Remembering our best wins over our New York rival
If you think of the Montreal Impact’s rivals, obviously Toronto FC is the first team to come to mind. But since the Bleu-blanc-noir joined MLS in 2012, a rivalry has been built with another opponent, the New York Red Bulls, whom the Impact will be hosting at Stade Saputo this Saturday, September 1, at 7:30pm (TICKETS – TVA Sports, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690).
It’s only natural for a certain animosity to have been formed between the two MLS clubs. After all, the distance separating both cities is not that great, meaning the teams face each other often. Both sides have earned their fair share of positive and negative results against each other over the years. But most importantly, they battled through a home and away playoff series in 2016, with the Bleu-blanc-noir eventually coming out on top.
Nothing builds a rivalry more than the playoffs.
With another important matchup against the New York team coming up, which promises to be very entertaining considering the playoff implications surrounding it, here are the top five Impact victories against the Red Bulls.
March 23, 2013
Impact 1-0 Red Bulls
Olympic Stadium
MLS regular season
The Impact was on fire to start the 2013 season, earning wins in its first four games in the club’s second MLS season. That fourth and last win was against the New York Red Bulls, who ended up finishing first in the Eastern Conference that year, while the Impact qualified for the postseason for the first time in MLS.
It was Italian striker Marco Di Vaio who got the home team on the board early in this one with his second career goal against the New York team, assisted by former captain Patrice Bernier.
But the biggest highlight was former Impact defender Karl W. Ouimette making his first ever start with the club, which also marked the first time an Academy product featured in the team’s starting 11, an important milestone in the history of the Montreal Impact Academy.
September 17, 2014
Impact 1-0 Red Bulls
Concacaf Champions League
Stade Saputo
We all remember Montreal’s magical run to the Concacaf Champions League final, which culminated in a loss to Club América, 5-3 over two legs. The Montreal team had put on quite a run that year, coming close to becoming the first Canadian team to win a Champions League final.
That run began late in 2014, during the group stage, when the Impact was placed in a group with Salvadoran side Club Deportivo Futbolistas, and of course, the New York Red Bulls, with the first team in each group qualifying for the next round.
After back-to-back wins against the Salvadoran side, the Impact hosted the Red Bulls and beat them 1-0 at Stade Saputo, and yes, it was Marco Di Vaio who scored the winning goal. It was a huge win when looking at the bigger picture; the win allowed the Impact to go 3-0 in its group, cementing its place in the next round despite having another game left to play, and salvaged what was a season to forget in MLS.
July 28, 2012
Impact 3-1 Red Bulls
Stade Saputo
MLS regular season
We take a trip down memory lane to the club’s first ever season in MLS. Montreal finished seventh in the East that year, 11 points behind the Houston Dynamo and the last playoff spot.
The Impact had already played the Red Bulls earlier in the year in New York, where the team suffered its first MLS loss at Red Bull Arena. But when the New York team visited Montreal for the first time, the tables turned, and quickly.
This 3-1 victory from the Montreal team is one that will be etched in the club’s history books for a very long time. First off, it was the first sell-out crowd at Stade Saputo since it had been renovated in preparation for the MLS season. It also marks the first MLS goal scored by the Bleu-blanc-noir’s first ever Designated Player, Marco Di Vaio, whose finish ended up being the game-winning goal.
Legendary French striker Thierry Henry scored the lone goal for the visitors in the game, which also marks the only goal he’s ever scored at Stade Saputo.
October 30, 2016
1-0
Stade Saputo
MLS Cup playoffs – Eastern Conference semifinals first leg
You probably already knew which two games were going to close out this top 5, especially from an Impact perspective. Let’s start with the first leg at Stade Saputo, where this happened.
The game would finish 1-0, giving Montreal a slight advantage going into Red Bull Arena a week later. But most importantly, the Impact was going into New York without having allowed a goal at home, which proved to be crucial in the end.
It’s all made more impressive when you consider the opposition; the Red Bulls were unbeaten through 20 games in all competitions before that semifinals first leg, a streak that started on July 3, and had tallied the second-most goals in MLS that year, trailing only their neighbour, New York City FC, by one goal.
Obviously, a 1-0 win in the first leg is a good result, but hardly a decisive victory. It was still anyone’s to take in the second leg…
November 6, 2016
2-1
Red Bull Arena
MLS Cup playoffs – Eastern Conference semifinals second leg
A week later, in leg two of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Montreal Impact went into New York hoping to repeat the result it managed at Stade Saputo. But the Impact had never won a game at Red Bull Arena, and to this day, the Montreal team remains without a point in that stadium during the regular season.
The Impact’s task was monumental: manage a tie or win against the first placed team in the East, in a place they lost in just twice in 2016.
One Red Bull goal and it would be a brand-new matchup. And then this happens.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it was one of Evan Bush’s biggest ever saves.
Who else but Ignacio Piatti to score the all-important away goal at the start of the second half with one of his nicest goals in an Impact uniform. The Argentine sensation would also score the second one to seal the win after New York tied the game. And that, my friends, is how you drop the mic – Nacho style.
With the win, the Montreal Impact became the first Canadian team to ever qualify for a conference final in MLS, followed very closely by Toronto FC, whom they would face in the next round. No need to go down that road…
