Sports stats



MLS Club de Foot Montreal

Impact Visits D.C. United in Washington Saturday Night

September 28, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club de Foot Montreal News Release


WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Montreal Impact will visit the American capital to take on D.C. United, this Saturday at 7pm, for the first time ever at Audi Field, in a matchup with enormous playoff implications for both teams. The game will be broadcast live on TVA Sports.

"We all know it's a huge game," said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. "It'll be important to continue working collectively. We've done that well for quite some time, and the team now has a certain solidity that it didn't have in the beginning of the season. We were successful in finding it, and I think for a game like this, it will be essential for us to repeat those situations and that behaviour."

Playoff implications in Washington

This will be the second meeting of the year between both sides, the two having fought to a 1-1 draw on August 4 at Stade Saputo earlier this year. In an offensive performance for both sides, Yamil Asad had levelled late for the visitors after striker Matteo Mancosu had opened the scoring early for Montreal.

This time, the result coming out of Washington will have huge implications in the Eastern Conference standings. The Montreal Impact, sitting in the sixth and last playoff spot with 40 points, is five points in front of D.C. United in the standings, but with two more games played.

A win against Wayne Rooney and his teammates would put the Bleu-blanc-noir in a comfortable position, eight points up with three games remaining, while a loss will bring the Washington team within arm's reach of the Bleu-blanc-noir.

"I don't think we should put to much pressure on ourselves," said midfielder Samuel Piette. "There's pressure, because we know a favourable result would put us in a good position to qualify for the postseason. At the same time, D.C. is under the same pressure, maybe even a little more, because one misstep for them seriously hinders their chances."

Maintaining good form

The Impact has been in a good spell as of late, going unbeaten in its last three games, including two wins, scoring eight goals and conceding just once in that period, all against teams higher than them in the standings. All in all, in its last seven games, the Bleu-blanc-noir has just one loss.

This streak has allowed Rémi Garde's men to maintain the sixth and last playoff spot in the Easter Conference while keeping the Black and Red firmly behind them in the standings. But D.C. United has been on a good run of its own as of late, going unbeaten in its last four games, and losing just twice in its last 11 games.

Ben Olsen's men will also be rested for its matchup against Montreal, having last played two weeks ago, on September 8, in a 3-3 draw against the New York Red Bulls.

"In this league, you have to take care of your business. You can't necessarily rely on too many other results," said goalkeeper Evan Bush. "I think we've put ourselves in a position now where we control our own destiny, and D.C. would say the same, and it's true. The winner of this game will continue to hold its own destiny, while the loser will need some help going forward. For us, we're going into it with a lot of confidence. We're going to play our game and enjoy the opportunity at hand."

Upcoming games

The Impact will be back home to take on the Columbus Crew SC at Stade Saputo on Saturday, October 6, at 3pm (TVA Sports, TSN, 98.5fm, TSN Radio 690). The team will then have a bye week for the international break, before hosting its biggest rival, Toronto FC, at Stade Saputo, on Sunday, October 21, at 3pm (TVA Sports, TSN, 98.5fm, TSN Radio 690). Excellent tickets remain available on impactmontreal.com.

Check out the Club de Foot Montreal Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from September 28, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central