MONTREAL--- It’s no secret. It’s been a trying year for the Montreal Impact and their record is indicative. But while the rainy Montreal skies hoped to dampen the Impact’s parade, Ignacio Piatti had other plans.
The Impact needed only three goals to dispatch of lowly Orlando City SC at Stade Saputo on a rainy Wednesday night. Piatti scored two of the team’s three goals, his team-leading sixth and seventh of the year, powering Montreal to its second win in three games. As a result, Orlando City suffered its sixth straight loss.
“It’s important to win at home,” Piatti said. “We have to look forward. This is great for our confidence.”
For the first time since August 2017, the Impact have won back-to-back games at home. Montreal won its last home game, a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo back on June 2nd.
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It wasn’t long ago that owner Joey Saputo said that none of his players, including Piatti, were untouchable and could be moveable assets in trade. The winger responded to Saputo’s declaration postgame.
“Everyone’s available. He’s the president. I do my job here. I do everything for Montreal,” Piatti said. “I want to stay. If he thinks I’m the problem, then I’ll go to another club,”
Manager Remi Garde echoed Piatti’s sentiments of renewed confidence, while also praising his team for finding their offensive touch. Wednesday’s win was just the third time that Montreal scored three goals or more this season.
“We always want to score goals,” Garde said. “This game we had a little bit more luck and it’s good for everybody when we score. And with a clean sheet, it’s much [better],”
Garde also heaped praise on defender Rod Fanni, who made his seventh appearance of the season for Montreal on Wednesday, saying he played his best match. Fanni was clinical at centre back for Montreal and made key defensive stops to aid his keeper Evan Bush and preserve the clean sheet.
“He stopped a number of dangerous situations,” Garde said. “He helped his teammates on defense,”
It took just four minutes for Montreal to score their first of the night. The Impact were awarded a penalty shot after midfielder Saphir Taider was fouled. Piatti took over from there, scoring his sixth of the season, slotting home the penalty past keeper Joe Bendik
Piatti!!!#IMFC heads into halftime leading Orlando City, 1-0. https://t.co/CjACqE2je0
— Sporting News Canada (@sportingnewsca) June 14, 2018
Montreal scored its second of the game in the 55th minute, courtesy of an Orlando City own goal from Amro Tarek. Daniel Lovitz sped up the wing and crossed the ball into the penalty area, only for Tarek to redirect the ball past his own keeper.
It two for @impactmontreal! #MTLvORL https://t.co/hNgM9XaFIC
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 14, 2018
Piatti then put the game to bed with a stoppage time exclamation point, sidestepping Bendik before scoring.
The Impact’s lone blemish in their victory came when Jeisson Vargas suffered an injury in the first half. Vargas took an awkward tumble while trying to escape Orlando City defenders. He was replaced by Ken Krolicki in the 33rd minute. Garde said that Vargas reinjured the same knee that gave him trouble earlier this season.
Montreal's win may calm some nerves in the dressing room, but their victory won’t dominate the city, and the country’s main headlines. Earlier Wednesday morning, Canada, the United States, and Mexico were announced as co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup.
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The club boasts a number of Canadian players who’ve been called up for their national team in the past, including midfielder Samuel Piette. He expressed his excitement at the possibility of Canada co-hosting the marquee event for soccer.
“For me, it’s the biggest sporting event in the world,” Piette said. “To have it here in Canada, even in Montreal, it’s incredible. It’s a dream that I thought was impossible. I’ll be 31 when it happens so I hope to be part of the coach’s plans,”
Both Orlando City and Montreal will renew hostilities in a rematch in Orlando City on June 23.