The Impact is to “play with the energy of despair”

Photo: Graham Hughes The canadian Press
The Impact has a record of 1-5-0 in its last six outings.

All these lost points at home earlier in the season, the Montreal Impact has lost control of its destiny.

The Impact (11-13-6), therefore, must now find a way to defeat the New York City FC (15-8-7), Wednesday evening at Saputo stadium, and then get help from the D. C. United in order to become one of the teams that will participate in the playoffs, as we approach the final sprint in the regular season.

Montreal is three points of sixth place and a potential participation in the series. At the same time, the team it’s chasing, the Red Bulls of New York, will play a match supposedly easy at home against d.c. United, last in the standings.

“We can say that this team needs to do this or that, but we need to focus on ourselves,” said defender Kyle Fisher. You have to play with the energy of despair. “

The Impact deserves the blame for three games in particular this season : the opener, when he squandered a lead of 2-0 to be content with a tie of 2-2 in the face of Seattle, and two losses by scores of 3-2 against Columbus and Minnesota for the following purposes late and inexcusable inscribed on the counter-attack.

With four matches to play, the Impact is in danger of missing the playoffs, a year after a spectacular breakthrough up to the final of the Association Is.

“It is so difficult today because of the parity in this league, said head coach Mauro Biello. This is not like the big teams in Europe against which you are guaranteed to lose in presenting you in their stadium. You will have seen that we managed to collect three points against Toronto. It can happen anywhere in the league. That may change quickly. What matters are the matches that come. We need to collect points and hope to get a little help to qualify us. “

The Impact has a record of 1-5-0 in its last six outings and has lost its last three home games. The only positive note was the surprising victory of 5-3, in Toronto last week, which was followed by a defeat of 2-0 to Atlanta on Sunday.

The NYC also has a hollow wave, with a record of 1-1-3 in its last five meetings and a harvest of only four goals during this period.

A gain from the Impact would put an end, practically, to the hopes of the New York City FC to catch up with Toronto in the fight for the championship of the regular season. And training new york must also be concerned about Atlanta, third in the East, because only the top two teams from each association are excluded from the first round and the match-suicide.

Fatigue factor

The NYC will be a tough opponent, despite the doubts about the state of health of star player David Villa. The troop of coach Patrick Viera is a reliable defensive and displays a solid track record of 5-6-3 abroad.

“It is a team always well-structured and difficult to outsmart defensively,” said Biello. And it has two or three players who can change the game at any moment in a match. “

“This is a club that has rarely been dominated largely abroad [with the exception of a reverse of 4-0 to Toronto in July], has also raised Biello. We are going to have to keep in check and we will need the pace that we displayed against Toronto, where we repérions players between the lines, to use our wingers and the whole of the playing surface and completions of our games. When we are able to play well, we’re a team hard to play against. “

The fatigue could also be a factor. The Impact is in the middle of a sequence during which she raced four games in eleven days. After the NYC, the troupe of montreal will travel to Colorado for a duel at high altitude, on Saturday.

Biello will have to make use of its reservists. Fisher will be back after an injury to an ischio-tibialis, and may even initiate the encounter. Midfielder Marco Donadel could also take its place in training after having missed a match.

“The guys who have not played could get a chance, said Biello. It is an opportunity to do this. “