The Montreal Impact moved closer to playoff contention in the Eastern Conference, as they won their third straight game on Wednesday, beating the Chicago Fire 3-0 at Stade Saputo.
Ignacio Piatti got the scoring started in the first 10 minutes, as his poke past Matt Lampson dribbled across the goal line to give the hosts the lead. Matteo Mancosu doubled the Impact's lead shortly before halftime as he earned and then converted a penalty kick against Lampson. Moments later, Piatti scored his second goal of the night with a well-taken run and finish.
Goals
- 6' – MTL – Ignacio Piatti Watch
- 37' – MTL – Matteo Mancosu (PK) Watch
- 38' – MTL – Ignacio Piatti Watch
Three Things
- HEATING UP: Montreal have now won three games in a row and seem like they might be finding a run of form that teams dream of late in seasons ahead of the playoffs. Of course, the Impact still need to actually clinch playoff qualification, but between the return of Piatti from injury, Blerim Dzemaili’s hot start in MLS, Samuel Piette’s immediate impact and a team that seems to be figuring some aspects of their game out, and they could turn into a dark horse come the MLS Cup Playoffs.
- FRESH FACES: Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic offered a surprise in the starting XI on Wednesday, giving Homegrown midfielder Djordje Mihailovic his first career MLS start at the No. 10 role. The teenager, who impressed in the MLS Homegrown game a couple weeks back, did not really get any grasp on the game, as Montreal ran out with the lead early. Add to that the Fire debut for Christian Dean, traded from Vancouver last week and thrown into the mix quickly after an early injury to Joao Meira, and while the result wasn't good from Chicago's perspective, perhaps some of the newcomers will get valuable experience from the game.
- CRAVING NACHO: Dzemaili had a quiet game compared to his recent outings, but Piatti showed why he is in consideration as one of the best players in MLS. Between the first goal, with just enough force on the shot to get it in the net, and the second, a beautiful individual set-up that concluded with an inch-perfect bounce to fool Lampson, Piatti has 12 goals for the season in MLS play and could make a run for his MLS career-high of 17 hit a year ago. If he's in top form for the final months of the season, both he and Montreal could be in the running for silverware by the end of the campaign.
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