
Lineups
Montréal: Evan Bush; Hassoun Camara, Matteo Ferrari, Wandrille Lefebvre, Krsysztof Krol; Patrice Bernier (Callum Mallace 80′), Felipe Martins; Andrés Romero (Eric Miller 88′), Dilly Duka (Maxim Tissot 63′), Ignacio Piatti; Marco Di Vaio
Columbus Crew: Steve Clark; Eric Gehrig (Héctor Jiménez 59′), Michael Parkhurst, Tyson Wahl, Waylon Francis; Ethan Finlay, Tony Tchani, Wil Trapp, Justin Meram (Ben Speas 76′); Federico Higuaín; Adam Bedell (Aaron Schoenfeld 67′)
Three lessons going forward:
1. Montréal isn’t rolling over – This is the same lesson as last week, but given how long we’ve seen Montréal’s struggles (and how low our expectations have become), it’s going to take a while to believe. Piatti makes them more dangerous, while playing Felipe’s presence behind him, Dilly Duka, and Andrés Romero gives the team a totally different look. Maybe we just need time to get used to that look before we consider Montréal.
2. Disappointment need not mean panic for Columbus – A win today would have helped Columbus pull clear of the five-team cluster fighting for the East’s last three playoff posts. In that sense, today’s loss is disappointing, but the team didn’t play that bad. The lack of a danger man in front of Federico Higuaín is a problem, but that’s nothing new. Though Columbus fans surely would have loved the team’s home form to make it over the border, the Crew weren’t going to be world-beaters forever. And at some point, despite the team’s record, you have to give credit to Montréal.
3. Berhalter will need some imagination in midfield – Tony Tchani’s first half yellow card leaves the Columbus midfielder suspended for next weekend’s visit from Chivas USA. Wil Trapp, electing to take a professional foul on Piatti late, will join his teammate on the sidelines, testing Berhalter’s imagination in midfield. Tchani’s up to seven yellow cards on the season. Trapp now has five.
Where this leaves them:
- Montréal’s still lodged in the East’s cellar, but with its fifth victory of the season, the Impact are no longer last in the win column. Five victories leave Montréal one win ahead of Chicago.
- Columbus remains in a three-way tie for third in the East, but they’ve played more games than both New England and Toronto.