MONTREAL IMPACT vs HOUSTON DYNAMO
STADE SAPUTO, Montreal, Que.
June 23, 2012 (WEEK 16, MLS Game #140)
7:30 p.m. ET (TVA; FS-H/Multimedios)
The Montreal Impact will look to renew their Stade Saputo magic when they play to the Houston Dynamo in the clubs' first-ever Saturday evening in Quebec. The Impact are coming off a long midweek trip to the West Coast, where they dropped a 2-1 decision to Chivas USA. The Dynamo remained unbeaten in their new home, also at midweek, storming back for a 3-3 draw with Toronto FC.
REFEREE: Jose Carlos Rivero. SAR (bench): Chris Strickland; JAR (opposite): Eric Proctor; 4th: Mark Kadlecik
MLS Career: 1 game; FC/gm: 25.0; Y/gm: 6.0; R: 1; pens: 1
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INJURY REPORT:
- MONTREAL IMPACT - OUT: DF Hassoun Camara (R hamstring strain); DF Matteo Ferrari (R quad strain); FW Bernardo Corradi (L knee sprain)
- HOUSTON DYNAMO -- OUT: DF Kofi Sarkodie (R foot sprain); DF Alex Dixon (concussion); MF Calen Carr (L hamstring strain); DF Oscar Recio (concussion); PROBABLE: DF Jermaine Taylor (R hip flexor strain); MF Je-Vaughn Watson (L groin strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
- SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
- SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: MTL: Felipe Martins, Bernardo Corradi, Sanna Nyassi, Tyson Wahl ... HOU: Calen Carr
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME: First meeting.
RETURN MATCHES: 7/21: Houston Dynamo vs. Montreal Impact, 7:30 p.m. CT; 10/6: Houston Dynamo vs. Montreal Impact, 7:30 p.m. CT
Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. MTL: first game ... Jesse Marsch vs. CHV: first game
MONTREAL IMPACT
The Montreal Impact went down to defeat for the third time in four games, falling 2-1 to Chivas USA on Wednesday evening at The Home Depot Center. The Impact are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 15 points from 15 matches.
HIGHLIGHTS: Chivas defend their house in comeback win
LAST MATCH
- Chivas took the lead in the 15th minute. A Cesar Romero corner kick found the boot of Juan Agudelo, whose touch deflected off Alejandro Moreno's thigh for the opening goal.
- But the Impact were even three minutes before the break. Davy Arnaud dashed down the right flank before sending in a cross to the near post that Felipe coolly flicked past Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy.
- But the home side grabbed the winner eight minutes from the end when substitute Jorge Villafana fired in a cross from the left side that Juan Pablo Angel nodded past Montreal goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.
- Impact head coach Jesse Marsch made one change to the team that rolled to a 4-1 victory against Seattle Sounders FC at Stade Saputo. Shavar Thomas came into central defense in place of Matteo Ferrari.
- MONTREAL IMPACT (4-2-3-1): Donovan Ricketts - Zarek Valentin, Shavar Thomas, Nelson Rivas, Jeb Brovsky - Collen Warner, Patrice Bernier (Justin Braun 63) - Davy Arnaud, Felipe Martins, Justin Mapp (Lamar Neagle 81) - Andrew Wenger (Sanna Nyassi 73).
TEAM NEWS
Je me souviens - Brian Ching
- It was the seventh league loss on the road this season for the Impact - tied with Toronto FC for most this season - and came after a cross-country trip at midweek with weekend home games on either side.
- "It burns a little bit more if you travel that far and try to get three points and come away with nothing so I think it's going to be a bitter trip home," said defender Jeb Brovsky. "Luckily we have a short turnaround for Saturday, so we're going to have a chance to redeem ourselves but this one stings a little bit."
- Felipe scored for a second consecutive match and has a goal or an assist in three consecutive matches.
- Said Davy Arnaud, who had his first assist since April 28: "It was a good play by Felipe. He laid it off, and he made a great run to get back in the box. That's a tough finish - he did really well with it."
- The Impact again began with their central midfield triangle with Collen Warner, Patrice Bernier and Felipe, but Marsch made a change before the three-quarter mark when he brought on Justin Braun for Bernier.
- "We felt like having Felipe a little bit deeper might help us win more balls in the midfield, and having one more forward up top would put a little more pressure on their backs, and hopefully help us find a chance," Impact head coach Jesse Marsch said. " ... For the most part, I thought [the subs] were OK, we just didn't manage the game well."
