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HARRISON, New Jersey – Undefeated in its last two road games, the Montreal Impact will walk into Red Bull Arena this Saturday to take on New York Red Bulls at 7pm (pregame show at 6:30pm on TVA Sports 2 & TSN Radio 690) for another crucial game in the road to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
“We’re approaching the last games of the season one at a time,” said Impact head coach Mauro Biello. “New York is a challenging team with the pressure that they put on opponents, and we have to find ways to beat that pressure. We have to step up against good teams. We must be ready for anything, and we must follow our collective principles.”
Looking for a first win in Harrison
After a win in Toronto and a draw in Philadelphia, the Bleu-blanc-noir is determined to clinch three points for the very first time at Red Bull Arena, where it has suffered six losses in seven tries in all competitions.
“Our team has risen to challenges in the past, and it can do it again,” said goalkeeper Evan Bush. “We find ways to grind out results. We’re going to put ourselves in a position to string good results together, taking it one game at a time. And New York is a big game for us.”
The Impact will want to shore things up defensively, but the team can also count on productive individuals on the attacking front. Nacho Piatti, tied with New York’s Bradley Wright-Phillips for the league lead in away goals scored, makes up a scorching partnership with Didier Drogba (24 tallies). These two are only one goal away from tying the most productive pair in Impact history; in 2013, Marco Di Vaio and Felipe had combined for 25 goals. Drogba also became the first-ever Montreal player to score 10 goals in consecutive seasons with a penalty kick goal last Saturday against the Revolution.
Goalkeeper Evan Bush could play his 75th MLS regular season game, this Saturday in Harrison. The American keeper only needs 11 saves to reach 250 regular season stops.
Some struggles for New York despite prolific run
While they are unbeaten in their last 15 games in all competitions, the Red Bulls threw away two-goal leads and settled for ties five times during this stretch. Good results still led New York to second place in the Eastern Conference, two points from the top.
“The Red Bulls are a tough team to play at home because of how they press and feed off their crowd’s energy,” said midfielder Harry Shipp. “They try to break you down early by overwhelming you. But we’re going to be ready for that, and we’re going to be patient over the course of the game.”
The Bleu-blanc-noir’s record against the Red Bulls stands at three wins, seven losses and two ties.
Following game
The Impact will return to Stade Saputo this Wednesday, September 28, to take on the San Jose Earthquakes (TVA Sports, 985sports.ca & TSN Radio 690). Excellent individual tickets are still available for this game on impactmontreal.com. As students return to class, those aged 18 and older may take advantage of the Campus IMFC promo: one match ticket, one jumbo hot-dog and one beer for 25$ – a 50% discount on the regular price for these items.
