IMPACT BLOW EARLY LEAD

‘We became spectators’: Garde

The Impact let one get away Saturday night as DC United came from behind to earn a 1-1 tie in MLS action at Saputo Stadium.

“After we scored the first goal, we became spectators,” said coach Rémi Garde. “We didn’t respect the game and when you don’t respect the game, you get punished.”

The Impact grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute when Matteo Mancosu scored his third goal of the season. Ignacio Piatti’s shot from inside the box deflected off DC United defender Kofi Opare and ricocheted to Mancosu, who had his back to the goal. He pivoted to his right and tucked a shot under the crossbar before goalkeeper David Ousted could respond.

Alejandro Silva came close to giving Montreal a 2-0 lead in the seventh minute when he took a pass from Piatti and made a strong run from midfield. He worked his way into the box and eluded the lone defender before hitting the far post.

The Impact appeared to make a tactical error in the second half as they attempted to sit on their lead. Evan Bush had to go vertical to push a bouncing shot from

You think it’s going to easy, but there’s not much difference between the teams at the bottom and the teams at the top.

Wayne Rooney over the crossbar in the 62nd minute, but Yamil Asad tied the score when he counted his ninth goal of the season in the 70th minute.

“I think we were a bit naive,” Bush said. “We were playing a team at the bottom of the table, and if you don’t know this league, you think it’s going to easy, but there’s not much difference between the teams at the bottom and the teams at the top.

“(DC United coach Ben) Olsen is known for teams that don’t quit and now that they have some quality up front, they’re dangerous.”

This was a key game for the Impact, who sit on the bubble in the MLS Eastern Conference playoff race.

“This was a game where we needed three points,” said midfielder Samuel Piette. “At the end of the season, the one point we picked up may be the point we need to put us over the top, but the two points we didn’t get might mean the difference if we miss the playoffs.”

The game marked Rooney ’s first MLS appearance in Montreal and the 32-year-old veteran English striker showed why he was the No. 2 goal scorer in Premier League history.

In the first half, he hit a post with a free kick. He had six of DC United’s 19 shots and two of their five shots on target.