Impact earns road point in Vancouver
Still looking for first win away from home
The good news for the Impact is that it earned a point with a 0-0 tie in Vancouver Wednesday night.
The bad news is the Montreal club is still looking for its first road win of the season in Major League Soccer.
Montreal (2-7-5) entered the night last in MLS and remains winless on the road in 2014, but it gutted out a hardfought point.
“I thought we defended very well and were committed to that part of the game (and) also had some very good chances to get the three points,” Impact head coach Frank Klopas said. “I felt in the end we got a point in a difficult place and now we have to continue.”
On Thursday, the Impact announced it has come to terms with Polish left back Krzysztof Krol. Details were not disclosed.
The 27-year-old has played more than 100 games in the Polish first division, most recently with Piast Gliwice. In 2012-13, he helped FC Sheriff Tiraspol win the Moldavian first division title and Supercup. Earlier in his career, he spent two seasons, in 2007 and 2008, with Spanish club Real Madrid’s reserve team.
To make room for Krol, the Impact waived defender Mechack Jérôme.
The Vancouver Whitecaps (5-2-7) entered play Wednes- day night having scored nine goals over its last three contests, but it looked flat coming out of the MLS’s World Cup hiatus that resulted in an 18day layoff.
“We were hoping that the break didn’t have any impact on us, but obviously we have to say after this match it looked like it did,” Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted said. “Definitely not the result we were looking for. We were definitely hoping for a win at home, but this just shows you there’s no easy games in MLS. I think we took it a little bit too lightly today.”
The Impact will play its next game Sunday at Saputo Stadium against the Houston Dynamo (7:30 p.m., TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690).
Montreal also had an extended 14-day break, but an Impact team that was missing striker Marco Di Vaio and midfielders Justin Mapp and Calum Mallace because of injury was perhaps a bit unlucky not to be leading at halftime.
Ousted was forced to make a one-handed save off a deflection in the fourth minute that could have easily found its way over the line.
Jack McInerney then sent a shot into the side netting of Ousted’s goal in the 26th minute, before Darren Mattocks fizzed a ball toward Troy Perkins from a distance that didn’t cause any trouble five minutes later.
Montreal’s best chance to take the lead came in stoppage time when Ousted had to scramble to make two saves to keep things level heading to the locker rooms.