MONTREAL IMPACT vs NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
STADE SAPUTO, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Oct. 12, 2013 (WEEK 33, MLS Game #301)
2:30 p.m. ET (TSN/RDS; CSN-NE)
A massive match for the playoff fortunes for both clubs is ahead on Saturday evening when the Montreal Impact play host to the New England Revolution at Stade Saputo. The Impact come into the game still holding onto fourth place in the Eastern Conference by a single point, after their winless run was extended to four matches in a 1-0 loss at Houston last weekend. The Revolution are three points out of a postseason position, after being pulled back into a late 2-2 draw at New York a week ago.
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REFEREE: Chris Penso. AR1 (bench): Craig Lowry; AR2 (opposite): Bill Dittmar; 4th: Silviu Petrescu
Penso MLS Career: 47 games; FC/gm: 22.5; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 13; pens: 15
DISABLED LIST: MTL: Adrian Lopez (season ending injury), Maximiliano Rodriguez
SUSPENDED: MTL: Hassoun Camara (caution accumulation; through Oct. 13) … NE: Andy Dorman (through Oct. 13)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: MTL: Davy Arnaud, Jeb Brovsky, Matteo Ferrari … NE: Lee Nguyen
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: MTL: Patrice Bernier, Marco Di Vaio … NE: Kelyn Rowe, Juan Toja, Dimitry Imbongo, Andrew Farrell, Jose Goncalves, Diego Fagundez, A.J. Soares
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: NE: Jerry Bengtson (Honduras)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (4 meetings): Impact 3 wins, 7 goals … Revolution 1 win, 4 goals … Ties 0
AT MONTREAL (2 meetings): Impact 1 win, 2 goals … Revolution 1 win, 2 goals … Ties 0
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Patrice Bernier scored a pair of goals – both on penalty kicks – and Marco Di Vaio also scored twice as the Impact rolled to a 4-2 victory Sept. 8 at Gillette Stadium.
• The Impact have won three of the four meetings all-time. The lone Revolution win came at Stade Saputo, a 1-0 victory last Oct. 27.
• Coaches' records: Marco Schällibaum v NE: P1 W1 L0 D0 … Jay Heaps vs. MTL: P4 W1 L3 D0
LAST MEETING (MLS)
9/8: MTL 4, NE 2 (Bernier 8, 33; Di Vaio 47+, 55 – Fagundez 26; Rowe 76)
• The game's turning point came after just five minutes. When Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis hauled down Marco Di Vaio as he rounded him in the area, referee Sorin Stoica dismissed Reis for denying a goalscoring opportunity. Patrice Bernier then stepped up to coolly dispatch the penalty past substitute goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth.
• The Revolution pulled level on 26 minutes. Diego Fagundez capped the move by playing Dimitry Imbongo through with a neat little pass. The ball was tackled away from Imbongo, but deflected straight into Fagundez's path, and tucked home to draw his side level.
• Montreal reclaimed the lead just after the half-hour mark. Felipe tumbled under a challenge from Jose Goncalves to prompt Stoica to point to the spot once more. Bernier assumed the duties and slotted home his second penalty of the night.
• Di Vaio then collected the third in first-half stoppage time with a wonderful piece of skill. He collected a Hassoun Camara diagonal with the outside of his right, jinked inside Revolution defender A.J. Soares and lashed home inside the near post.
• The Impact men combined once again early in the second half. Camara hit a diagonal ball from near midfield, and Di Vaio corralled it before calmly eluding his defender and placed his shot inside the far post.
• Kelyn Rowe pulled a goal back for the Revoluion inside the final quarter of an hour with a sumptuous effort inside the far post after skipping through a host of defenders into the Montreal penalty area.
• NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-1-4-1): Matt Reis (ejected 5) - Andrew Farrell, A.J. Soares, Jose Goncalves, Chris Tierney - Scott Caldwell - Chad Barrett (Bobby Shuttleworth 7), Lee Nguyen (Juan Toja 68), Kelyn Rowe, Diego Fagundez - Dimitry Imbongo (Saer Sene 73).
• MONTREAL IMPACT (4-2-3-1): Troy Perkins - Hassoun Camara, Matteo Ferrari, Alessandro Nesta, Jeb Brovsky - Justin Mapp, Patrice Bernier, Collen Warner, Davy Arnaud (Andrea Pisanu 80) - Felipe Martins (Daniele Paponi 72) - Marco Di Vaio (Andrew Wenger 90).
MONTREAL IMPACT
The Montreal Impact had their winless run extended to four matches, falling 1-0 to the Houston Dynamo on Friday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Impact are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 46 points from 29 matches.
LAST MATCH
• The game's only goal came after just six minutes. A good buildup saw Boniek Garcia find Giles Barnes at the top of the box, who then chested a perfect ball into the path of an onrushing Ricardo Clark. He then cut back to create space for a shot that curled away from goalkeeper Troy Perkins and nestled in the back of the net.
• Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall was called upon to make four saves in keeping the clean sheet.
• Impact head coach Marco Schällibaum made two changes to the team that came back for a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park. Felipe Martins and Andres Romero came into the team in place of Patrice Bernier and Andrew Wenger.
• MONTREAL IMPACT (4-2-3-1): Troy Perkins - Hassoun Camara, Matteo Ferrari, Wandrille Lefevre, Jeb Brovsky - Davy Arnaud (Maxim Tissot 82), Collen Warner - Justin Mapp, Felipe Martins (Sanna Nyassi 65), Andres Romero - Marco Di Vaio (Andrew Wenger 62).
