The Philadelphia Union is coming into Montreal on Saturday with the confidence of having bested the Impact at home at PPL Park by a 2-1 score back on July 14.
GOAL: McInerney scores late vs NE
And they did so in dramatic fashion, with the game winner coming in the 91st minute; off the foot of defender Carlos Valdes after he found a loose ball from a long throw in into the box.
A heart wrenching way to lose a game for the Impact, for sure, but the club can take solace in the fact that they are not the only ones to fall at the hands of the Union following late game heroics.
Philadelphia has scored a late goal five times this season to earn at least a point, with four results a win and one a draw. Also, on four of the occasions, the goal came in the 90th minute or later, with the lone marker to be scored before full time coming in the 88th minute.
“It's a confidence builder," said forward Jack McInerney, who scored a goal versus the Impact. “I think it just shows the character of our team. We want to be in the playoffs, and we don't give up until the end of the game."
The Union’s last two wins came on the back of a late score, including the match versus Montreal, as well as last weekend’s matchup versus the New England Revolution at PPL Park, winning 2-1 with a 90th minute score by McInerney.
“It shows that our team has fight,” said defender Sheanon Williams. “It's going to be a fight for the rest of the season. Those are the kind of games that we need to win. Those are games that, maybe at the beginning of the season, they weren't going our way. They're now starting to go our way, so we'll take all of the points we can get."
Ready to battle
The Impact will be ready to host the Union this Saturday at Stade Saputo, where the team is 7-3-2, including five wins in the seven games played at the revamped Stade Saputo.
The Union is just 2-6-1 on the road and will be facing an Impact lineup that includes Alessandro Nesta, and a healthy Nelson Rivas and Matteo Ferrari patrolling the back line, whose experience should make it little more difficult to break down late in the game.
