Impact need to ‘pounce’ on Loons, Biello says

Expansion club in town for match Montreal must win

It is desperation time for the Montreal Impact.

Sitting five points out of a playoff spot with seven games to go, victory is vital when the Impact plays host to lowly Minnesota United on Saturday (7:30 p.m., TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio).

“It’s definitely a game when we need to be hungry and pounce on them,” coach Mauro Biello said this week.

“It’s an urgency game for us, but it also could set the tone for the games that are coming up.

“We need to take the right approach to this game and the right mentality.”

The Impact (10-11-6) put itself in a hole when it followed up a four-game winning streak by losing three in a row — setbacks at home of 3-1 and 1-0 to Toronto and Chicago respectively, followed by a 1-0 loss last week in New England.

Getting out of it won’t be easy, especially with two games on the road against first-place Toronto remaining, including one next week at BMO Field. Only three of Montreal’s last seven matches are at home.

But if there is such a thing as easy points in Major League Soccer, they should come against Minnesota (7-15-5).

The expansion club sits 10th in the 11-team Western Conference and will be playing for the second time in four days after a 3-0 loss Wednesday to the Whitecaps in Vancouver.

Playing at Saputo Stadium, with a mostly healthy team and plenty of motivation, is all in Montreal’s favour.

And anything other than a win would pretty much end hopes of a fourth trip to the playoffs in the club’s six MLS seasons.

Minnesota is 1-9-2 on the road this season, the lone victory a 2-1 decision on Aug. 26 in Chicago. The Loons have conceded a leaguehigh 56 goals in 27 games. Their first two MLS games were setbacks of 5-1 and 6-1, and they have surrendered four or more goals four times.

Montreal is without forward Matteo Mancosu, who will miss a second game with a broken hand, while forward Ballou Tabla should be available after dealing with flulike symptoms this week.