PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. MONTREAL IMPACT
Talen Energy Stadium | Chester, Pennsylvania
Saturday, September 10 | Week #27 | MLS Game #275
7 pm ET (MLS LIVE, The Comcast Network, TVA Sports)
A crucial match in the Eastern Conference playoff picture kicks off when Philadelphia Union entertain the Montréal Impact on Saturday evening at Talen Energy Stadium. Both clubs are in the top six and playoff positions in the conference, but separated by just three points above the red line. Union return home off of a 3-0 loss at the Chicago Fire last weekend which left them in fourth place in the division. The Impact are just three points further back – five points above the red line – following their 4-1 home loss to Orlando City SC at midweek at Stade Saputo.
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- Union saw their two-game winning streak put to an end, shut out at the attacking end for the first time sinceJuly 2 in their 3-0 loss at the Chicago Fire on Saturday evening at Toyota Park.
- The Impact put an end to an eight-game road winless streak with their 1-0 win at Toronto FC, the club’s last away victory coming April 16 in a 2-1 win at the Chicago Fire. It was the club’s longest road winless streak since going 25 consecutive games without a win from the end of the 2013 season through May 2015.
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Didier Drogba netted a hat trick and Ignacio Piatti scored a goal and added two assists as the Impact rolled to a 5-1 win July 23 at Stade Saputo. On May 14 in Montréal, Drogba and Philadelphia’s C.J. Sapong each scored first-half goals to leave the teams in a 1-1 draw.
- The visiting team has won once in the all-time series – a 1-0 Union victory last Aug. 22 at Stade Saputo. The Impact had won the first four meetings between the teams at Stade Saputo before last year’s Union win.
- Union have won two of the five matchups in Chester, with three draws, including a 2-2 result last June 27 in the only meeting there.
REFEREE: Armando Villarreal. AR1 (bench): Corey Parker; AR2 (opposite): Kathryn Nesbitt; 4th: Jaime Herrera
MLS Career: 71 games; FC/gm: 22.7; Y/gm: 2.9; R: 19; pens: 19
SUSPENDED: MTL: Evan Bush (through Sept. 11)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: PHI: Raymon Gaddis … MTL: Hernan Bernardello, Didier Drogba, Lucas Ontivero
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: PHI: Brian Carroll, Ken Tribbett, Tranquillo Barnetta … MTL: Patrice Bernier
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (12 meetings): Union 3 wins, 14 goals … Impact 5 wins, 21 goals … Ties 4
AT PHILADELPHIA (5 meetings): Union 2 wins, 7 goals … Impact 0 wins, 5 goals … Ties 3
2016 (MLS):
5/14: MTL 1, PHI 1 (Drogba 3 – Sapong 24)
7/23: MTL 5, PHI 1 (Drogba 19, 42, 52; Piatti 87; Mancosu 91+ -- Pontius 72)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Didier Drogba netted a hat trick and Ignacio Piatti scored a goal and added two assists as the Impact rolled to a 5-1 win July 23 at Stade Saputo. On May 14 in Montréal, Drogba and Philadelphia’s C.J. Sapong each scored first-half goals to leave the teams in a 1-1 draw.
- The visiting team has won once in the all-time series – a 1-0 Union victory last Aug. 22 at Stade Saputo. The Impact had won the first four meetings between the teams at Stade Saputo before last year’s Union win.
- Union have won two of the five matchups in Chester, with three draws, including a 2-2 result last June 27 in the only meeting there.
- Coaches record: Mauro Biello vs. PHI: P2 W1 L0 T1… Jim Curtin vs. MTL: P5 W2 L1 T2
LAST MEETING:
- The Impact took the lead after just 19 minutes. Ambroise Oyongo sent in a low cross from the left to the far post, and Didier Drogba slipped to tap home from close range. Drogba then doubled his count and the Impact lead in the 42nd minute, potting the rebound after Union goalkeeper Andre Blake made the first save on an attempt from Ignacio Piatti.
- The brace became a hat trick in the 52nd minute, Drogba released down the middle on a pass from Piatti before beating Blake with a low shot to his right.
- Union made it 3-1 in the 72nd minute, as Walter Restrepo, crossed to the far post from the right, and Chris Pontius looped a header into the side netting.
- Piatti scored one of his own in the 87th minute, sending home a left-footed shot after Oyongo put in a cross from the left flank. The rout was finished in stoppage-time when Patrice Bernier released Matteo Mancosu in the center-right channel and he drove a low shot inside the left post for his first MLS goal.
- MONTREAL IMPACT (4-2-3-1): Evan Bush - Donny Toia, Hassoun Camara, Victor Cabrera, Ambroise Oyongo - Patrice Bernier, Calum Mallace (Marco Donadel 68) - Michael Salazar, Ignacio Piatti (Lucas Ontivero 89), Harry Shipp - Didier Drogba (Matteo Mancosu 79).
- PHILADELPHIA UNION (4-2-3-1): Andre Blake - Keegan Rosenberry, Joshua Yaro, Richard Marquez, Raymon Gaddis - Tranquillo Barnetta, Brian Carroll - Sebastien Le Toux (Walter Restrepo 57), Roland Alberg (Fabian Herbers 57), Chris Pontius - C.J. Sapong (Leo Fernandes 78).
