FRISCO, Texas – For nearly 80 minutes, the Montreal Impact played strong enough defense to at least escape Frisco with a point.
But after Victor Cabrera committed a foul on Mauro Diaz in the 78th minute just outside the penalty box, the game turned for the worse for the Impact. Diaz grazed the ensuing free kick over the wall and just under the crossbar to give FC Dallas a lead they did not relinquish on their way to a 2-0 win.
“We were pretty much in control in terms of a road game,” head coach Mauro Biello said. “They had a couple of chances in transition in terms of Diaz and [Fabian] Castillo and [Michael] Barrios with their speed. But in terms of them playing and breaking us down, I thought we did a good job. In the end, we caused the foul that maybe we shouldn’t of.”
The Impact’s defense was spread thin for much of the game by the speed of wingers Castillo and Barrios, particularly in the first half. But Montreal routinely was able to get a body in the right place at the right time to prevent any early damage.
Strong defensive play was coupled with a few opportunities from Lucas Ontivero, who gave the Impact some of their best chances to take a lead of their own in his 70 minutes of action.
“He’s been having some issues with fitness, but I thought he played a good game up until there,” Biello said. “Sixty-five to 70 minutes, we knew were going to give him about that much time. I was happy with his performance.”
After 70 minutes, it was Didier Drogba time in Frisco. The star striker made his first 2016 MLS appearance as the first sub of the game, and it didn’t take long for him to get involved.
Drogba was on the receiving end of a long pass from the right side of the 18-yard box that he nearly headed in a minute after stepping on the field, but was called for a foul on the play.
“Once he gets his rhythm and gets his fitness, obviously he’s going to help us,” Biello said. “He’s a threat in the box. As soon as he came in, he almost had a chance with a header. Those are things that are eventually going to come into play for us. Once he gets fit and ready to go, he’s going to help this team.”
Had Drogba connected better on the header and not committed a foul, Montreal may have prevailed and remained unbeaten. Nonetheless, Biello was optimistic about how his club played despite the defeat.
“We should have stayed on our feet up there on top of the box,” Biello said. “[Diaz] hits a good shot, and now the game changes to 1-0. We open up, then they hit another good strike from Urruti. But I think we can pull a lot of positives from this game.”
