Montreal third in the East
Our homecoming felt pretty good, for the players and for the supporters. The nicest day by far since winter’s end allowed the 18,634 supporters present at Stade Saputo to take advantage of this first game on Montreal soil, witnessing a lovely 1-0 Impact victory over the Columbus Crew SC, who were first in the East before this one kicked off. These three points bring Rémi Garde’s men all the way to third in the Eastern Conference, as they grow in confidence game after game. For a third consecutive fixture, our defense has not conceded a goal, and our attack has somewhat turned things around, with 13 shots aimed at Zack Steffen’s goal last Saturday.
Three Impact players were named to the MLS Team of the Week following this crucial win for the club: Rémi Garde is the head coach of the week, while Evan Bush was chosen as the starting goalie. Samuel Piette, on his end, was selected on the bench.
Looking at other results around the Eastern Conference, we quickly realize that the Impact’s win couldn’t have come at a better time. Toronto lost in Seattle, NYCFC dropped points against Minnesota in the brand-new Allianz Field. It’s the same story for Chicago at home against the Whitecaps, and for the Red Bulls, travelling to Kansas, while Orlando, Philadelphia and Cincinnati all lost against opponents from the West. Only D.C. United and Atlanta followed in Montreal’s footsteps and won. Here are your weekly advanced stats:
Samuel Piette: 46 passes completed, including 3 in the final third, for a 90% success rate, 4 duels won, 2 interceptions, 8 recoveries, 64 touches.
Evan Bush: 5 saves, 1 successful ‘keeper sweeping, 24 passes completed, including 1 in the final third, for a 75% success rate, 3 clearances, 45 touches.
Jukka Raitala: 61 passes completed, including 3 in the final third, for a 95% success rate, 1 chance created, 1 duel won, 2 interceptions, 5 clearances, 7 recoveries, 73 touches.
Harry Novillo: 1 goal, 4 shots, 2 on target, 19 passes completed, including 7 in the final third, for a 73% success rate, 1 duel won, 1 interception, 1 clearance, 4 recoveries, 37 touches.
