The Montreal Impact ranked for the playoff round of the MLS is back tournament through the back door. Cincinnati’s surprise 2-0 victory over the Red Bulls on Wednesday night printed the Impact’s entry ticket to the round of 16.
The Impact qualified as the best third and must now face Orlando City SC, winner of group A, on Saturday night at 8 p.m., in the round of 16.
Orlando may have only been in MLS since 2015, the club has already found a way to be hated by the Impact. Talk to the former trainer, Rémi Garde.
Situation
Let’s just go back to the 2019 season. It’s the third game of the MLS season and the Impact is in Florida. Who would have thought that so early in the season, this game would be the turning point of the Impact’s season?
Despite a convincing 3-1 victory for the Impact, star player Ignacio Piatti is injured. In a sequence not seen by the referee, Ruan literally walks on Piatti’s calf, which twists in pain on the ground.
No consequences for the Brazilian player who should have been kicked out of the match. Worse yet, Piatti later in the match is penalized for diving, and ends up with a fine sent to him by MLS.
Piatti still ends the game with two goals, but the damage is done. We will learn after the game that Piatti has sprained his knee and will miss eight to twelve weeks of play. Eventually, Piatti missed the vast majority of the season, and Rémi Garde lost his job due to the club’s setbacks. Who knows what kind of season the Impact would have experienced with Piatti? Rémi Garde may still be the coach of the Impact today.
Before that same game ended in Orlando, undisputed MLS plague Dom Dwyer pretended to be shot when Zakaria Diallo shoved him in the chest with his hands. Dom Dwyer plays comedy on the ground for several minutes as a melee ensues.
Diallo is sent off, and will also miss the next match, because of a red card.
The continuation of things
Unfortunately, during the return game in Montreal on June 1, without Piatti, the Impact was no match for it, losing 3-0 at home.
This is where we are between the two teams.
The table is therefore set for this meeting where the Impact still has scores to settle against Orlando.
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