The Montreal Impact fell to Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on the road Saturday night, at Sporting Park. Nacho Piatti scored his sixth of the season in the loss.
“The first two mental mistakes cost us the game,” said head coach Frank Klopas. “We pushed in the second half. If you look at the general performance of the team, we played a good game.”
The first mistake came when an Impact player slipped and fell in front of the 18-yard box in the 4th minute. Midfielder Roger Espinoza played Krisztian Nemeth into the box after he won the ball. The Hungarian international then found all-star Benny Feilhaber with a quick ball and the American used one touch to the inside before beating Evan Bush to his left.
“We had a slow start and they capitalized on our mistakes on their two goals,’’ said Dilly Duka. “We need to be a better away team and play like an away team.’’
The second came on a lost ball at the midfield circle that turned into a quick counter attack started by Feilhaber, who sent forward Dom Dwyer in alone on goal, blasting it low past a charging Evan Bush in the 34th minute.
In a much better second half for the Impact, Ignacio Piatti got one back in the 59th minute after Calum Mallace played a long ball to the Argentine down the left flank. Nacho beat his defender and then cut into the box, placing a low shot far side for his team-leading marker.
Bush, making his 50th career start in an Impact uniform since originally joining the club in the NASL, kept his team in it with spectacular back-to-back saves on Dwyer in the 42nd minute, after the Englishman hammered both attempts from in close within a matter of seconds.
Other highlights
IMFC found a few chances in the first half, but couldn’t break through. Mallace struck one from long distance 10 minutes in, but the low drive went just wide of the far post. In the 32nd minute, Nacho lobbed a ball for Oduro on the run, but the Ghanaian’s chip past the keeper just missed short side.
The second half started with a Laurent Ciman strike from 30 yards out that had the distance and strength, but went just wide.
The Impact plays its next game on July 25, at home against the Seattle Sounders FC at 8pm, at Stade Saputo. (Tickets: ticketmaster.ca).
LINEUPS
MTL – GK – Evan Bush; D – Victor Cabrera, Donny Toia, Ambroise Oyongo, Laurent Ciman; M – Dilly Duka (Maxim Tissot 84’), Ignacio Paltti, Calum Mallace (Nigel Reo-Coker 68’), Marco Donadel, Andrés Romero; F - Dominic Oduro (Anthony Jackson-Hamel 74’)
Subs not used: GK – Eric Kronberg, D – Eric Miller, Wandrille Lefèvre, M – Patrice Bernier
SKC – GK – Tim Melia; D – Amadou Dia, Matt Besler, Saad Abdul-Salaam, Kevin Ellis; M – Soni Mustivar, Benny Feilhaber (Paulo Nagamura 74’), Roger Espinoza, Krisztian Nemeth (Hallisey 63’); F – Dominic Dwyer, Jacob Peterson (Chance Myers 79’)
Subs not used: GK – Jon Kempin, D – Eric Palmer-Brown, Marcel de Job, M – Servando Carrasco
GOALS
SKC - Benny Feilhaber 4’ (Krisztian Németh, Roger Espinoza)
SKC - Dominic Dwyer 34’ (Benny Feilhaber)
MTL - Ignacio Piatti 59’ (Calum Mallace)
CAUTIONS
MTL - Marco Donadel 84’
