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It’s quickly become more and more evident that this year’s MLS season will be one to quickly forget for Frank Klopas and his Montreal Impact. Focus has now been shifted to giving the fans something to cheer for, and that’ll be going far in the Concacaf Champions League. That work began on Tuesday night against the El Salvador Champions, C.D. Fas.
The Impact finds themselves in a position that gives them the possibility to advance, with their group consisting of C.D. Fas and the New York Red Bulls. They have quite a good record at home in the Champions League, with five wins and two ties. Fans were hoping that record could be maintained against Fas.
Captain Patrice Bernier started on the bench against a team that only brought 14 players to Montreal. In his defense and Klopas’ as well, Bernier was one of the few running in the loss to Toronto FC on the weekend, and he definitely earned himself a night off.
The Opening 45
The visiting 17-time El Salvadorian champions wasted no time in bringing the game into the Impact half. The Impact stayed back and took it all in, blocking the well-constructed moves through the middle.
But it was Marco Di Vaio who got the best chance yet in the 13h minute. Mapp’s pass from the right off his signature runs found Di Vaio alone with time in front of goal after a deflection. However, a streaking keeper got a piece of the ensuing shot, and the Impact were that close to an early lead.
The Impact came even closer to opening the scoring in the 19th minute after a heroic run from Romero from the right side saw him past the right back and alone in front of the keeper. After hitting the first shot right on the keeper, the rebound, from an even better position, was stopped yet again and cleared by the scrambling El Salvador team.
Finally, in the 21st minute, the Impact’s incessant pressure paid off, and it was Marco Di Vaio who finally finished it. A beautiful cross from Felipe on the right side found Di Vaio wide open, who headed it home easily. Finally, Stade Saputo had something to cheer for.
The mood inside Saputo Stadium was considerably more joyous, but still had an air of caution to it. Fans knew that a meager one-goal lead meant almost nothing for an Impact side that has failed to maintain a lead all season. But despite the slow start, the Impact was now attacking in waves, and came close more than once to doubling their lead in the opening half hour.
The half would end with the Impact up 1-0. It was a good half for the Bleu-Blanc-Noir, who attacked in waves for spells in the first half, although they failed to keep up the pressure throughout the whole half, giving C.D. Fas a few chances to get back into the game.
The Second Half
Romero started the half with his third shot again, but the keeper once again handled it easily. Romero has been a handful tonight on the right side, constantly getting past the defender with ease to give the Impact a chance at goal.
Ferrari was doing a good job in handling the C.D. Fas attack, calming the play and starting the move forward every time he would get the ball. His confidence was evident through the back four, who seemed calmer than usual, and it showed in the score 55 minutes in.
The impact had a good chance to double their lead in the 55th minute, when Felipe got fouled after weaving his way through a few defenders. From right outside the box, Camara of all people lined up and blasted the ball straight into the wall. The Impact defender gingerly made his way into the back four, perhaps regretting having given that a shot.
The captain Patrice Bernier came into the game in the 63rd minute in place of Duka, at a time when the game was lost in a deadlock in the middle of the pitch. Perhaps Bernier will be the one to put this game to bed for the Impact, he who came close to tying it against TFC on Saturday.
The game turned ugly in the 72nd minute. Hassoun Camara came streaking into the middle after a loose ball, sliding and tackling the C.D. Fas mid violently. There ref did not hesitate to pull out the red. The Impact was down a man with 20 crucial minutes remaining.
As for Camara, he’s been very careless in his tackles the past few games, and an incident like this was bound to happen.
Just five minutes later, Di Vaio got a yellow card for picking up the ball and aimlessly kicking it away. The frustration of Camara’s sending off was slowly seeping in, and the game was slipping away from them.
The El Salvador team’s pressure led to a good chance outside the box on a set piece. Before the shot however, Frank Klopas was expelled from the game to the confusion of everyone in the stadium. The free kick led to nothing.
Despite increased pressure from Deportivo, the Montreal defense stood their ground until the referee blew the final whistle. The Impact finally broke their 6-game losing streak, and they were off to a good start in the Concacaf Champions League.
The Impact will have to fare with no Hassoun Camara and no Frank Klopas in El Salvador on the 20th, making the second leg all the more interesting, and all the more difficult to win for the Impact.
"Getting the three points in front of our fans was really important for us tonight," explained defender Hassoun Camara. "When we have cohesion and everyone plays together, we can really make a lot happen, even when games are hard. We were hearing the fans from the beginning and that helped us to stay motivated throughout the game."
"I felt very good about the performance of the group," said head coach Frank Klopas. "We had some chances in the first and even the second half to put the game away. Then even shorthanded, I found we stayed focused. If we look at some previous games during the season, we had some mental lapses, so I'm very happy that didn't happen tonight."
Man of the Match
Andres Romero
Romero has proven that he’s worthy to be a starter for the Impact. The Argentinean’s game as of late has been top form, he always shows up to play, and he’s arguably the Impact’s most improved player from last year. Tonight, the left winger was excellent, and created great opportunities. He could’ve had two goals if it wasn’t for the excellent Deportivo keeper.
Di Vaio was effective up front, connecting well with Romero and Felipe especially, eventually leading to the first and only goal of the game. Klopas will want to combine Di Vaio and Romero again as an option for the next game. Ferrari and the defense deserve credit for the clean sheet, and so does Evan Bush, who made key saves in the final 20 minutes.
Montreal Impact Line-up
Bush
Krol
Ouimette
Ferrari
Camara
Di Vaio
Felipe
Mapp
Romero
Duka
Larrea
Impact substitutions
Bernier for Duka, Tissot for Mapp, Lefevre for Felipe
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