The Knockout Round of the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs have come and gone and two more teams – the Montreal Impact and the Seattle Sounders into the Conference Semifinals – have joined the LA Galaxy and Toronto FC in the Conference Semifinals.
Sunday features four games – but before looking ahead, let's take a step back and process Thursday night's matches.
MTL: Impact buck history
Before Thursday night, only two teams had won on the road in the Knockout Round in 14 attempts, with none coming since 2012. The Impact snapped that streak with their win at RFK Stadium and in the process scored the most goals by one team in Knockout Round history.
MTL: Ciman shows his class
The Impact sat on the back foot for much of the game against D.C., partly thanks to a 4th minute goal from Laurent Ciman. This required Montreal's defenders to get heavily involved in the action and Ciman was up to challenge. The Belgian international accrued 10 clearances and seven interceptions, becoming only the second player this season to hit those marks in the same game.
SEA: Frei stands out
Nelson Valdez played hero for the Sounders, but Stefan Frei is probably the main reason Seattle is moving on. The goalkeeper had seven saves against Sporting KC, tying his high from the regular season and helping his team keep another clean sheet.
SKC: Benny balls out
Benny Feilhaber was a star for Sporting all night, especially after he felt Osvaldo Alonso should've been shown a red card in the 68th minute, and it showed up in the stats. The midfielder created five chances, his second-highest total this season, and got in six tackles, the most he's had in any game this season. That versatility is what made him a Best XI player in 2015.
