Full Time 1-1 Union Montreal
90+1': Throw in for Montreal by midfield
Four minutes at the end of the game added
88': Blake is down after the goal and the trainers are out to make sure he is ok
88': Goal Montreal! Mancosu at the back post hits the ball into the net to tie the game up late.
87': Montreal Corner Kick
85': Ilsinho finds Rosenberry for the cross but it is cleared out of danger.
84': Ilsinho gets by Piatti with some rediculous foot skills
82': Union second sub: Pontius off for Roland Alberg
81':Creavalle gets the ball on top of the box and fires a shot wide. Goal kick Impact
80': Barnetta is fouled by the right edge of the box. Free Kick Union
79': Impact thirs sub: Donadel off for Shipp
77': Close again from Philadelphia as Ilsinho neats Ciman to the ball and gets through. The Brazilian's attempt at a chip goes wide though
76': Piatti tries from midfield to chip Blake, but it leads to nothing
75': A little chippy all of a sudden as Bedoya and Piatti get into it after a Bedoya foul. Free Kick Impact
74': Montreal Corner Kick
72': Oduro collectsd an errant ball inside the box and volleys it way over the net. Goal Kick Union
70': Union first sub: Ilsinho comes in for Herbers
69': Oduro comes in for Ontivero for Montreal's second sub
69': Herbers with another nice opportunity, but it goes over the net wide. Goal Kick Impact
68': Blake comes out to collect an errant header, no trouble at all.
66': Union close again as Herbers gets a shot on net but Kronberg dives to his right and makes the save.
63': Camara gets head on it but it goes over the net. Goal Kick Union
62': Blake with a great save to rob Mancosu of a goal. Corner Kick Impact
61': Montreal first sub: Bernier out for Drogba. Not much needs to be said about Drogba, except that he is good and very good against the Union this season
60': Camara earns a yellow for a push in the back on Sapong
58': Herbers goes down from a clear elbow in the back in the box, but no call. Crowd is not big fans of Armando Villarreal tonight
57': Yaro does well to clean up the mess in the box. Throw in Montreal
54': Sapong earns a yellow card caution for a hard bump on an Impact player
53': Free Kick Montreal at midfield
51': Sapong gets a step on his defender and fires a shot from the top of the box over the net for the goal kick. Herbers looked to be streaking to his right wide open
50': Union free kick by midfield
48': Free Kick is deflected out for a Union corner kick
47': Free Kick Union from 25 yards out, Barnetta and Fabinho standing over it.
Second Half starts now!
Halftime! 1-0 Union
45+2': The ball soars over Blake's head for the goal kick
45+1': Free Kick given to Montreal from 20 yards out, dangerous positioning
Three minutes added at the end of the first half
45': GOAL UNION! Barnetta cuts to the middle of the top of the box and curls it past Kronberg for the 1-0 Union lead.
41': Union throw incoming
39': Camara went down for a bit and is now back on
34': Pontius is given a yellow for a clumsy challenge on an Impact player
32': Tempo has definitely picked up as of late as both keepers have come up big in the last few minutes
29': Sapong goes down from what looked like a slight shove in the box, no call
28': Corner Kick does not lead to much as it cleared out
27': Sapong nearly in, but takes too many touches on the breakaway as it is cleared for a corner kick
26': Fabinho gets a shot off from an awkward angle, but it is stopped by Kronberg
25': Throw in Union by midfield
22': Piatti nearly gets by two defenders in the box, but is forced to pass it, which leads to a blocked shot and clearance
18': Quick counter along with some footskills almost puts Montreal in, but the ball is cleared in the box by the retreating Union defenders
18': Another Union throw incoming
17': Union throw in the offensive half
14': Good sliding challenge by Creavalle to clear the ball away from danger
12': Union long ball is too long for Sapong as it goes out for a Impact goal kick
11': Impact goal kick and immediately it goes the other way as a Union player is fouled at midfield
10': Union throw in by midfield
8': Blake's goal kick goes out of bounds by midfield. Throw in Montreal
6': Montreal Free kick by midfield
5': Montreal throw in the offensive half
3': Rosenberry with a good low cross in the box nearly finds Sapong, but there is foul on the play. Free kick Impact
2': Long throw from Rosenebrry comes into the box but is cleared out by the Montreal defense
Kickoff!
