Down a player again, fall 4-1 to Union

Short one man for the third consecutive game, the Impact proved no match for the Philadelphia Union, drubbed 4-1 Sunday night at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

Montreal striker Romell Quioto, who opened the scoring five minutes into the match, was ejected in the 16th minute.

Kacper Przybylko paced Philadelphia with a brace, giving him seven goals this season. Alejandro Bedoya and Anthony Fontana also scored for the Union, which improved to 7-2-3.

The contest was the first the Impact will play in the next eight days, all against American opponents and all in the U.S., as Montreal is prohibited from hosting games at Saputo Stadium.

It also marked the first of 12 contests the Impact will play in this final phase of the Major League Soccer schedule.

Montreal lost its second consecutive match, its record dipping below the .500 mark at 5-6-1.

The Impact made two changes to its starting 11. Bojan made his first start since Montreal was eliminated by Orlando City in the round of 16 at the MLS is Back tournament in Florida, while defender Joel Waterman started in place of the suspended Rudy Camacho.

Although the Impact, which was considered the home team for this match, was playing its fourth game in 11 days, it opened the scoring off Quioto's free kick from distance.

The ball skipped off the turf once and eluded goalkeeper André Blake to his left. It was Quioto's team-leading sixth goal this season and it marked the first time Montreal has scored on a direct freekick shot in over two years.

It also marked the third consecutive contest in which Quioto has found the back of the net.

But all that mattered little in the 16th, after Quioto's ill-advised and senseless elbow to the face of Mark Mckenzie. Quioto originally was assessed a yellow caution by referee Marcos de Oliveira.

It appeared originally Quioto might escape a more serious infraction, but when the incident was reviewed, it was immediately upgraded to a red.

Not only was the Impact down to 10 men with nearly 75 minutes remaining, it also lost its more legitimate offensive threat.

The Union tied the game in the 22nd. Andrew Wooten's long cross went over everyone, including Montreal captain Jukka Raitala, who displayed bad judgment. Bedoya beat 'keeper Clément Diop, but not before the play was reviewed, the Impact believing Wooten guilty of a hand ball.

Short a man, the Impact was playing a disciplined defensive game and appeared headed to the intermission deadlocked. But in stoppage time, Przbylko converted Matthew Real's long cross, heading the ball past Diop.

The Union wasted little time in the second half before taking a commanding 3-1 lead. Only two minutes in, Brenden Aaronson got past Waterman. He crossed the ball to Przbylko — and past a sliding Raitala — for an easy score.

Six minutes later, Waterman was replaced by Karifa Yao.

But the goals kept coming. In the 65th, second-half substitute Anthony Fontana, who nearly scored 11 minutes earlier, connected on a right-footed rocket from outside the box, beating Diop low to his right, making it 4-1.