The Impact battled the Philadelphia Union, as well as the elements, when it made its only trip of the regular season down to PPL Park. Montreal returned with a point following a 2-2 draw in which Ignacio Piatti and former Union player Jack McInerney each netted a goal.
Ignacio Piatti 28’ (1-1)
The goal
The Impact tied up the game before the half-hour mark, when Ignacio Piatti scored his fourth goal of the season. Dominic Oduro was able to get to a Laurent Ciman long ball before his marker and had the ball deflect off his chest towards Dilly Duka. The Impact midfielder headed the ball forward to Piatti. A few good touches and fakes later, Piatti managed to get by five Union players before hitting a low ball into the opposite far corner of the goal
Why it happened
This goal comes from a good mix of short and long possession play. Leading up to the final action, Montreal was in control of possession and was trying to build their way up the pitch. The Impact was able to find some spaces in the Philadelphia defensive block, but couldn’t manage to penetrate beyond the first line of pressure.
Seeing how it couldn’t progress down the flank, the Impact looked to change the point of attack and the ball ultimately found Laurent Ciman. Instead of continuing to play short on the ground, Ciman decided to play a long ball in for Dominic Oduro, who did just enough to get on the end of a rather difficult pass.
Oduro seemed to have got pushed by his marker, but nonetheless was still able to guide his chested ball towards Dilly Duka nearby on the left side. Duka spotted Piatti ahead of him and decided to direct his header pass to the Impact DP.
From here it took a great display of technique and ability for Piatti to find a way to score. His first two touches in order to settle down the ball left him dangerous as he was facing goal. This is where the task became even more difficult. Piatti found himself surrounded by five Philadelphia Union players just a little outside the top of the box.
Piatti was able to beat his opponents as his quick footwork and fake shots enabled him to create just the right amount of space he needed to unload a driven ball to the opposite corner. The Argentine needed to master multiple technical aspects such as a good first touch, good dribbling technique and an accurate strike to pull this off.
Piatti also proved that, like most playmaking midfielders that he can perform well in tight spaces and still create chances. Having players comfortable playing between the opponent’s lines is an asset and allows the team to always be dangerous in these situations.