- The Impact allowed a goal from a corner kick for the first time this season, and they have now allowed four goals from crosses.
- "It was an important result for us, and it's a tough one to give up, honestly," midfielder Collen Warner said. "We conceded a goal coming off a corner, and then another one coming off a cross as well, and it was something we'd worked on in training, so it was disappointing."
- Shavar Thomas made his first start since April 28, coming in for an ailing Matteo Ferrari.
- "For me, it's a game that we 100 percent shouldn't lose. We made critical mistakes, we've talked about dealing with set pieces and dealing with crosses, and that's what hurt us," Marsch said. "But for the most part, I felt like that game was under control. I thought we had that under control, and it was going to be a tie, or a win down the stretch. This is what we're still trying to learn, because we've had a lot of games that look like this this year. We feel like we were good enough on the day to get a result, and we wind up somehow giving it away."
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo remained undefeated in league play at BBVA Compass Stadium in a stunning close, coming back from two goals down for a 3-3 draw with Toronto FC on Wednesday evening. The Dynamo are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points from 14 games.
HIGHLIGHTS: Dynamo rally for draw with TFC
LAST MATCH
- Toronto FC took the lead after just 13 minutes. A loose corner was pumped back into the area and eventually fell to Jeremy Hall, who turned and lashed it home. But the home side were level seven minutes later, when Bobby Boswell headed home a Brad Davis corner from the heart of the area.
- Danny Koevermans then put TFC up by two goals before halftime. Freed down the right, Eric Avila drove in a low cross that Koevermans tapped home at the far post for a 22nd-minute lead. Then just before halftime, Koevermans nodded home a cross from Julian de Guzman.
- But the Dynamo began their march back in the 73rd minute. Geoff Cameron hit a long ball over the top to Davis, who weighted a perfect ball into Will Bruin's stride in the area. The striker had time to pick his spot and blast a shot into the right upper corner.
- In the 90th minute, Bruin did it again. Cameron this time hit a pinpoint cross from the right corner that Bruin nodded home from the heart of the 6-yard box to give the home side a share of the points.
- Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made four changes to the team that defeated FC Dallas 2-1 at BBVA Compass Stadium. Andre Hainault came in at right back for Jermaine Taylor, Colin Clark and Luiz Camargo came into the midfield for Calen Carr and Je-Vaughn Watson, and Macoumba Kandji started up top in place of Brian Ching.
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2): Tally Hall - Andre Hainault, Geoff Cameron, Bobby Boswell, Corey Ashe - Colin Clark (Brian Ownby 77), Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo (Je-Vaughn Watson 57), Brad Davis - Will Bruin, Macoumba Kandji (Brian Ching 63).
TEAM NEWS
Houston talk Impact matchup
- The Dynamo are now 3-0-2 in league games in their new stadium. They have a home unbeaten streak overall of 13 MLS games, including games last year at Robertson Stadium, dating back to July 9, 2011.
- "We are still unbeaten at home. I thought the subs came in and gave us a great lift. We were unlucky not to come away with three," said Dynamo boss Dominic Kinnear. "At halftime, one would have been somewhat decent, and I applaud the guys for fighting and being aggressive in the box and understanding the situation."
- After scoring his first goal in Houston this season, following five on the road, vs. FC Dallas at the weekend, Will Bruin added two more to his BBVA Compass Stadium haul.
- "He's got eight goals in 14 games and that's a good clip," Kinnear said. "His season's been great so far and hopefully it continues. I think his aggression and runs are the main things helping him right now."
- It was the second two-goal game this season for Bruin (also netting twice April 28 vs. D.C. United).
- "I hope he keeps scoring goals and the more he gets in the box and around the goal the better it is for us," midfielder Brad Davis said. "It's great to have a big man like him in the box. I knew last year when he came in he would eventually find his niche and score some goals."
- Brian Ownby made his second career appearance, both in the last three games, and recorded an assist for the second time in those games.
- "He did well. We talked at halftime about running away from the ball instead of to it because we thought it we spread them out and moved them around we could cause them problems," said Kinnear. "I thought Brian provided that in the last 15 minutes or so."
- After starting seven matches in a row, right-sided midfielder Calen Carr missed the TFC match with a hamstring strain and will be a couple of weeks.
- "We were planning on making some changes for these games anyway, and sometimes it's forced upon like it will be with Calen being out," Kinnear said. "I'll be very surprised to see the same starting 11 in all three games, and Calen makes that decision pretty direct."