TEAM NEWS
• The Impact saw their winless streak extended to four matches, one short of their season-long, set from June 29-July 20.
• “It's been a tough time lately, but we must not forget to believe until the very end. It’s a tricky stretch, with decisions not going our way as well. We have to fight until the end,” Impact head coach Marco Schällibaum said. “ … We must watch our way to go into these playoffs. Now, we lose this game, but we have next Saturday as a chance to win again. That’s important to know and take those three points.”
• Striker Marco Di Vaio again started as the spearhead in attack, but was forced off with an injury shortly after the hour mark.
• “It was already painful beforehand,” Schällibaum said. “He gritted his teeth until he came off, but he wasn’t 100 percent. We saw, when he ran, that it wasn’t the 100 percent Marco Di Vaio. The pain became too intense, so we had to manage that. We still have four very interesting and tough games, and we need everyone.”
• In addition, Patrice Bernier was not able to feature for the first time this season in a league contest, after he was not available as a substitute following a late injury.
• “[Bernier and Di Vaio] both couldn’t play today, but we still have time until Saturday,” Schällibaum said. “It’s pretty positive for both of them. … It’s still unclear today who will play on Saturday, but we still have four days to do whatever we can so they’re on the field.”
• Center back Alessandro Nesta also could return to duty after missing the last two matches with an adductor strain.
• Midfielder Hernan Bernardello, who has not played in the last five matches after suffering an ankle injury late in the draw vs. Philadelphia on Aug. 31, has returned to full training and should be available for the New England match.
• “Hernan’s coming back as well, and we’ve always said that he’s an important player to us. He has this hunger to win,” Schällibaum said. Said Bernardello: “I’d just arrived, I had four, five games where I felt good physically, so it hurt not only physically, but mentally as well. It’s a shame, but it’s behind me now and I’m glad to be back with the team.”
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution played to a second consecutive draw, the New York Red Bulls getting a dramatic equalizer to leave the teams in a 2-2 draw on Saturday evening at Red Bull Arena. The Revolution are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 42 points from 31 matches.
LAST MATCH
• The Red Bulls took the lead after just 14 minutes. Fabián Espíndola stripped a Revolution defender of the ball and fired a right-footed shot from outside the area that beat goalkeeper Matt Reis.
• But the Revolution were handed a lifeline late when referee Fotis Bazakos whistled Jámison Olave for a handball in the penalty area, and Lee Nguyen stepped up and converted the ensuing spot kick to pull the Revolution level in the 85th minute.
• Things took a turn for the worse for the visitors when Andy Dorman was sent off with a straight red card less than a minute, but New England still took the lead in stoppage after Diego Fagundez slipped a shot underneath Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles after picking off a loose ball in the New York end.
• But seven minutes into stoppage time, the Red Bulls hit for a remarkable equalizer. A corner kick was punched out by Reis, but only as far as Tim Cahill at the spot, and he sent a looping header into the back of the net to clinch a playoff berth for New York.
• Revolution head coach Jay Heaps made one change to the team that reached a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo at Gillette Stadium. Juan Agudelo came into the team in place of Dimitry Imbongo.
• NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-1-4-1): Matt Reis - Andrew Farrell, A.J. Soares (Dimitry Imbongo 76), Jose Goncalves, Chris Tierney - Scott Caldwell (Andy Dorman 56; ejected 86) - Saer Sene, Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe, Diego Fagundez - Juan Agudelo (Jerry Bengtson 79).
TEAM NEWS
• While the Revolution stretched their undefeated streak to three games and took a point at Red Bull Arena for the first time ever, they still saw their winless streak in New Jersey since 2007 extended, and have won once in the last six matches.
• “If we had come away with no points this game, I think it’s tough to get back together kind of after such an intense game, but we get the point, we were up until the last play, a questionable call here and there, so I think we’re good,” said defender Andrew Farrell. “We’ll have a week when we go to Montreal, who hasn’t been the best right now so far, and I think with this last 45 minutes we’re feeling confident in ourselves that we can play with the best in the league.”
• Diego Fagundez netted his fifth goal in the last seven games. Fagundez also has two assists in that span; he has 12 goals for the season, tied for fifth in the MLS Golden Boot standings.
• “When we came in here we said that we needed to pressure them. We knew we were down a man and we were looking for that win. We pressured their backs and then the ball loose,” said Fagundez. “ … We knew that if we put them into pressure they were going to get mistakes and then I think that once we went out there we definitely battled them and tried to get every tackle we could and then of course, the goal came.”
• Lee Nguyen scored his second goal in the last three matches – both from the penalty spot – after going more than three months between goals.
• Juan Agudelo made his first start since Aug. 30, starting the match as the lone striker in attack.
• After four consecutive starts, Dimitry Imbongo came off the substitutes’ bench, forming a late-match strike partnership with Jerry Bengtson.
• “We got some chances, our guys, (Juan) Agudelo played great when he was on there, Dimitry (Imbongo) came on and created some chances. We played a great second half,” said Farrell. “ … I think that it’s a good grit that the team has and if we put that together with another first 45 of that intensity, I think we can be a really dangerous team.”
• For the second time this season, Andy Dorman was sent off after coming on as a late substitute. He was dismissed in the 86th minute Aug. 10 vs. Sporting KC, after entering the game in the 71st minute.