Drogba is on the bench to start the match, but many expect to see him in some point in this game.
We are here live at Talen Energy Stadium with kickoff moments away
While there are many choices for players to keep an eye on for the Union, one player that may be the most crucial will be Bedoya. Bedoya has filled the number eight role extremely well for Philadelphia, ever since his signing. The Union will have their hands full with Piatti and Drogba, so look for Bedoya to possibly play more of a deep-lying playmaker role to help corral the talented front of Montreal.
Coincidentally, Union center back Joshua Yaro has received the start in both games against the Impact. It will interesting to see whether Curtin opts to start Ken Tribbett over Yaro, despite Tribbett’s recent struggles, in order to try to combat the physicality of Drogba. Yaro also just rejoined the squad after missing the Chicago match due to the passing of his mother.
The other player to watch should be no real surprise as Drogba continues to be a dominant force in MLS. As stated before, he has scored four goals this season alone against Philadelphia.
One other honorable mention for players to watch will be Eric Kronberg. Kronberg replaced Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush for the final 38 minutes of Montreal’s loss to Orlando. This will be the first start of the season and his first start since August 2015 for the veteran goalkeeper, who will likely face a fully stacked Philadelphia lineup.
The two key players to watch for Montreal have both given Philadelphia trouble this season and in the past. In four matches against the Union in his career, Ignacio Piatti has contributed on the passing as well as the scoring side of the game. In those four games, Piatti has scored twice and added two assists, including a goal and two assist performance in July.
On the other side of the pitch, Montreal currently sits just behind the Union, in fifth place, with 37 points in 27 games. With a win, Montreal would move into a tie with Philadelphia for fourth place. Montreal was last in action on Wednesday when they fell to Orlando City SC, 4-1. Montreal picked up a key win two weeks ago against fellow Canadian foe, Toronto FC, 1-0. Despite the obvious playoff significance, it was Montreal’s first road win since April 16th against Chicago Fire, 2-1.
Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin’s side will certainly look to get back on track after a poor performance in their 3-0 loss at Chicago Fire. There were two notable absences for the Union in that match as both Alejandro Bedoya and Andre Blake were both with their respectful national teams for 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. Both Bedoya and Blake will be back for the Blue and Gold for Saturday’s match.
Through 28 matches, Philadelphia currently sits in fourth place with 40 points. In front of them is a tie for third place between Toronto FC with 42 points in 27 games and New York Red Bulls with 43 points in 28 games. Atop the east heading into Saturday’s matches is New York City FC with 44 points in 28 games. As the numbers show, the top four positions of only separated by four total points. With a win and some favorable results, Philadelphia could jump into a three-way tie with Toronto and New York for third place.
This match is an interesting one. If the season ended today, Philadelphia would play Montreal in Chester in the first round of the playoffs.
As mentioned above, this is the third matchup between the Union and the Impact. In their first matchup back in May, both teams shared the honors in a 1-1 draw at Stade Saputo in Montreal. More recently, in July, Montreal embarrassed the Union to the scoreline of 5-1. In his two matches against Philadelphia, Montreal star striker Didier Drogba has scored four of his nine goals on the season, including a hat-trick in July’s match.
The head referee will be Armando Villarreal. On the sidelines, Corey Parker and Kathryn Nesbitt will be the assistant referees. The fourth official is Jaime Herrera.
The game will be broadcasted on The Comcast Network in Philadelphia, TVA Sports in Montreal anded via MLS LIVE.
Welcome to VAVEL USA’s LIVE coverage of the 2016 Major League Soccer regular season action. Tonight’s MLS Eastern Conference matchup between the Philadelphia Union and Montreal Impact will take place at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania. This is the third matchup between the two sides this season. I’m Jordan Wohl, and I’ll be providing minute-to-minute updates, commentary, and results of the match. The game starts at 7;00 PM ET and there will be coverage pregame, mid-game, and postgame.