The Montreal Impact continued their late-season sprint up the Eastern Conference table, securing a fourth straight win with a 3-1 hammering of Real Salt Lake on Saturday night. With the win, Montreal leapfrogged Atlanta United FC and moved into the playoff places for the first time all season.
Ignacio Piatti continued his scorching form – six goals in his last four starts since returning from injury – with a first half brace on either side of a Luis Silva strike against the run of play. Anthony Jackson-Hameladded a Montreal third early in the second half to put the victory beyond doubt.
Real Salt Lake, themselves looking to make a playoff push, entered the night riding a three game road win streak of their own – and had been unbeaten in six straight. With the loss, they remain in eighth place in the West, and will need to rebound quickly in a crucial clash midweek against seventh-placed San Jose if they have hopes of a late playoff run of their own.
Goals
- 11' – MTL – Ignacio Piatti Watch
- 27' – RSL – Luis Silva Watch
- 29' – MTL – Ignacio Piatti Watch
- 47' – MTL – Anthony Jackson-Hamel Watch
Three Things
- RIGHT TIME, RIGHT PLACE. Boy, is the pairing of Piatti and Blerim Dzemaili fun to watch. The Impact have certainly chosen the right time to get hot – and there's no coincidence it's happened with their maestro back at full health. Montreal has won four straight, during which time Piatti has scored six goals, and taken five of their last six at Stade Saputo. Perfect timing, considering they host conference frontrunners Toronto and Chicago in their next two matches, results that will have a massive impact – no pun intended – on whether Montreal makes it into the postseason.
- SUPER SUB MAKE CASE FOR STARTING ROLE? Jackson-Hamel is second on the team in goals this season, with seven, behind only Nacho. Bet you didn't know that he's only started five matches. After wreaking havoc on what had been a solid backline of late for Real Salt Lake with a goal and two assists on Saturday, it wouldn't be surprising if the 24 year-old Canadian found himself in the starting XI a bit more often for the run-in.
- SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR. Real Salt Lake entered the night with the chance to make a bit of history (the team has never won four in a row on the road) and the chance to get right back in the thick of the Western Conference playoff hunt. A win would have moved them into a tie for sixth in the West. Instead, an unbeaten run of six straight got snapped, they lost center back Marcelo Silva to injury in the fourth minute, and morale is crushed ahead of a crucial, mid-week, six-point swing clash against seventh placed San Jose.
Next Up
- MTL: Sunday, Aug. 27 – vs. Toronto FC (4:30 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes; TVAS, TSN 1; MLS LIVE)
- RSL: Wednesday, Aug. 23 – vs. San Jose (10 pm ET | MLS LIVE)
ExtraTime Live from CenturyLink Field!
Watch ExtraTime Live on Sunday at 8:30 PM ET. The guys will be on the ground in Seattle to lead you into the final match of the weekend with exclusive interviews and everything you need to know from Saturday night's action. Set a reminder to watch
