“The objective since the beginning was to make the playoffs and that is what we have done,” said Impact head coach John Limniatis. “It was not easy tonight but we were well organized and we respected the game plan until the end. We created a few openings in the first half but in the second half, we took advantage of our scoring chances. Now we cannot stop here and we have to continue to move up in the standings. We don’t want to relax because we also want the field advantage.”
After a first half with few scoring chances, the game opened up in the second half. Midfielders Tony Donatelli (59th minute) and Antonio Ribeiro (70th minute) scored for the Impact, while Youssouf Kante scored the only goal for the Sounders (62nd minute).
Donatelli scored his fourth goal of the season at the 59th minute, after deflecting with a header a centering pass on the far post from Joey Gjertsen, which was coming from the left wing.
Then, at the 62nd minute, Sounders midfielder Youssouf Kante scored the tying goal by recovering his own rebound after a first shot that was stopped by defender Alex Surprenant, beating Weber with a low shot to his right.
Ribeiro, who was starting his third game this season, scored the game-winning goal after completing midfielder Tony Donatelli’s play. Left alone on the left wing, Ribeiro scored in an empty net, after goalkeeper Chris Eylander went after Donatelli and a Sounders defender tried to clear the ball.
“It was a fantastic effort from the whole team because we wanted the win really bad,” said defender Adam Braz, who was playing his 100th career game with the Impact. “It was really tough tonight because they are a good team. They moved the ball well but we stayed compact. It was important to clinch the playoffs with three games to play to rest a few guys and have less pressure on us.”
Goalkeeper Andrew Weber, who started his fourth game of the campaign, registered his second victory.
“It was a 90-minute battle because they were well organized,” said Weber. “We had great opportunities in the second half and we scored two great goals. It was an awesome team performance tonight and I’m really proud of my teammates.”
The Montreal Impact, which has now a 7-2-1 record in its last 10 regular season games, is now ranked third in the USL First Division standings with 41 points, one point in front of Rochester.
Defender Nevio Pizzolitto served his third and last game of a three-game suspension, while Roberto Brown, Cédric Joqueviel, Gabriel Gervais, Patrick Leduc, Mauro Biello and Rocco Placentino, all injured, were also out of the line-up.
The Impact will play its second game on the west coast Saturday against the Vancouver Whitecaps (10 pm, USLlive.com). Montreal will play its next game at Saputo Stadium, Wednesday, September 17 against Joe Public FC (Trinidad & Tobago), in its first group stage game of the CONCACAF Champions League.
HIGHLIGHTS
6th minute – After accepting a short pass from Joey Gjertsen, Impact midfielder Pato Aguilera took a hard low shot from 20 meters out that went just left of Seattle’s net.
45th minute – Sounders midfielder Leighton O’Brien took a 30-meter free kick that forward Roger Levesque, posted far in the Impact surface, deflected with a header just over the net.
55th minute – On the goal line on the left of the Impact net, Sounders midfielder Josh Gardner centered the ball to O’Brien, who deflected the ball, grazing the right post.
GAME SUMMARY
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Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 227)
