8,237, the largest crowd in Montreal Impact history, turned out for the match versus the Toronto Lynx (also pretty good for a Wednesday game!). Montreal and Rochester are currently battling for the Division lead as only one point separates them. Eduardo Sebrango gave Montreal the lead in the 33rd minute. Toronto answered in the 49th minute. Ali Ngon was tripped in the box and Vignjevic buried the ensuing penalty kick to tie it up. The Impact took the lead again as sub Sita-Taty headed a perfect cross into the net in the 72nd minute. That lead would stand until the 90th minute when, once again, Ali Ngon was tripped in the box. He took the penalty himself this time and tied it up once again. The game went 12 minutes into overtime where it was ended by Ali Ngon for his second of the night. Final Score was 3-2 Lynx.
Virginia Beach and Syracuse played on Friday. Virginia Beach needed to win this game because they are battling with Richmond for the final playoff spot in the Southeast division. Syracuse is proving to be a tough team as they are in the middle of things in the Northeast and they proved that to the Virginia Beach crowd of 1,554. The match was pretty uneventful except for a couple of minutes. And that is what Syracuse took advantage of, with two quick goals. Jack Jewsbury gave Syracuse the lead in the 63rd minute and then Gabe Valencia doubled it in the 67th. Final score was 2-0 Syracuse.
Calgary traveled to El Paso for the Fox Sports World TV Game. El Paso is holding on to a playoff spot but only by two points. A win would really help them solidify their position. El Paso took the lead in the 20th minute as Andrade sent a nice through ball to Mora who blasted it by the keeper. The two hooked up again to double El Paso's lead in the 36th minute. Mora scored again after tapping a pass from Andrade. Calgary got their only goal of the match after Sean Fraser was pulled down in the box. The penalty kick was put in by Misail Tsapos in the 55th minute to make it 2-1. Tsapos scored again to finish the game in the 61st minute. He took a free kick just outside the 18 and sent a wicked shot into the net. Final score was 3-1 El Paso.
Indiana and Milwaukee met in front of 1,873 Indiana fans. Milwaukee is currently five points out of a playoff spot and need some points to catch up. Jamar Beasley gave the Blast the lead in the 43rd minute after he scored off a pass from Godfrey Tenoff. The lead got bigger in the 60th minute after Rodrigo Costa scored a beautiful goal off a free kick right into the corner of the net. Milwaukee got their first goal in stoppage time. John Ball was brought down in the box and Dino Delevski converted the penalty to make it 2-1. In the final seconds of stoppage time Jeff Dresser scored to make it 3-1 Blast for only their third win of the year. Final score was 3-1 Indiana Blast.
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds played the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Riverhounds have played 4 games in 8 days and are 10 points out of a playoff spot. The Riverhounds came out strong with 5 scoring chances in the first 15 minutes but Atlanta scored first when John Barry Nusum headed in a corner kick in the 31st minute. In a nice play, that sent the 1,535 in attendance to their feet, Joey Worthen was taken down in the box. Thiago Martins buried the penalty kick in the 81st minute. Regulation time ended with the score tied at 1-1. It only took the Hounds a couple seconds into overtime to win it. Ricardo Villar sent a nice ball to Corey Woolfolk who was in a 1-on-1. He dribbled a little bit and then blasted it into the net to give the Hounds the win. Final score was 2-1 Riverhounds.
Seattle drew 4,976 for the match between the Seattle Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Whitecaps are trying to get a playoff spot so they need to start gaining points on the Timbers. Meanwhile, the Sounders are safely atop of the division with 37 points. Vancouver started the scoring in the 7th minute when Oliver Heald converted from the penalty spot after Jason Jordan was tripped in the box. The Sounders answered in the 20th minute when Viet Nguyen had a shot go off the crossbar. The rebound was then headed in by Andrew Gregor. The rest of the match was pretty evenly played. A player from each team was sent off in the 90th minute and the game ended 1-1.
Milwaukee Wave United and the Cincinnati Riverhawks played in front of 407 fans on Saturday. This was a very important match as both teams are fighting for a playoff spot and both are now two points out of the final playoff spot. Both teams came out shooting as there were three goals in the first 15 minutes. Milwaukee took the early lead when Greg Howes took a pass from Aldrich and put it in the net in the 9th minute. But Cincinnati answered just three minutes later when Sastoque tied it up. Milwaukee took the lead once again in the 15th minute when Digital Takawira pounded one into the net. Milwaukee kept that lead until just before halftime when Allen Eller tied it up at two. Milwaukee ended the scoring in the 79th minute when Nick Walls scored the game winner. Both teams are now tied for third place in the Central division. Final score was 3-2 Milwaukee.
Rochester traveled to Charleston to face the Battery. 3,012 showed up for this match. Rochester is battling Montreal for the first spot in the Northeast division while the Battery are relatively safe atop the Southeast. Rochester took the lead in the 31st minute after Doug Miller headed in a Hayes cross. The Battery equalized in the 59th minute as Conway sent a nice ball to Josh Henderson who sent the ball past the keeper to make it 1-1. Regulation would end with the score 1-1. The Rhinos ended the game 8 minutes into OT after Bill Sedgewick sent a cross into the middle which was headed into the net by sub Jamel Mitchell to give the Rhinos the win. Final score was 2-1 Rhinos.
4,507 Minnesota fans went home sad after the Thunder lost to the Charlotte Eagles 1-0. This game helped the Eagles get back into the playoff hunt though they still do have a long way to go. The Thunder could use a couple more wins to secure there place on top of the Central division. The one and only goal was scored by Andy Guastaferro after he one timed a cross by Mark Pinch into the net from just inside the 18. That goal came just before halftime in the 45th minute. The Thunder out shot Charlotte 17-13 but couldn't find a goal. Final score was 1-0 Charlotte Eagles.
2,117 Richmond Kicker fans went home happy though, after they helped solidify their position in second place in the Southeast division with a 1-0 victory over the Syracuse Salty Dogs. The Kickers are 9 points behind first but 7 points in front of third. However Syracuse is still 10 points out of a playoff spot. The only goal came just three minutes in when Kevin Jeffrey volleyed it in. The game would end 1-0 Richmond.
The Montreal Impact once again set a franchise record for attendance as 8,307 came to watch them play the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Impact scored the only goal of the game in the 18th minute when Sita-Taty Mantado gave the Impact the 1-0 lead. There were no goals the rest of the game but the Impact dominated play. Montreal out shot Atlanta 17-4 while they also had had 9 more corners than Atlanta. This victory put the Impact back on top of the Northeast division, but only by one point. Final score was Impact 1-0.
It was a good day in Canada as the Vancouver Whitecaps posted a season high crowd of 5,316. They all came out to see the Whitecaps beat the Sounders 2-0. In the 10th minute Jason Jordan fired a shot that hit the post, Carlo Corazzin then put in the rebound to make it 1-0 Vancouver. The Whitecaps finished the game in the 86th minute. The Whitecaps had a 3 on 2 break and Oliver Heald had an open shot, which made it 2-0. This now moves the Whitecaps two points behind the Timbers for the last playoff spot. Final score was 2-0 Vancouver.
