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First thoughts
Defending wasn’t a priority for either side in the Impact’s last game, as Thierry Henry and Bradley Wright-Phillips put on a show at Red Bull Arena defeating the Montreal by a 4-2 scoreline.
Now, the Impact look to recover when they host a Columbus Crew side at Stade Saputo looking for its third win in a row.
Columbus currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings and are part of a grouping that includes the Red Bulls and Toronto FC for the playoff race, this after picking up comprehensive wins over Houston Dynamo and LA Galaxy. The visitors are getting contributions from a variety of sources, including midfield maestro Federico Higuain with a team leading 9 goals and Justin Meram with three goals in his last four matches.
Keep Thinking
It currently isn’t a very enjoyable situation coach Frank Klopas or the fans, as Montreal are all but officially eliminated from the playoff race while sitting on 17 points. When it comes to the squad, Klopas is continuously looking for new ways to freshen things up in the search for the right combination of players as everyone looks towards 2015.
Bringing in Dilly Duka via trade and making new signings like Gorka Larrea, Ignacio Piatti and now Nigerian defender Gege Soriola has given the club a good variety of options looking ahead. That said, the majority of the clubs problems on the field have been defensively.
Whether it be central midfielders losing ground or wide players getting caught up field, opposition attackers are enjoying far too much open space resulting in the defence getting pulled apart and teams capitalizing with goals. Montreal are currently tied for most goals conceded with 45 goals (Houston Dynamo being the other side). Combine that with a winless run of 0-3-9 and the picture starts to come clearer. It will be up to some of these new players to help dig the club out of this hole.
They’re up against a Columbus Crew side that will have to adjust to a big loss, as after a quality showing in MLS and a solid World Cup tournament, standout Costa Rican defender Giancarlo Gonzalez has been sold to Italian Serie A side Palermo. This is a sizeable loss for coach Gregg Berhalter, as Gonzalez created a formidable partnership alongside US international Michael Parkhurst and some juggling will need to be done at the back. Last time out, it was former Montreal Impact defender Tyson Wahl that was paired with Parkhurst and that could be an avenue for the Impact to exploit.
The main attraction for this match will be a pair of Argentine DP’s going toe-to-toe, as Higuain plays against Ignacio Piatti. The two will play each other for the first time in MLS, having both been members of the same Argentine Piremera Club Atletico Independiente side during the 2009-2010 season.
Final Thoughts
Montreal seem like a team in constant transition, but there should be a certain level of motivation to set things right after such a lopsided loss. Going up against a Crew side playing well and possessing some dangerous players, this will be another test for a struggling team defence. However, the hosts have nothing to lose and will want to respond in front of the home supporters.
Prediction
Montreal Impact 2-1 Columbus Crew
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