CF Montreal had their fate in hand on Sunday, but their last obstacle to the playoffs, Orlando City SC, were happy to shatter the team’s ambitions by winning 2-0 at the Stadium. Saputo.
Jhegson Mendez threw a cold shower to the immediate effect on the crowd who tried hard to continue chanting songs of encouragement for their favorites. Just over 10 minutes after the teams set foot on the field for the second round, the Orlando No.8 intercepted a clearance after a throw-in, then unleashed a precise shot that beat Sebastian Breza in the upper right corner.
The members of the Montreal eleven tried to reply a few minutes later, but the referee signaled a mixed-flavored offside that aroused the ire of the players and head coach Wilfried Nancy. The players were visibly shaken by this decision, they who were trying to accelerate the pace since they had at this moment two nets to count to make their way to the playoffs.
The closer the match was to its inevitable ending, the more the frustration was palpable. Rudy Camacho also perfectly demonstrated it by receiving a red card in the 79th minute.
Daryl Dike doubled the visitors’ lead in the 86th minute.
The only possible scenario was victory. A draw or a loss were insufficient for CF Montreal to access post-season dance.
Lack of opportunism
Despite having had excellent scoring chances, notably obtained in the first half, CF were never able to penetrate through the barricade defended by Pedro Gallese, one of the best goalkeepers on the circuit.
Nancy’s men also saw another of their goal be refused due to an offside, in the first half of the meeting. This was rather obvious, however.
Thus, the Orlando City SC qualified for the playoffs, since it only needed one point to reach this goal.
Red Bulls secure last place in the East
With a 1-1 draw against Nashville SC, the New York Red Bulls grabbed the seventh and final playoff spot in Major League Soccer (MLS) Eastern Association on Sunday. afternoon at Nissan Stadium.
Aware of the importance of this meeting, the formation of the Big Apple started the confrontation in force and made move the ropes from the first minute of play.
Forward Fabio Roberto Gomes Netto received a cross from Cristian Casseres fils in the penalty area. The 24-year-old Brazilian then beat goalkeeper Joe Willis in speed.
The crowd favorites leveled the score in the 37th minute, when Hany Mukhtar sent the ball over the head of a rival. The precious object deviated from its course, which foiled Carlos Coronel.
The rest of the game was up to the two keepers. Coronel made five saves, while Willis repelled four balls.
Nashville SC, for its part, concludes its regular season in third place in the East.
Atlanta gets its ticket
At TQL Stadium, Atlanta United FC also secured their qualification for the MLS playoffs with a win.
The Georgia club defeated Cincinnati FC 2-1. They did so by recording both of their second-half wins.
At the 70e minute, Miles Robinson tied the game with a header from a corner kick. Nine minutes later, Josef Martinez played the hero by swinging a ball that had been lobed into the penalty area.
Atlanta completed its campaign ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference. The team amassed 51 points, like New York City FC and Orlando City SC.
MLS Eastern Association Ranking
1 – New England Revolution (73 points)
2 – Philadelphia Union (54 points)
3 – Nashville SC (54 points)
4 – New York City FC (51 points)
5 – Atlanta United FC (51 points)
6 – Orlando City SC (51 points)
7 – New York Red Bulls (48 points)
Eliminated teams:
8 – DC United (47 points)
9 – Columbus Crew (47 points)
10 – CF Montreal (46 points)
11- Inter Miami (41 points)
12 – Chicago Fire (34 points)
13 – Toronto FC (28 points)
14 – Cincinnati FC (20 points)