Montreal Impact 0 – FC Dallas 0
It was the Impact's best match in the past month, but the squad is still not at the form they were when dazzling the league with win after win earlier in the year. Even with this dip in form, older results have allowed Montreal to stay within touching distance on top spot in the conference.
On Saturday, the team hosted FC Dallas at Saputo Stadium. The visitors have also been on a similar downward spiral, so three points were crucial for both outfits.
The Impact were the better team on the night, but struggles up front saw two points slip away. FC Dallas got exactly what they seemed like they were playing for, a draw.
Montreal's back line was back to its old habits, the three man midfield was strong, but the three attackers did not do enough to find the back of the goal.
The key to the ratings, as seems to be the logic on a scale of 1-10, is not to view it as a “grade”, as in a 6 would be a 60 or a C. The formula is that each player begins the game with a 5 and is the equilibrium from which their performance either improves or degrades moving in increments of .5.
Here is the breakdown of the starting XI:
GK - Troy Perkins - 6
He barely had work to do. Perkins only needed to make two stops against FC Dallas. Both shots came in the first half. He was called into action in the 10th minute to deny what would have been a 'goal of the week' from Eric Hassli. His other stop came against Je-Vaughn Watson's header.
Your rating:
LB - Jeb Brovsky - 7
Brovsky was very reliable in this match. He and Watson had a few confrontations throughout the night, but it seems like Brovsky came out on top of that battle. The Impact defender barely got beat, and almost put Montreal ahead with a blast on target late in the game.
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CB - Matteo Ferrari - 6
There were no problems with him tonight. He and the rest of the Montreal back line didn't have a lot on their plates, but were excellent when they needed to be. Ferrari and Nesta commanded the back line and played a big role in this clean sheet.
Your rating:
CB - Alessandro Nesta - 6.5
He, like Ferrari, was not that busy in this match. Nesta was never really put under pressure. He was able to do his defensive duties without problem and often had loads of time and space to start up Impact attacks. When he's on his game, everything always seems to be calm at the back end for Montreal.
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RB - Hassoun Camara - 6.5
Camara did some admirable work all through the night. He and Jeb Brovsky played in a very similar fashion. Both were competent at the back. Montreal pressured ferociously, not giving any space away to their opponents. Since the Impact had the ball quite often, Camara was able to make his way far up the pitch and contribute offensively.
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CM - Davy Arnaud - 6
The Impact captain worked hard in the center of midfield. With Felipe and Bernier dictating the pace, Arnaud's job was to always provide support and to recover possession when the team lost it. Arnaud missed a few of his passes, but he always made sure to try and win the ball back.
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CM - Felipe - 6
Whenever Montreal had a decent chance to score in the first half, it was usually Felipe who made it all possible. Felipe is so good with the ball at his feet that when he's usually able to complete a through ball, it almost always leads to a scoring chance. Felipe was very active in the first 30 minutes, but slowed down for the rest of the match.
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CM - Patrice Bernier - 6.5
Bernier's performance was one that has become typical of him all season long. He does extremely well without the ball because he understands the game so well. He knows where to position himself and this often results in him winning back possession. With the ball, he cycles it around well and does not shy away from sending that perfect through ball down the middle when given the chance.
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LW - Sanna Nyassi - 5
For the first 15 minutes, Nyassi was everywhere. He created some problems, but lacked that finishing touch. After that, he seemed to be missing resulting in Montreal directing their attack down the right flank where Justin Mapp was. Nyassi was fortunate to only be subbed off at the 86th minute.
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RW - Justin Mapp - 7 (MOTM)
The little success Montreal had offensively seemed to come off this man's boots. Mapp was by far Montreal's best attacker, but at the end of the day the squad still couldn't score. However, Mapp came the closest when his first half strike rattled the crossbar. Some of his crosses throughout the game also caused problems for the FC Dallas back line, but nothing was converted.
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ST - Daniele Paponi - 5.5
He did as well as he could given the circumstances. But, since the team barely tested Raúl Fernández, it is hard to give him a good grade. The striker's role in a 4-3-3 is to be able to hold the ball well and find the target almost without looking at it. Paponi did extremely well to drop and hold his ball, but he needed more help from his wingers and midfielders. Playing with two strikers suits Paponi best.
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Substitutes:
71st - Andrés Romero - 5
76th - Andrew Wenger - 5
86th - Blake Smith - 5
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