In an end-to end affair, the Portland Timbers and the Montreal Impact shared the spoils in what was an entertaining 1-1 inter-conference clash.
Portland’s Jack McInerney opened the scoring against his former club by rising above the Montreal defense with a gritty headed-goal off a corner kick early in the first half.
Ignacio Piatti took advantage of some fortunate bounces with a tidy finish to equalize for Montreal just before the match broke for half-time.
The Montreal Impact were forced to adjust tactics after losing their most experienced defender when Laurent Ciman was subbed off early due to injury in the 54th minute.
The game featured a stream of attacks from both sides as Portland outshot Montreal 16-12, with each side smashing 7 attempts on target.
As Portland attempted to find a winner in the dying minutes, Montreal held strong defensively, securing a critical road point.
Box Score
- 14' - POR - Jack McInerney
- 44' - MTL - Ignacio Piatti
Three Things
REMEMBER JACK? Jack McInerney made no bones about celebrating against his former club, kicking the corner-flag in joy after a well-fought header proved his team’s only goal on the evening.
McInerney will be pleased that his headed-effort landed in the back of the net. It marked his first headed-goal of the 2016 MLS Season after seven total headed-shots for the young American. Portland now have two headed-goals in MLS 2016.
TRICKY DARLINGTON: Darlington Nagbe was a creative force on his own all evening long for the Timbers. The newly minted American ace completed a very impressive five dribbles in the match, up from his average of two dribbles completed per game in MLS 2016.
The figure was tied the fourth-most in an MLS game in 2016 by any one player, and Nagbe’s second highest total personally. Nagbe’s highest total so far in 2016 was eight, completed against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
BUNKER DOWN WITHOUT CIMAN: There is no denying that Laurent Ciman has been crucial for Montreal’s defense since he arrived in Canada.
When Ciman went down early in the second half, Montreal brought on Victor Cabrera who ensured that the defensive unit did not skip a beat. The Impact kept the Timber’s scoreless the rest of the second half, despite missing their main-organizer. Their just reward: a well-earned road point.
Next Up
POR: Sunday, July 17th vs. Seattle Sounders (3pm ET | FOX, MLS LIVE)
MTL: Sunday, July 17th vs. New York City FC (5pm ET | ESPN, TSN2, RDS, MLS LIVE)
