Montreal Impact vs. New England Revolution | 2016 MLS Match Preview

MONTREAL IMPACT vs. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Stade Saputo | Montreal, Quebec
Saturday, September 17 | Week #28 | MLS Game #288
7:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE, TSN2, RDS, CSN-NE)

It’s a massive match in the Eastern Conference push for the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs when the Montréal Impact entertain the New England Revolution on Saturday evening at Stade Saputo. The Impact come into the contest holding down fifth place in the conference, five points above the red line, returning home off a 1-1 draw at Philadelphia Union last weekend. The Revolution are sitting just below the red line, just a single point behind sixth-place Orlando City SC, coming off a second consecutive win in a 3-1 defeat of New York City FC at Gillette Stadium last Saturday.

• Matteo Mancosu netted his third MLS goal two minutes from the end for the equalizer as the Impact salvaged a late 1-1 draw with the Philadelphia Union on Saturday evening.
• The Revolution have won back-to-back games for just the second time this season, with Juan Agudelo scoring for a second consecutive match in their 3-1 win against New York City FC on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium.
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Kei Kamara gave the Revolution a two-goal lead in the opening half-hour, but Michael Salazar scored twice and Ignacio Piatti added the third in a three-goal Impact blitz over 14 minutes as Montréal took a 3-2 win July 2 at Stade Saputo.
• The Impact have a five-game undefeated streak alive in the all-time series, having won each of the last three meetings between the clubs. The last Revolution win in the series came Sept. 13, 2014.
• The Impact won the final meeting between the teams last Oct. 17 at Gillette Stadium, their third win in five visits to New England all-time. The Impact have won three of the last four meetings in Montréal, with one draw.

REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): C.J. Morgante; AR2 (opposite): Kyle Atkins; 4th: Mathieu Bourdeau
MLS Career: 83 games; FC/gm: 23.5; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 19; pens: 32

SUSPENDED: NE: Gershon Koffie (caution accumulation; through Sept. 18)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: MTL: Hernan Bernardello, Didier Drogba, Lucas Ontivero
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: MTL: Patrice Bernier, Hassoun Camara … NE: Scott Caldwell, Kei Kamara, Teal Bunbury
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (12 meetings): Impact 7 wins, 19 goals … Revolution 3 wins, 11 goals … Ties 2
AT MONTREAL (7 meetings): Impact 4 wins, 12 goals … Revolution 2 wins, 7 goals … Ties 1
FUTURE MATCH: 10/23: New England Revolution vs. Montreal Impact, 4 p.m. ET

2016 (MLS):
7/2: MTL 3, NE 2 (Salazar 40, 48; Piatti 54 – Kamara 18, 33)

• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Kei Kamara gave the Revolution a two-goal lead in the opening half-hour, but Michael Salazar scored twice and Ignacio Piatti added the third in a three-goal Impact blitz over 14 minutes as Montréal took a 3-2 win July 2 at Stade Saputo.
• The Impact have a five-game undefeated streak alive in the all-time series, having won each of the last three meetings between the clubs. The last Revolution win in the series came Sept. 13, 2014.
• The Impact won the final meeting between the teams last Oct. 17 at Gillette Stadium, their third win in five visits to New England all-time. The Impact have won three of the last four meetings in Montréal, with one draw.
• Coaches record: Jay Heaps vs. MTL: P12 W3 L7 D2 … Mauro Biello vs. NE: P3 W3 L0 D0

LAST MEETING:

• Kei Kamara netted two goals in the opening 33 minutes to stake the Revolution to a two-goal lead. He first finished off a Kelyn Rowe pass in the box with an angled finish in the 18th minute, then sent home a glancing header from a Chris Tierney corner kick.
• But the Impact were level early in the second half when Michael Salazar scored on either side of the interval. He reacted quickly to a cross that was popped up in the area by a defensive deflection, heading home from very close range in the 40th minute, then hammered home from a low cross by Hassoun Camara three minutes after the break.
• The game-winner then came six minutes later, Ignacio Piatti converting a penalty kick after he was fouled in the area by Revs 'keeper Brad Knighton.
• MONTREAL IMPACT (4-2-3-1): Evan Bush - Hassoun Camara, Victor Cabrera, Wandrille Lefevre, Ambroise Oyongo - Patrice Bernier (Calum Mallace 61), Eric Alexander - Michael Salazar (Johan Venegas 85), Harry Shipp (Kyle Bekker 72), Ignacio Piatti - Dominic Oduro.
• NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-2-3-1): Brad Knighton - Andrew Farrell, London Woodberry, Jose Goncalves, Chris Tierney - Scott Caldwell (Diego Fagundez 72), Daigo Kobayashi (Je-Vaughn Watson 64) - Teal Bunbury (Femi Hollinger-Janzen 85), Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe - Kei Kamara.