The Montreal Impact's path to the playoffs looks narrower now. In a rainy, wet midweek clash, New York City FC tried to pour it on, pummeling the Impact with a barrage of shots at Stade Saputo, but the Impact held the score to a close 1-0 loss. For NYCFC, their win was enough to add to their comfortable spot near the top of the Eastern Conference table, but the Impact will rue a missed chance to push for a spot above the red line.
Jack Harrison opened the scoring with a decisive goal in the 29th minute. Racing up the left flank on a quick give-and-go, Harrison beat goalkeeper Evan Bush with a left-footed blast into the roof of the net. The match may have looked tight going by the score, but NYCFC out-shot Montreal 22-to-10 and held a whopping 58 percent of the possession.
Goals
- 29' – NYC – Jack Harrison Watch
Three Things
- IMPACT FALL FLAT AT HOME AGAIN: Coming into Wednesday's match, the pressure was on the Impact to turn around their recent home form -- they hadn't won at home since August 19 after three straight losses at Stade Saputo. But it was another dreary performance in Montreal as the Impact were overrun by NYCFC. The score was close, but the match didn't feel that way as NYCFC dominated most of the first half and much of the second. Now, the Impact have won just once in their last seven games.
- NO VILLA? NO PROBLEM: The Golden Boot race between David Villa and Diego Valeri has been heating up so fans were probably eager to see if Villa could add to his total. Instead, he started on the bench, a luxury for coach Patrick Vieira, who seemed to be resting his star for this weekend's clash in Chicago. Jack Harrison stepped up instead, netting his 10th goal of the season and joining the double-digit club.
- IMPOSSIBLE COMEBACK FOR IMPACT? Heading into Wednesday, coach Mauro Biello called it a must-win for the Impact. With the loss, the Impact aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but they've put themselves in a very, very difficult position. They have just three matches left in the regular season and if at least a couple of those aren't wins, it's hard to see how they can possibly advance. Draws won't be enough anymore if the Impact intend to make a comeback.
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