A point never tasted sweeter for the Impact
Di Vaio returns to help club earn precious tie against Philadelphia Union
Leading up to the Impact’s fourth game in this young Major League Soccer season last Saturday in Philadelphia, the mood around the club was certainly different from that of a year ago.
Last season, the Impact was the only team in the league to take the maximum 12 points from its opening four matches and confidence in the group was sky-high. That all seems so long ago now. Fair to say, up to this point things have not gone according to plan in 2014. Heading into Philadelphia, the Impact was winless in its opening three games and desperate to register at least one point in the standings. After the 1-1 draw against the Union, the Impact accomplished that and I’m sure a few players thought: “one point never felt sweeter”.
Here are my pros and cons from that game as the Impact prepares to face the New York Red Bulls at 4 p.m. Saturday at Olympic Stadium in search of its first win of the season: Pro: Marco Di Vaio. MLS’s most clinical finisher returned from his three-game suspension on a mission to save the sinking Impact ship. MDV’s game-high nine attempts at goal reveal his intent on the day. Before his late-game heroics, we saw evidence of game rust on the veteran. On another day, either his 48th-minute, close-range header or his 51st-minute inside-the-foot mis-hit would have found the back of the net. But Di Vaio’s admirable appetite to win, coupled with his unmatched finishing ability, eventually prevailed. In the 67th minute, we witnessed the 37-year-old dribble at speed for all of 80 metres, impressively leaving a number of Union defenders in his wake. It was an inspiring sequence. His equalizing goal in the 80th minute — with the Impact a man down — was classic MDV. He outwitted Philadelphia’s fifth-year centre-half Amobi Okugo. The defender mistakenly over compen- sated his body position — attempting to eliminate MDV’s trademark cut to the inside — but as Okugo backed up, he offered MDV plenty of goal to aim at. MDV took full advantage and skilfully deposited his effort into the farside netting. An immediate goal-of-the-week nominee. If you’re reading this and have not seen the goal ... make it a point to do so. Con: We can’t change the past, so we’re advised not to dwell on it. However, it’s always there to serve as a reminder. Dating back to the end of the 2013 season, Montreal has won only twice in its last 15 MLS games — including one playoff game. Despite new leadership, a number of the problems that plagued the team during the second half of 2013 still exist. One is a lack of attention to details. After Di Vaio scored the equalizer in the 80th minute, coach Frank Klopas brought on Karl Ouimette to provide defensive help in the 87th minute. For me, that’s seven minutes too late. So far, Klopas has made a habit of making questionable late changes. This following point may seem trivial to most, but by my observation Montreal’s throw-ins rarely connect with a teammate. To some this is simply a lost throw, but for me this is a five- to 10-yard hand-pass resulting in a loss of possession. This should seldom occur. Details, details. There is still a level of predictability in the way the Impact plays that is concerning. In the defensive end, Montreal continues to have issues defending set pieces and was let off the hook on multiple occasions against Philadelphia. Offensively, interchanging movements between players is almost non-existent. This makes the team easier to defend against. Pro: How happy do you think Justin Mapp (a.k.a.-Robin) is to see MDV (a.k.a.-Batman) back? MDV represents the end product after Mapp does all the heavy lifting during the buildup play. To no one’s surprise, Mapp assisted on MDV’s goal. Want more proof these two are a tandem? Both registered 103 touches on the ball. Eric Miller had the most touches on the Impact with 106 and continues to look the part as a first-choice fullback. On the back end, goalkeeper Troy Perkins did his part and kept his team in the contest with a few important saves, including a diving stop in the 82nd minute to preserve the point.
Con: Felipe registered zero shots and was effectively a non-factor during his 87 minutes of action. He simply did not get on the ball enough and is a component as to why the Impact registered only two shots on goal. Same can be said for Andres Romero, who was subbed after 60 minutes and, like MDV, was returning from suspension. Heath Pearce got the nod over Jeb Brovsky at left back, likely to provide more effective width when the Impact attacks. Pearce showed glimpses of his crossing ability, just not enough of it. Some may even fault Pearce for Philadelphia’s goal since it was his easily intercepted pass that started the Union attack. Fact is, Montreal’s left side was problematic defensively. No surprise, really, when you consider Romero and Pearce don’t yet have a level of familiarity between them as a fullback/winger tandem. And what was Hassoun Camara doing on the Union goal anyway? Setting an offside trap after the ball had already been played to the striker? Camara was actually lucky to still be on the pitch at that point. He should have seen straight red in the 25th minute for pulling down Jack McInerney from behind. Instead, Andrew Wenger was the red-card culprit. I’m of the opinion the decision was harsh, but I can see how the sending off was justified given Wenger’s reckless approach in the challenge. It was a challenge Wenger should have never made since the Union player was going away from Montreal’s goal. Pro: With Di Vaio back, the Impact attack is relevant again. Montreal has competed in every game this season, never played off the park, and is unlucky not to have grabbed a couple more points along the way. Impact fans should feel a level of contentment knowing Klopas has a successful track record of turning teams around. He’ll need to quickly rediscover that magic formula.