Well, that was fun. Your final score, Columbus Crew SC 4-4 Montreal Impact. The VAVEL USA man of the match goes to Kei Kamara for his brace tonight My name is Tyler Fisher, goodnight from MAPFRE Stadium.
FINAL: Columbus Crew 4-4 Montreal Impact.
90': Crew SC use their final substitution for Rodrigo Saravia coming on for Higuain. And just like that, Montreal Impact tie the game at 4.
90': 4 minutes of added time to the second half.
88': A hard Kamara shot from distance goes wide for a goal kick.
87': Crew SC looking to use their second substitution. Gaston Sauro comes on for Harrison Afful.
85': Hard tackle on Meram and the referee says play on. The other 14,000+ officials in the stands disagree.
84': Tempo has definitely gone up now. Fouls occuring more frequently.
83': A pair of cautions for Waylon Francis and Ontivero.
82': Kamara looks to get his third goal, but can't find it as the shot deflects out for a corner kick.
Note: the game has slowed down since Montrea Impact got their third goal by Piatti. A very intense last ten minutes for both teams as we enter the 80th minute.
14,095 is tonights attendance at MAPFRE Stadium.
76': Afful finds Finlay waiting in the box. A pass to him sees it deflected out to give Crew SC a corner kick.
73': Harry Shipp makes way for Lucas Ontivero. Montreal Impact with one sub left.
69': Substitution Crew SC. Waylon Francis replaces Corey Ashe.
68': Substitution for Montreal Impact. Kyle Bekker replaces Patrice Bernier.
66': Corner kick Crew SC. Saeid settles it down, but his shot is blocked and cleared out of danger.
63': This is a back and forth game. Four goals scored within eleven minutes of each other. Two each way.
58': GOAL! Ignacio Piatti cuts the Crew SC lead within one, making the score 4-3! This is a game ladies and gentlemen.
57': Penalty Montreal Impact! Drogba has a chance to cut the lead in half. And Drogba scores. Score now 4-2.
55': Remarkable saves by Steve Clark! He has been on top of his game all night. Definitely MOTM candidate.
52': Penalty for Crew SC! Federico Higuain steps up to take the penalty and slots it home to make the score 4-1!
50': Free kick for Montreal Impact. Didier Drogba over the ball and Steve Clark keeps a hold of it.
48': GOAL! Federico Higuain pounces on a rebound shot to give Crew SC a 3-1 lead!
START OF SECOND HALF: Teams are back out onto the pitch, and the second half is underway!
HALFTIME: Columbus Crew SC grab a goal in the dying seconds of the first half to take a 2-1 lead going into halftime. Crew SC 2-1 Montreal Impact.
45': One minute of added time to the first half. And just like that, Kei Kamara has his second goal of the night! 2-1 lead for Columbus Crew SC!
43': Higuain chips a shot with the outside of his boot, but the shot goes just high over the crossbar. Score still 1-1.
41': Many, many passes being made and chances being created. Columbus Crew SC have total control of this game possession wise so far this half.
39': Plenty of chances being created by Crew SC, but they can't find the net. That series of events brought life to the Crew SC offense.
36': Corey Ashe is taken down. The free kick is taken quickly and the play continues.
32': Corner kick for Columbus Crew SC. The insuing kick is swung in but Evan Bush is there to claim the ball.
30': Ethan Finlay takes down an opponent. Montreal Impact are awarded a free kick. The kick goes just wide and out of bounds for a goal kick.
26': GOAL! Ignacio Piatti finishes a great chance inside the box to tie the game at 1-all.
The tempo in the game has been nothing less than fascinating. Both teams playing fast, and the passing is good. Crew SC seem to have more possession.
23': Evan Bush channels his inner Manuel Neuer and comes outside of his goal box to clear a through ball out for a Crew SC throw in.
21': Drogba stands on top of the free kick, but the kick is blocked and cleared out for a goal kick.
20': Crew SC are doing good to control the ball. Need to get it out of the danger zone though.
15': Remarkable save by Crew SC keeper Steve Clark! Now Crew SC are on the attack, and a goal is scored! Kei Kamara opens the scoring for Crew SC!! 1-0!
14': Corner kick to Crew SC. The corner is taken and cleared out by Oyongo. Impact use the counter attack.
Crew SC are attacking fast every chance they get. Not sure if it's a good thing or bad thing.
11': Tissot cleans up the Crew SC attack by clearing the ball out of danger.
8': A Montreal Impact attack breaks down. Crew SC attack and have a chance on goal, but the ball is cleared out. Score 0-0
5': Steve Clark receives the ball and is pressured by Didier Drogba.
2': Ignacio Piatti fouled just inside their attacking half. Free kick Impact.
KICKOFF: Columbus Crew SC 0-0 Montreal Impact
7:31 PM EST: Teams are entering the pitch. National anthems for both teams are next, as well as kickoff.
7:18 PM EST: Both teams are headed to the locker room. Kickoff just 10 minutes away.
6:53 PM EST: A few changes in the Crew SC Lineup. Corey Ashe gets his debut at left back, Mohammed Saeid is in the defensive mid spot, replacing Tony Tchani. Can only think of Tchani being a healthy scratch, or an undisclosed injury.
