MONTREAL—The way Hassoun Camara put it after the Montreal Impact’s humiliating 3-0 loss to the Chicago Fire last weekend was that they had a choice to make: they were either going to pick themselves up or they were going to completely crumble.
We got our answer Wednesday night at Stade Saputo, where the Impact settled for a 1-1 draw with D.C United. The result itself was a disappointment, but the performance offered plenty of reasons to feel encouraged. Unlike against Chicago, the Impact showed up to play in this game. There was much more quality on the ball, the attack was more fluid and there was a greater willingness to defend as a unit and close down spaces—all things which have been missing from Montreal’s game in recent weeks.
Montreal coach Mauro Biello said he was pleased with the team’s spirit and endeavor.
“I think they fought; I think my team came out with the desire to win,” Biello said. “Unfortunately, a great goalkeeper made a few great saves that made the difference. We pushed for the win, and for us this is something positive. And for us we have to continue in this manner. If we keep creating chances like those they’re going to turn into goals.”
It was a game the Impact dominated from beginning to end and if it wasn’t for D.C United ‘keeper Bill Hamid the result could have been very different. The 25-year-old American International, who showed why he is one of the very best goalkeepers in Major League Soccer, made three impressive saves—two on Ignacio Piatti and one on Didier Drogba.
And maybe Montreal was a little unlucky with some of the refereeing decisions. On the penalty awarded to United, which led to the visitors opening the scoring in the first half, Patrick Nyarko went down fairly easily and on very little contact from Impact defender Donny Toia.
The biggest regret for the Impact on the night, however, was that they only poured on the pressure in the second half. Although they did dominate possession (60 percent) in the first 45 minutes, they were a little tentative in attack. It was only after going down a goal that they really began to impose themselves and put United under pressure.
“I think we took more initiative [in the second half] but that initiative can’t only come when you’re down; that initiative has to be there all the time, and that’s something we got to continue to work on,” Biello said.
“Again, we were in total control of the game. And we give away a PK. This is something that’s not easy to take in difficult moments when you give up a soft goal, but for us it’s something that we got to get stronger at—especially at home. It’s disappointing that we didn’t come out of here with the three points but in the end the effort was there. And the team is ready to fight, that’s what’s important.”
By the end of the night, it was Camara’s performance that stood out the most. The Frenchman has played mostly at fullback for the Impact, but with the struggles of Victor Cabrera and Wandrille Lefèvre, he was partnered with Laurent Ciman in central defence, and barely put a foot wrong. He also scored the equalizer in the second half with a superb diving header, after Marco Donadel, who was running like a madman throughout the game, did well to recover possession in United’s third and deliver a perfect cross to the back post.
“Hassoun was fantastic tonight,” Biello said. “In my opinion he was the man of the match. Even without the goal, he was always in control. Very calm on the ball; defensively very strong.”
The more physically imposing Camara might well be the perfect partner for Ciman, who hasn’t been nearly as solid this season as he was last year. It could be a solution going forward, but it’s worth pointing out that this was a United team that, after playing it’s best 11 against rivals New York Red Bulls on Sunday, was forced to make seven changes, resting some of its best players. There’s going to be more testing games ahead, starting with a visit to first place Toronto FC on Saturday at BMO Field.
Another player who had a bright game was Dominic Oduro, who came off the bench in the second half and caused havoc with his pace. There were some questions over why Oduro didn’t get the start, especially after not starting on Saturday, but Biello suggested that he had been lacking some confidence of late. With Saturday’s encounter with Toronto being the Impact’s third game in eight days, Oduro will likely play an important part.
The Impact were hoping for a win but the draw does at least keep D.C. five points adrift in the standings. With nine games to go, Montreal, who sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, can feel pretty good about their playoff chances. But the important thing is that they still seem up for a challenge.
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