Impact earn 1-1 draw against Kansas City
Impact undefeated in its last three games, three points behind Red Bulls
Matteo Mancosu’s goal in the 82nd minute allowed the visiting Impact to tie Sporting Kansas City 1-1 Saturday at Children’s Mercy Stadium.
Mancosu, who had missed nearly six weeks with a thigh injury, replaced Dominic Oduro in the 77th minute and he took advantage of a costly mistake by the home team to score his third goal of the season. Mancosu jumped on a lazy back pass and then chipped the ball over goalkeeper Tim Melia.
Kansas City gave the Impact some anxious moments down the stretch, particularly after Chris Duvall was ejected with a red card after a high challenge on Roger Espinoza in the 86th minute.
Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush made a game-winning save on Benny Feilhaber in added time and Gerso Fernandes, who had given Sporting the lead in the opening half, had to hurry a shot in close and put the ball over the crossbar. The game ended with Dom Dwyer failing to get a foot on a cross from Espinoza.
With the draw, the Impact are undefeated in its last three MLS games (2-0-1) and Montreal moved into ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a 4-4-5 record. The Impact are three points behind the New York Red Bulls in the battle for the sixth and final playoff spot in the East. The Impact enjoy two games in hand on the Red Bulls.
Sporting ran its home unbeaten string to 17 games, but the result had to be a disappointment for the Western Conference leaders, who have allowed only three goals in eight home games this season.
Sporting dominated the first half with 69-per-cent possession and took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Fernandes in the 24th minute. Ilie Sanchez began the counter with a kick from the Sporting half of the field. Kyle Fisher, who played a strong game, was marking Fernandes, but the Sporting player was able to control the high pass and he beat Bush with a right-footed kick to the far left corner. It was Fernandes’ sixth goal of the season.
The shots on goal in the first half were 4-2 in favour of the home team, but Bush had to handle the more difficult chances. He made a spectacular save on Feilhaber in the fifth minute, diving to bat away a 30-yard drive headed for the left corner.
Evens had a bit of luck on his side in the 16th minute. He batted away a cutback from Fernandes and Dwyer’s shot from the centre of the box on the rebound went off the crossbar.
Melia had to earn his salary in the 51st minute when Ignacio Piatti made a strong run into the box. Melia managed to get a hand on Piatti’s shot and the ball caromed off the crossbar.
The Impact had another chance on the 76th minute when Oduro scored after a through ball from Marco Donadel, but the play was ruled offsides.
There was some bad news on the injury front prior to the game.
Ballou Tabla, the 18-year-old striker, was supposed to be in the starting 11 in Kansas City, but he suffered an undisclosed injury in the pregame warm-up and was scratched. He was replaced by Oduro, who had some injury problems of his own in the previous week.
And defender Ambroise Oyongo will be returning home to Montreal to meet with the team’s medical staff after suffering what appeared to a right knee injury while playing for Cameroon against Morocco in a qualifying match for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Oyong0 left the game after he fell in the 18th minute. Cameroon won the game 1-0.