On a night when CF Montreal celebrated retro night and their old Impact name, the party was spoiled when the visiting D.C. United scored against the run of play to salvage a 1-1 Major League Soccer draw.
Prince Owusu opened the scoring for Montreal (4-10-6) on a 50th-minute penalty, while Tai Baribo netted the equalizer in the 67th minute for a D.C. side (5-5-10) currently holding on to the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
The draw came on an evening when every team ahead of Montreal except one dropped points, meaning that another game has gone by where the Canadian club has let valuable points slip. Montreal remains six points back of a playoff spot.
The majority of the host’s issues can be boiled down to one thing: finishing. The lack of finishing has plagued Montreal all season and has been the reason for the majority of the side’s dropped points.
“It’s a never-ending story. We do things generally well and again … we feel like we’re not far, but not far doesn’t give you any points,” said head coach Philippe Eullaffroy, who kept his squad on the field after the whistle to deliver a team talk.
“I told the team that there has to be an awareness of what we’re doing in the final third in terms of quality and taking the initiative.”
United started the game controlling much of the opening phase. Montreal was eventually able to enjoy some possession and create several important half-chances.
The first major opportunity of the game came right after the 15-minute mark. After sustained pressure, Owusu got on the end of a Luca Petrasso cross, but the contested close-range effort was directed right at United goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
Buoyed by the increased possession further up the pitch, Montreal completely controlled the tempo of the game for the remainder of the first half. While they enjoyed 65 per cent of possession and seven shots, the hosts went into the break scoreless.
Halftime had its fair share of entertainment as the club’s newest designated player, Alexis Sanchez, was introduced to the home fans. While Chile’s all-time leading scorer received a hero’s welcome, Montreal didn’t let it get in the way of the hunt for their first MLS win in seven games.
“When you’re on the pitch, you don’t think about who’s in the building, honestly, you just try to beat D.C. and win the game,” said Fabian Herbers. “He’s a quality player, he’s proven it for so many years in Europe, and to have him in the squad is obviously a good addition for us.”
Montreal continued its domination in the second half, winning a penalty just two minutes in after a Video Assistant Referee review. Owusu stepped up and dispatched the spot kick into the top right corner.
United slowly began to claw its way back into the game after going down, and while the visitors were unable to create many chances, they scored the equalizer in the 67th minute. Baribo was able to get his head on a desperate cross from a broken play and sent a powerful header past Thomas Gillier at the near post.
“There’s a lot of research done on what happens to teams when they score … and it’s one of the things we do less well,” said Eullaffroy. “It’s always hard to keep control of the game after scoring, and unfortunately, we didn’t. They only need one opportunity to score; we need 48.”
Montreal immediately got back on the offensive, finding two golden opportunities to retake the lead in the ensuing 15 minutes, but Daniel Rios and Hennadii Synchuk both could not break the deadlock.
Substitute Olger Escobar had additional opportunities to play the hero in stoppage time but hit the post and then fanned on a point-blank shot with the final kick of the game two minutes later.
“I think the catalyst for unlocking these goals will be Sanchez just by bringing his quality. What he can bring on the field will bring confidence to the group, and we want to add points and challenge for the playoffs,” said Eullaffroy.
“It’s tough to say if the tipping point is going to come next game or in four games, but if it’s in four games it’s too late, so it needs to happen quickly. Once the spark is finally lit, hopefully it’ll be a big, big fire.”
D.C. United: Host the New England Revolution on Wednesday.
Montreal: Visit the Columbus Crew on Wednesday.