Bleu-blanc-noir takes 15 shots in third straight game
After struggling offensively for a period in 2018, the Impact seems to have found its bearings in attack over its last three games. It started when the Bleu-blanc-noir put three goals past the New York Red Bulls at Stade Saputo, followed by the team scoring four at Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia just a week later. 30 shots were taken through those games.
Things weren’t much different last Saturday against New York City FC. The Impact tried 15 shots, but this time managed just four on target, including Micheal Azira’s game-tying goal.
Looking back, Montreal’s players know that a little more poise in front of goal last Saturday may have given them all three points against a tough Eastern opponent.
“There was a little bit of disappointment in the dressing room after the game,” said head coach Rémi Garde. “In the second half especially, more than a lack of finishing, we made the wrong choices. We would lose the balls we would recover too quickly. We didn’t manage to create enough problems, and we weren’t judicious with our choices in their half.”
Still, the Impact can rejoice from the fact that it has now come back after conceding the first goal in two consecutive games, bringing its unbeaten streak to three, including two wins. The Bleu-blanc-noir has now lost just once in the past seven games.
The fact that there was still a sense of disappointment in the locker room shows how far this team has come since the beginning of the season.
“I think it’s a good development for us to be disappointed after a game like this,” said defender Daniel Lovitz. “We genuinely weren’t happy not winning against them, and that’s a team that’s been on top of the Eastern Conference standings for as long as I can remember. It’s a good sign for us in terms of where we’re going.”
The point leaves the Impact in somewhat of a precarious situation. Now at 40 points, the Impact’s closest pursuer, D.C. United, remains five points away but with two games in hand. But the playoff picture will become much clearer when these two teams face off at Audi Field this Saturday (TVA Sports), in what is quickly becoming the game of the year for both sides.
But the most important thing for the Impact: they remain in control.
“Our next games will be the most important ones,” added Garde. “We have to be ready for them, but we have a lot of experience on this team. But the most important aspect for me is that we have our destiny in our own hands.”
