Montreal Impact vs. Sporting Kansas City | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

Montreal Impact vs. Sporting Kansas City
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 18
Stade Saputo — Montreal
June 30 — 7 pm ET
WATCH: TVAS, TSN 4/5, ESPN+

With two victories over struggling Orlando City SC in 10 days, and three wins in their last four games, the Montreal Impact appear to have turned the page from their struggles in the first half of the season. This weekend, however, they host a Sporting Kansas City side that have gone seven games without defeat.

Sporting KC are unbeaten in their last six matches against Montreal (4W-2D), outscoring them 14-5 in the process, per Opta.

Montreal Impact

Ignacio Piatti scored a late insurance goal, which followed a Lamine Sane own goal in the first half, to lift Montreal (6-11-0) to a 2-0 road win over Orlando City SC, which comes on the heels of a 3-0 victory at home over the Lions.

The Impact have kept a clean sheet in each of their three wins in their last four games. In fact, the only time Montreal claimed three points this season while conceding was a 4-2 victory over New England on May 5.

“We are more united than before,” midfielder Samuel Piette said. “Everyone wants the good of the team before their own good. It makes us work better for the collective. The players have taken on more responsibilities and realize that in the end, we are the players in the field who decide how the match takes place. We control our destiny.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: M - Samuel Piette
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Zakaria Diallo (ruptured Achilles tendon), D - Kyle Fisher (tibia injury), D - Victor Cabrera (calf injury), M - David Choiniere (ankle surgery), M - Louis Beland-Goyette (foot injury); QUESTIONABLE: M - Jeisson Vargas (undisclosed injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Evan Bush — Chris Duvall, Rod Fanni, Rudy Camacho, Daniel Lovitz — Ken Krolicki, Samuel Piette, Saphir Taider — Alejandro Silva, Matteo Mancosu, Ignacio Piatti

Notes: Piatti has had a hand in seven of the eight goals Montreal have scored in MLS play since the start of May (four goals, three assists). … The Impact have won three of their last four games (1L), keeping clean sheets in all three wins. They had won three of their previous 18 MLS matches (15L), keeping two clean sheets in that time.

Sporting Kansas City

Sporting (9-2-5) fell into a two-goal hole at halftime following a Mauro Manotas brace, but they dramatically rallied to score three unanswered goals to defeat Houston Dynamo, 3-2, at Children’s Mercy Park Saturday.

Daniel Salloi sparked the comeback in the 59th minute, followed by Diego Rubio’s 85th-minute equalizer and Khiry Shelton’s winner two minutes from full time to extend SKC’s unbeaten streak to seven straight games.

“The first half we were non-committal and we were playing backwards the whole time,” Peter Vermes said. “We allowed them to dictate the tempo of the game and in the second half, we pushed the game. We took it to another level. We dictated the game and we pushed forward.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: M - Felipe Gutierrez (sports hernia surgery), D - Jimmy Medranda (knee injury), D/M - Brad Evans (thigh injury), M/D - Cristian Lobato (knee injury), M - Gianluca Busio (hamstring injury); QUESTIONABLE: D - Matt Besler (hamstring injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Tim Melia — Graham Zusi, Ike Opara, Graham Smith, Jaylin Lindsey — Roger Esinoza, Ilie Sanchez, Yohan Croizet — Johnny Russell, Daniel Salloi, Gerso Fernandes

Notes: Roger Espinoza has created 35 chances from open play, one behind New England’s Diego Fagundez for the most in league play this year. … Since the start of April, Sporting Kansas City are 2-1-2 on the road, conceding an average of 0.4 goals per game. Only two other teams have allowed fewer than 1.4 goals per game in that time.

All-Time Series

Overall: Montreal Impact 3 wins, 11 goals … Sporting Kansas City 6 wins, 20 goals … 3 draws
At Montreal: Impact 1 win, 5 goals … Sporting 3 wins, 10 goals … 2 draws
Last meeting at Montreal: Montreal Impact 2, Sporting Kansas City 2 (June 25, 2016)