MONTREAL – As the Colonel would say, this is getting rather silly.
Didier Drogba was, once more, the story at Stade Saputo this Saturday afternoon, when his two goals led the Montreal Impact to a 2-0 win over DC United. With seven tallies in six MLS games, Drogba now has the second-most for Montreal this season.
Montreal (12-11-6, 42 pts) thus completed a perfect three-game home stretch, grabbing all nine points. They remain sixth in the Eastern Conference and maintain their four-point lead over Orlando City SC, who also won on Friday night. United, for their part, are now winless in six, but they hold on to fourth place in the East.
Drogba opened the score on a wonderful direct free kick in the fourth minute. The foul was a Taylor Kemp handball that released Dominic Oduro through on goal. Bill Hamid dove to beat the ball away from Oduro, but referee Jair Marrufo, after playing advantage, went back to the initial foul. (Marrufo said the whistle was blown immediately for the handball, but neither Oduro nor Hamid heard the whistle.) Drogba’s strike then curled over the wall and into the top left corner of the net, where Hamid got a touch to the ball, but to no avail.
Montreal were 2-0 up seven minutes later. Markus Halsti's poor backpass from midfield fell for Drogba, whose stepovers threw Steve Birnbaum off and opened a way to Hamid. Drogba then dinked the ball past the onrushing ‘keeper for his second goal of the afternoon.
Shaken up by Drogba's brace, United struggled to grow into the game but eventually did, putting together some decent spells of possession. Montreal, though, kept on finding more chances but were unable to finish. The Impact ended up enjoying a 7-to-3 advantage in shots on target and were good value for their win. Fans celebrated with a standing ovation for Drogba, subbed off in second-half stoppage time.
With six points between first and sixth in the Eastern Conference, matchups with big Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs implications await both teams next Saturday, Oct. 3. Montreal play at Orlando City SC, while United host New England Revolution, who were a single point ahead of them as of this writing. They will be without Steve Birnbaum and Conor Doyle, suspended for yellow card accumulation, but will recover Perry Kitchen after a one-match ban.
Follow @olitremblay
