New York Red Bulls defender Kemar Lawrence, left, heads the ball away form Montreal Impact forward Dominic Oduro during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 3, 2017, in Montreal. Photo Credit: The Canadian Press via AP Paul Chiasson
Montreal Impact 1 – 0 New York Red Bulls
On a mild, humid Saturday the New York Red Bulls traveled north of the border to take on Eastern Conference rivals Montreal Impact. In a heated rematch of the 2016 playoff series which saw the Red Bulls left slaughtered by the Impact, New York would be looking for sweet revenge.
As expected, the match started with charging physical intensity seeing both sides attempt to unnerve and overcome their opposition. Early on New York looked as if it were poised to draw first blood. In the fifth minute Red Bull right back Amir Murillo delivered a precise cross to the feet of Bradley Wright-Phillips who, despite getting a perfect touch to the ball, had his shot saved by Evan Bush.
The ever vigilant Luis Robles was quick to answer questions presented to him, as he came off his line on two separate occasions to deny Montreal’s service. Yet Robles’ heroics came at a price as he collided with center back Aaron Long, leaving the rookie defender down for a protracted period of time. Despite the knock, Long returned to action showing why he is arguably New York’s most reliable player thus far in the season.
Montreal’s Blerim Dzemaili, currently on loan from Italian side Bologna, made space for himself inside New York’s penalty area in the 30th minute and delivered a composed shot which rocketed past Luis Robles. Dezemaili’s jubilation would be short lived as referee Mark Geiger cancelled out the Impact’s strike. While the exact reasoning for the cancelled goal is unclear, it boils down to either winger Dominic Oduro’s touch of the ball in an offside position or his obstruction of Robles’ line of sight while offside.
For much of the first half, New York would enjoy more possession yet to little end as the team failed to create many clear cut chances. The summary of the Red Bulls on the road until this point has been a sheer lack of creativity on the offensive end.
The evident lack of creative spark was more prevalent in the second half. Despite an even nil-nil scoreline, New York looked as if it had resigned itself to defeat.
¡Blerim Džemaili convierte para #IMFC!!!! #MTLvNY 1-0 pic.twitter.com/znZVLO1yPO
— Fútbol MLS (@futbolMLS) June 4, 2017
Dzemaili would strike again in the second half but this time, his efforts were rewarded with a goal. After Montreal earned a free kick from a foul on captain Patrice Bernier, the Impact took their set piece quickly by playing the ball wide to midfielder Ignacio Piatti. Stunned from the restart, the Red Bulls failed to catch up to Piatti who played a magnificent ball to Dzemaili. Unmarked, Dzemaili launched the ball past Robles to put Montreal up.
While New York was able to salvage significant position late in the second half, their attacking efforts looked dull as playmaker Sacha Kljestan was often more adept at surrendering the ball to the Impact than orchestrating an attack. The loss marks New York’s sixth consecutive road defeat in 2017.
New York will not return to action until June 14th when they play New York City FC in the US Open cup. With close to two weeks off, the team will have time to assess itself and remedy the issues afflicting the personalities in the locker room.
Scoring Summary:
67′ MTL: Blerim Dzemaili, assisted by Ignacio Piatti
Disciplinary Summary:
41′ RBNY: Kemar Lawrence, yellow
57′ MTL: Blerim Dzemaili, yellow
75′ MTL: Patrice Bernier, yellow
80′ MTL: Daniel Lovitz, yellow
Starting Lineup:
MTL: Bush, Oyongo, Fisher, Ciman, Duvall, Piatti, Dzemaili (89′ Cabrera), Donadel, Bernier, Oduro (70′ Lovitz), Jackson-Hamel (77′ DePuy)
RBNY: Robles, Lawrence, Long, Perrinelle, Murillo, Felipe, Davis (75′ Gulbrandsen), Grella (75′ Veron), Kljestan, Royer (69′ Muyl), Wright-Phillips
