March 5, 2009
Curse the day that the Impact and Carlos Darwin Quintero crossed paths. After a sensational 2-0 win in Montreal on February 25, the Bleu-blanc-noir is leading 4-1 on aggregate at Estadio Corona in Torreón, Mexico, at halftime of the return leg of its CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series against Santos Laguna. With goals from Roberto Brown and Eddie Sebrango – again! – the Impact doesn’t just have a foot in the semis; it’s closing the door on Santos. Matías Vuoso manages to pull two back before the last quarter-hour, but even at 4-3, the Impact’s holding on, right? Alas, in stoppage time, Darwin Quintero forces his way into the Montreal sports folklore, his two goals allowing Santos Laguna to clinch a semifinal berth. When the team lands back in Montreal, head coach John Limniatis remains philosophical when he meets the media, among them La Presse: “We got to the bridge, but we never managed to cross the river.”
March 10, 1998
Mauro Biello’s timing is impeccable. Just ask the Milwaukee Wave. That night of March, in front of 2,069 fans at the Molson Centre, only a minute remains before full time when Biello tallies the game-winner, and the Impact beats its visitors from Wisconsin, 13-10. Number four is a theme: midfielder Adolfo Mella scores four, Biello’s game-winning strike is his fourth of the season, and the Impact picks up a fourth straight win over the Wave.
