Montreal Impact countered off two Philadelphia Union corner kicks and canceled out Auston Trusty’s first MLS goal to earn a 4-1 win at Talen Energy Stadium Saturday evening. Alejandro Silva opened and closed the scoring for the visitors with Saphir Taider and Quincy Amarikwa adding goals in between.
Philly tried to force the Impact into mistakes early on. Cory Burke nearly dispossessed Evan Bush in the fourth minute with some high pressing that led the goalie to try and beat the striker off the dribble. Burke touched the ball as Bush moved it, but then he got the keeper’s leg and Armando Villareal blew play dead.
Philly wouldn’t have to wait long for their opener though. In the 12th minute, Haris Medunjanin touched a corner short to Dockal and the attacker swung it into the box where Auston Trusty met it perfectly near the front post to nod it home. The strike was Trusty’s first goal in Major League Soccer and it tied Dockal for the Union’s single season assists record with Cristian Maidana.
After a sustained period of Union control, the Impact began to climb back into the match. Bacary Sagna was staying high on the right side with Micheal Azira helping on Fafa Picault defensively and this gave Montreal a numbers advantage on the wing. Ignacio Piatti was becoming more involved on the left and this also began to push Philly’s lines deeper.
In the 28th minute, the visitors got their breakthrough when they countered off a Union corner. A clearance fell to Ray Gaddis and his pass was deflected and fell to the Impact. Piatti drove up the pitch with Gaddis in hot pursuit and the ball was knocked into the left channel where Alejandro Silva beat Blake to it in a foot race and slotted home.
Two minutes later, Sagna cut the ball back off the right wing for Piatti’s late run. The Argentinian playmaker controlled it well with his chest but couldn’t get it through Trusty’s block and Blake easily collected the bouncing ball.
But midfielder Saphir Taider put the visitors ahead nine minutes later when he followed up a Quincy Amarikwa shot and lifted home over Blake. Amarikwa collected the ball with his back to goal in the center of the box and created a yard of space before firing low to Blake’s left. The shot was parried back into play and Taider cleaned up the rebound.
In the second half, the Impact played a cautious game that mostly focused on releasing Piatti up the left. As usual, the creator was superb but the Union did a good job keeping him out of dangerous central areas.
In the 53rd minute, Fafa Picault cut in off the left and curled a shot into the arms of Evan Bush. Six minutes later, Dockal found space up the left and served a cross to the far post that asked a little too much of Cory Burke and the big striker could only turn the ball wide of the far post.
The Impact added an insurance goal in the 63rd minute when Daniel Lovitz marauded up the left wing and centered the ball into traffic. Amarikwa and Trusty battled in the six yard box and the ball was knocked beyond Blake.
In the 74th minute, substitute Fabian Herbers combined with Burke to release Bedoya in the right side of the box. The midfielder turned and fired at Bush’s legs, but the offsides flag had already been raised.
The Impact got a second goal off a Union corner kick in the 76th minute. Medunjanin’s corner kick fell in the center of the box and bounced to the feet of Alejandro Silva. The attacker broke out with Piatti, creating a 2v1 on Ray Gaddis. After entering the box, Silva played a quick wall pass with Piatti and lifted the ball over Blake when he received it back.
The Union sought to answer through Derrick Jones and David Accam, with Ale Bedoya operating in an attacking midfield role. Montreal responded by sitting very deep and preventing the Union from getting in behind. Philly still nearly pulled one back in the 88th minute when Fafa Picault pulled the ball off Bacary Sagna’s foot and fired a low shot that Bush corralled.
The Union are back in action on Wednesday night when they travel to Seattle to face Nico Lodeiro and the now Clint Dempsey-less Sounders.
