1-0 win over Toronto FC no thanks to refs, coach says
Biello says call that left team with 10 men was ‘an embarrassment’
To say the Impact doesn’t have much faith in Major League Soccer referees would be putting it mildly.
Heading into Saturday night’s road game against Toronto FC, Impact coach Mauro Biello said: “We are on the road and hopefully the referee won’t play a role like in the last few games, where they were decisive. We have certain players who attract a lot of attention, but in the end we just want to be respected when we play on the road as well.”
Well, you can imagine Biello’s reaction when midfielder Calum Mallace was given a red card 43 minutes into the game with the score tied 0-0, leaving the Impact with only 10 men the rest of the way. The controversial play started when Impact speedster Dominic Oduro was tripped up by Marky Delgado at midfield while on a partial breakaway. Toronto’s Steven Beitashour either ignored or didn’t hear referee Jorge Gonzalez’s whistle on the foul and started running with the ball before being stopped with a hockey-style bodycheck by Mallace. Delgado was given a yellow card and Mallace a red.
“It was an embarrassment ... that’s what it was,” Biello told TSN during a halftime interview. “A game of this magnitude and he calls a red card like that? It’s unacceptable. We come in here, we’re playing a good game and he ruins the game in that manner.
“It was a foul for us … my player picks up the ball and the other guy shoves him and he throws him out? It’s embarrassing. It’s a disgrace and it’s got to get better.”
Wow! How do you really feel, coach?
But Biello was feeling much better after the game as the Impact headed home with an improbable 1-0 win on a spectacular goal by Ignacio Piatti in the 73rd minute. The play started with a long goal kick by ‘keeper Evan Bush that Matteo Mancosu got his head on and Dominic Oduro then took the ball off his chest before falling backward and making a beautiful pass off the outside of his right foot to the onrushing Piatti.
The Argentine midfielder took the ball just outside the box with the outside of his right foot, then settled it with the inside of the same foot before belting a low, left-footed shot to the right corner of the net past diving goalkeeper Alex Bono.
It was a team-leading 14th goal for Piatti and a leaguebest ninth on the road. Only three players have scored more goals this season in MLS and they’re all forwards tied with 16: Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco, the New York Red Bulls’ Bradley Wright-Phillips and New York City ’s David Villa.
A Toronto crowd of 28,454 created a sea of red at BMO Field, which is one of the toughest places to play in MLS. Toronto FC came into the contest on a nine-game winning streak at home and the Impact had never won at BMO Field in six previous trips with three losses and three ties.
Toronto, which now has a 7-2-3 home record, remains in first place in the Eastern Conference with 43 points, while the Impact is in fifth place, but now only six points behind Toronto with one game in hand and nine points up on seventh-place Orlando City SC. The top six teams in the conference make the playoffs.
“Even after the sending off, the players wanted to win this even more,” Biello said on the team’s website after the game. “This was our greatest win this season.”
Added Oyongo: “For us to be a man down and stay disciplined, go up a goal and defend really well, it doesn’t even feel like three points, it feels like six points. It’s going to motivate us for days.”
Saturday’s contest ended a tough stretch of three games in eight days for the Impact, which posted a 1-11 record during that span. The players will now enjoy a break in the schedule with their next game not until Sept. 7 when Orlando City visits Saputo Stadium.
After the game, Nicolas Martineau of TVA Sports tweeted a quote from Didier Drogba saying the only way the Impact can earn the respect of MLS referees is to win the championship.
It will be interesting to see how the referees and MLS officials react to Biello’s halftime comments, but the Impact players certainly proved Saturday night that they have enough fight in them to possibly become champions.
The Toronto club issued an apology Sunday for an offensive banner displayed by fans during the game.
“Toronto FC is proud to have one of the best fan bases and stadium environments in our sport,” a club spokesperson told Postmedia. “Last night, however, a sign was displayed in the stands that was insulting to many, including our opponent. … We sincerely apologize to the Montreal Impact, the City of Montreal and all fans.”