No two draws are alike. After a somewhat disappointing 1-1 finish against D.C. United at Stade Saputo just a week ago, Montreal took a flight towards the Rockies, more precisely Utah, to visit Rio Tinto Stadium, where the advantage of being at home is more pronounced, and where Real Salt Lake boasts the league’s best record for the past year.
Montreal proved it had character Saturday night. Despite a questionable – and certainly frustrating – penalty call by referee Chris Penso, which allowed the home team to take an early lead, the Bleu-blanc-noir continued to fight, notably thanks to Evan Bush’s saves, and eventually took the front foot in the second half, coming close to scoring again following Jukka Raitala’s stunning strike, nominated for MLS Goal of the Week, without finding the key to all three points. Here are you advanced stats:
Daniel Lovitz: 17 successful passes, including 4 in the final third, for a 68% success rate, 5 duels won, 1 tackle won, 6 interceptions, 3 clearances, 3 recoveries, 3 aerial duels won, 42 touches.
Saphir Taïder: 2 shot attempts, 36 successful passes, including 10 in the final third, for an 82% success rate, 1 chance created, 2 successful crosses, 2 dribbles completed, 6 duels won, 1 tackle won, 1 interception, 1 clearance, 6 recoveries, 1 aerial duel won, 2 fouls suffered, 64 touches.
Samuel Piette: 38 successful passes, including 8 in the final third, for a 93% success rate, 2 chances created, 2 duels won, 1 interception, 1 clearance, 6 recoveries, 2 aerial duels won, 47 touches.
Evan Bush: 1st in MLS with 105 saves this season (new club record), 5th in MLS with 7 clean sheets.
