Impact coach seeing red over loss to Fire
A controversial red card to newcomer Deian Boldor may have been the difference Saturday night as the Impact missed a chance to pick up some ground in the MLS Eastern Conference playoff race, losing 1-0 to the struggling Chicago Fire at Saputo Stadium.
The Impact had to play a man short after defender Boldor was ejected for a hit on Chicago star Bastian Schweinsteiger in the 50th minute.
Boldor, a Romanian who was making his first appearance for the Impact after being acquired on loan from Bologna, was originally handed a yellow card by referee Baldomero Toledo, but the penalty was upgraded to a red card after a review through the video assistant referee system, which was introduced on Aug. 5
“I never talk about the referee, but I’ve never had a red card before,” Boldor said.
“I didn’t know what was happening. I saw the yellow card, and then they told me I had a red card. I’m disappointed because it cost my team a chance to win.”
That’s the way Impact coach Mauro Biello assessed the situation.
“I thought we were playing a good game, and then everything changed with the red card,” Biello said. “The referee on the field called for a yellow card. The review is supposed to be to correct obvious mistakes, but I’ve looked at the play from different angles, and I didn’t see anything that warranted a red card. I’ve seen tackles like that which didn’t get a yellow card.”
While Biello questioned the amount of contact, Schweinsteiger was writhing in pain after the hit by Boldor, and there were visible marks on his right calf that suggested Boldor might have come in high with his cleats.
But the former German international made a rapid recovery to give the Fire a 1-0 lead in the 59th minute. Matt Polster made a good run along the end line to the left of goalkeeper Evan Bush and threaded a pass to Schweinsteiger who was stationed just outside the six-yard box.
Boldor made his first start because Biello lost six players, including three starters, to international duties. Blerim Dzemaili (Switzerland) and Laurent Ciman (Belgium) were in Europe for 2018 World Cup qualifiers while Anthony Jackson-Hamel and Samuel Piette were among four players in Toronto for Saturday’s friendly between Canada and Jamaica.
Jackson-Hamel had a goal and an assist in Canada’s 2-0 victory.
Despite playing shorthanded, the Impact came close to salvaging a draw in the 80th minute when Ignacio Piatti created some room at the top of the box. He unleashed a low drive to the right of Chicago goalkeeper Matt Lampson, but the ball hit the post. Piatti had another opportunity as time ran down at the end of the game, but he had to hurry a shot from the top of the box and he shot directly at Lampson.
Still on the subject of time running down, the Impact remains in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They’re tied in points with sixth place Atlanta United at 36, but the expansion club has played two fewer games.
The Impact have eight games remaining and five of those are on the road, including two games against league-leading Toronto FC.
Chicago, which had picked up only three points in its previous seven games, moved into third place in the Eastern Conference with 44 points.
The Impact travels to Foxborough next Saturday to play the New England Revolution and return to Saputo Stadium on Sept. 16 to play Minnesota United.