COLUMBUS CREW SC vs. MONTREAL IMPACT
MAPFRE STADIUM, Columbus, Ohio
June 18, 2016 (WEEK 15, MLS Game #144)
7:30 p.m. ET (TVA Sports, TWCSC-OH, CW Columbus, MLS Live)
Columbus Crew SC and the Montreal Impact meet for a third time this season in a key Eastern Conference meeting for both clubs at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday evening. Crew SC return to league play after a 3-2 loss at Philadelphia Union in their last MLS match, leaving the defending East champions in ninth place in the conference. The Impact are tied for second place in the division, putting an end to a six-game winless run in their last league game, a 3-2 win against the LA Galaxy at Stade Saputo.
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- Crew SC had their undefeated run put to an end after four games last time out, a 3-2 loss to Philadelphia Union on June 1. Ola Kamara scored his fourth goal over the last two matches, while Ethan Finlay set up both Crew SC goals.
- The Impact put an end to a six-game winless run in league play in their last MLS match, Didier Drogba scoring directly from a free kick with almost the final kick of the match for a 3-2 win against the LA Galaxy on May 28.
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. On May 7 at MAPFRE Stadium, former forward Kei Kamara and Federico Higuaín each scored two goals for Crew SC. But Didier Drogba scored a goal and added two assists, including setting up Dominic Oduro’s stoppage-time equalizer in a 4-4 draw. On April 9, the Impact claimed a 2-0 win at Olympic Stadium; Crew SC has not scored a goal in their last three visits to Montreal in league play.
- The Impact have won once in Columbus in seven meetings there all-time, a 2-1 win on June 6, 2014. Crew SC won 2-1 on Sept. 14, 2013 at Stade Saputo, the only other victory by the away team in 13 meetings in the all-time league series.
- The teams also met in a pulsating Eastern Conference Semifinal series last year. The Impact won the first leg 2-1 at Stade Saputo, then Crew SC advanced behind a 3-1 win in extra time in the second leg in Columbus as Kei Kamara netted a pair of goals, including the overtime winner.
REFEREE: Sorin Stoica. AR1 (bench): Claudiu Badea; AR2 (opposite): Peter Balciunas; 4th: Hilario Grajeda
MLS Career: 49 games; FC/gm: 29.1; Y/gm: 4.1; R: 21; pens: 22
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Wil Trapp -- MTL: Ignacio Piatti
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: MTL: Laurent Ciman (Belgium; Euro 2016)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (13 meetings): Crew SC 6 wins, 19 goals -- Impact 5 wins, 19 goals -- Ties 2
AT COLUMBUS (7 meetings): Crew SC 5 wins, 15 goals -- Impact 1 wins, 8 goals -- Ties 1
2016 (MLS):
4/9: MTL 2, CLB 0 (Camara 48; Bekker 86)
5/7: CLB 4, MTL 4 (K. Kamara 16, 46+; Higuain 48, 53 - Piatti 26, 58; Drogba 57; Oduro 93+)
- Coaches record: Gregg Berhalter vs. MTL: P7 W2 L4 D1 -- Mauro Biello vs. CLB: P2 W1 L0 D1
LAST MEETING [MLS]
- Crew SC opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Justin Meram, in space on the left, crossed for Kei Kamara, whose header went past goalkeeper Evan Bush. But the Impact replied 10 minutes later, Didier Drogba slipping a pass in the box to Ignacio Piatti who, surrounded by three players, curled home a strike inside the far post.
- Crew SC were back in front just before the break when a long ball by Michael Parkhurst slipped through the Montreal defense and Kamara netted a second into an empty goal.
- After the break, Crew SC scored twice in minutes. A rebound off a pair of defenders fell favorably for Federico Higuain in the area, and he rounded Bush for the third. Higuain then converted a penalty kick awarded after a duel between Montreal's Marco Donadel and Crew SC's Justin Meram, extending the lead to 4-1.
- Four minutes, the Impact pulled a goal when Piatti was fouled for another penalty kick, and Drogba shot to goalkeeper Steve Clark's left for the conversion. Piatti then made it 4-3, collecting a pass from Dominic Oduro at the penalty spot and beating two defenders before slotting the ball home.
- The Impact pulled level in stoppage time. On a long throw-in by Ambroise Oyongo, Drogba flicked on the ball at the penalty spot, where Oduro finished with a close-range shot.
- COLUMBUS CREW SC (4-2-3-1): Steve Clark - Harrison Afful (Gaston Sauro 87), Michael Parkhurst, Tyson Wahl, Corey Ashe (Waylon Francis 69) - Wil Trapp, Mohammed Saeid - Ethan Finlay, Federico Higuain (Rodrigo Saravia 90), Justin Meram - Kei Kamara.
- MONTREAL IMPACT (4-2-3-1): Evan Bush - Ambroise Oyongo, Victor Cabrera, Laurent Ciman, Maxim Tissot (Michael Salazar 83) - Marco Donadel, Patrice Bernier (Kyle Bekker 68) - Dominic Oduro, Harry Shipp (Lucas Ontivero 73), Ignacio Piatti - Didier Drogba.
