All four home teams picked up clean sheet wins in the first legs of the MLS Conference Semifinals on Sunday. And the Impact pulled off no small feat in beating the New York Red Bulls by a 1-0 scoreline.
As it snapped New York’s 20-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, the Impact defied the skeptics. The Red Bulls, oft-cited as MLS Cup favourites, seemed unbeatable; this stretch dated back to July 10 and saw the team score at least two goals in 16 of those games.
But one of those teams that didn’t concede twice was the Impact. Not only did the Impact repeat the trick, but it became the first team since the Portland Timbers, on July 10, to actually shut out the Red Bulls.
“We knew what to expect: heavy pressing and the same mentality that they show in every game,” Hassoun Camara said after the game. “We’re all in this together, and we’re going in the same direction. We have a clear idea of what we want to do on the field in spite of adversity. Of course, this was tough, especially on the physical side in the first half, as we had to recover from the game and the travel on Thursday. But we played a really great game today.”
Against a team that wants the ball, even in the opposition’s stadiums – the Red Bulls posted the third-best ball possession rate away from home in MLS this season –, the Impact had a fair share of defending to do.
But most of all, the team was sharp and picked the right moments to get forward. This is a game plan that could certainly yield results for the Bleu-blanc-noir in the away leg on Sunday, November 6, at Red Bull Arena (RDS, TSN, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN, 98,5fm & TSN Radio 690).
“We had to try and keep the ball when we could and move it around a bit,” said team captain Patrice Bernier. “In the first half, that was a bit more difficult. When we started to find openings, they got a bit tired, and we found space. It was a great pass for Matteo – that’s all he asks for. One or two chances, and it’s in. You have to be patient. We’re organized, structured, and able to remain fresh enough on the mental side to go and score.”
