Montreal Impact 1, Sporting Kansas City 2 | MLS Match Recap

MONTREAL – Dom Dwyer and Montreal. A love story. Sort of.

Dwyer scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season against Montreal – his 13th and 14th overall – to lift Sporting KC to a 2-1 win and a clean sweep against the Impact after two convincing wins earlier this season. 

What looked like a decent 1-1 result for the Impact fell apart in the game's final minutes, as a costly gaffe in the back gave the visitors all three points. Miscommunication between Troy Perkins and Heath Pearce on a ball rolling near Montreal's box in the 89th minute allowed Dwyer to pounce, taking a touch before curling the ball into an open net for his second of the game and the second late collapse in as many games for the Impact.

Sporting KC (8-5-5, 29 pts) thus retain second place in the Eastern Conference standings. Montreal (3-9-5, 14 pts) still sit bottom of the East.

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On his first game back from the World Cup in Brazil, Matt Besler took no time settling back into his club team. In the fourth minute, the US international took a long throw down the right, and Dwyer headed it in. It was the third time this season that Kansas City scored off a throw-in against the Impact.

Comfortable with the ball and the game’s tempo in the first 20 minutes, Sporting KC nevertheless saw Montreal grow back into the game and find an equalizer which, 10 minutes before, seemed unlikely.

Justin Mapp beat Seth Sinovic to a cross from Patrice Bernier, centering the ball for Marco Di Vaio who expertly headed it into the far bottom corner. Di Vaio thus broke his duck against Kansas City, the only Eastern Conference opponent he’d never scored against.

Sporting KC emerged from halftime reinvigorated and threatened regularly down the left behind Hassoun Camara. Toni Dovale should have punished the hosts in the 60th minute, as he had all the time to settle a Jacob Peterson cross before shooting, but his fluffed attempt landed safely in Perkins' hands.

• OPTA Chalkboard: Dwyer steps up early and late to power KC to win

With the effective playing area getting increasingly stretched as the game progressed, both teams tried to catch the other on counterattacks, but no one capitalized until the 89th minute, when Dwyer punished Perkins and Pearce.

A date in Columbus awaits both teams. Sporting KC face the Crew there on Wednesday, July 16, while the Impact will be the visitors on Saturday, July 19.

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