Montreal Impact 1, Vancouver Whitecaps 2 | 2017 MLS Match Recap

Losing on the road was all the Vancouver Whitecaps knew before Saturday, but a comeback performance that included a sweet goal gave them their first result away from home this season.

The Whitecaps went into Stade Saputo and rallied to a 2-1 victory against the Montreal Impact. Andrew Jacobson started the Vancouver comeback with a nice volley from outside the penalty area in the 29th minute, and Cristian Techera bagged the late winner.

Impact midfielder Marco Donadel had opened the scoring nine minutes in, but Montreal could not hold onto the lead en route to suffering their first home loss of the year.

Goals

• 9' – MTL – Marco Donadel Watch
• 29' – VAN – Andrew Jacobson Watch
• 79' – VAN – Cristian Techera Watch

Three Things

1. UNLIKELY HERO: Cristian Techera may have scored the winner for the Vancouver Whitecaps, but it was Andrew Jacobson who was at the front and center of the comeback. Jacobson scored the equalizer with a nice volley from outside the penalty area just before the half-hour mark, and he slipped a good through ball into space to Techera for the decisive tally. Jacobson may be a defensive midfielder, but on Saturday afternoon he was also a difference-maker.
2. MISSING IN ACTION: The Montreal Impact's attack was almost nowhere to be found. The club struggled mightily in the final third, with almost nothing coming up the middle and the wide play being subpar. Star playmaker Ignacio Piatti was held largely in check over the course of the 90 minutes, and Montreal never found a way to create much danger. Even their goal came from a long-range solo effort. Sure, it did not help matters that they were forced into making a fifth-minute substitution because of an injury to striker Matteo Mancosu, but this was still a very poor performance up front.
3. HARD-FOUGHT BATTLE: This game did not have an abundance of chances, as the two teams spent much of the match duking it out in the midfield. The final possession figures were 51.5-48.5 percent in favor of Montreal, but the two sides were pretty even from the run of play. There were also some hard challenges throughout, and the Impact and Whitecaps combined for five yellow cards. 

Next Up

• MTL: Saturday, May 6 – at D.C. United (6 pm ET | TVAS; MLS LIVE in the US)
• VAN: Friday, May 5 – at Colorado Rapids (10 pm ET | TSN; MLS LIVE in the US)