6:50 PM EST: Both teams are on the field for warmups!
6:45 PM EST: Here are the starting lineups for Montreal Impact and Columbus Crew SC
6:35 PM EST: Gloomy
6:12 PM EST: Crew SC training staff getting ready for warmups. Teams should be out shortly.
5:53 PM EST: Goalkeeper Evan Bush for the Impact doing a lap around the field, getting his mind right for gametime. Meanwhile, Ignacio Piatti is taking selfies at midfield.
5:46 PM EST Montreal Impact players have arrived, and are doing a team walk on the pitch.
Hello from MAPFRE Stadium! It's a sunny evening here in Columbus, Ohio as Columbus Crew SC host the Montreal Impact. I'm Tyler Fisher, and I will be your guide tonight.
Columbus Crew SC 2-1 Montreal Impact FC
Prediction: After being defeated in their last outing, Crew SC are looking to build off what they had last year. This may not have been their exact dream start, but they are looking to turn their ways around and get back up in the top six. Meanwhile, the Impact look to continue their dominant play and look to take game two against Crew SC in front of their home fans. Both teams are very good, and will end up in a 2-1 victory for Crew SC.
The match will be held at MAPFRE Stadium, in Columbus, Ohio. Game time starts at 7:30 PM EST. You can catch the game on MLS LIVE, CW Columbus, and RDS.
Columbus Crew SC are managed by head coach and sporting director, Gregg Berhalter. Meanwhile, the Montreal Impact are managed by Mauro Biello.
Montreal Impact (4-2-3-1): Bush; Oyongo--Lefevre--Ciman--Tissot; Bekker--Bernier; Oduro--Shipp--Piatti; Drogba
Columbus Crew SC (4-2-3-1): Clark; Francis--Wahl--Parkhurst--Afful; Tchani--Trapp; Meram--Higuain--Finlay; Kamara
Here’s the projected lineup for Crew SC and Montreal Impact.
The officiating crew for this match is nothing but great. In the center you have Armando Villarreal. Assistant one manning the team bench is Adam Garner. Assistant two taking control of the opposite side will be female AR, Kathryn Nesbitt. The fourth official will be Sorin Stoica.
Columbus Crew SC have their tall defensive midfielder, Tony Tchani back in the lineup this weekend after suffering an apparent leg injury. Tchani played last week in their match against the Sounders, and will be back in the lineup most likely against the Impact.
Crew SC will need to tweak a few things in preparation for this Eastern Conference showdown, such as passing through the midfield. Take this as a key to the game, and the ball won’t be given up as easy in the midfield as it has been in the past. Also, look for wingers Justin Meram and Ethan Finlay to make runs inside from the wings. Both players have the ability and can cause chaos to the Impact backline.
Montreal Impact have their star striker back in Didier Drogba. They are certainly going to use him to their advantage. If they had to use one key to the game, it is that they need to use their midfield to the best of their ability. With Dominic Oduro, Ignacio Piatti, and Harry Shipp, they have talent and playmakers in the attacking half of the midfield. Bekker and Patrice Bernier will be holding down the defensive half of the midfield. With Piatti and Oduro on the wings, balls will be more central towards Drogba from them.
Columbus Crew SC are entering this match with a 2-4-2 record, with their most recent loss coming to the Seattle Sounders. A great battle for both teams almost saw the points split for both teams, until homegrown teenager Jordan Morris slotted home a rebound ball in the 88th minute. For the opponent, they are coming off a 2-2 draw with the Colorado Rapids.
Crew SC have a chance to redeem themselves at home in front of their faithful fans.
As for this season, Crew SC didn’t have the dream start they hoped they had. This is the second meeting this season between the Impact and Crew. The first meeting saw Montreal defeat the Crew 2-0. Hassoun Camara opened the scoring just three minutes after halftime. Nearing the match entirety, Kyle Bekker iced the cake with his goal in the 86th minute.
Leg two took the teams to Columbus, Ohio at MAPFRE Stadium. The Black and Gold struck first, making the series even at 2-2. After a Dilly Duka goal in the 40th minute, the Impact were eyeing the prize closer. Ethan Finlay crashed the party in the 77th minute to even the series again at 3-3. The game would eventually go into extra time. After a scoreless first half of extra time, Kei Kamara notched his second goal of the night in the 111th minute, when he headed a ball in the net, giving Crew SC a 4-3 series lead. The game ended 3-1, and Crew SC saw themselves into the Eastern Conference Finals.
In the first leg that was held at Stade Saputo, the Impact took leg one by a score of 2-1. Getting two goals at home was good, but they had to fend off the road goal by Crew SC. The Impact were golden so far, as long as they held off the Black and Gold at home.
These two teams met for the first time this season in Montreal at Stadium Olympique. The Impact took the game 2-0. But there’s more history to these teams than one game. The teams also met in the in the 2015 MLS Cup playoffs.
Hello and welcome to VAVEL USA’s LIVE coverage of Major League Soccer. Saturday’s match features the Montreal Impact, as they travel to take on Columbus Crew SC. My name is Tyler Fisher and I will be your host this evening. This will be a good game, as these teams duked it out in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the playoffs last season. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the game.