MLS Playoff Preview and Prediction: Columbus Crew vs Montreal Impact

Crew F Kei Kamara tied for the MLS regular-season lead in goals with 22…. New York finished ahead of the Crew in the standings, so the aggregate series will open up in Columbus on November 22nd, before heading to New Jersey’s Red Bull Arena.

It wouldn’t take long for the home side to do just that, as Finlay was the quickest to react to a 78th minute rebound in front of the Montreal goal for the aggregate equalizer. They are 2-2-2 on the road in that span.

Columbus responded with two more goals, and winger Ethan Finlay said it showed the team’s character. However, Kamara stepped up and hit his spot kick too close to Bush, and the Crew would have to find another way to get themselves a goal.

“The ability to face adversity was always a strong point of this team”, Biello said this week. “We know that we need to win the game and if we don’t win at home we don’t deserve to go on”.

“We were down in San Jose (a 1-1 draw on September 16 without Drogba)”. The Sierra Leonean forward has a way of getting into the right space to make an impact, and he did so both early and late as Columbus did what was necessary to put away a brutally hard challenge from Montreal.

Kei Kamara, who tied for the league lead for goals in the regular season with 22, netted the first and last goals for Crew South Carolina, which prevailed even though Kamara failed to convert a penalty kick midway through the second half.

They are coming off a stretch of three games in eight days, but have had a full week to prepare for the second leg in Columbus. The rest was a blessing for older players like 37-year-old Drogba and 36-year-old Bernier.

“We had to dig deep on this one”, Crew coach Gregg Berhalter said.

With players like Didier Drogba and Ignacio Piatti, the Impact will pose a real threat on the Columbus goal from kickoff.

“They have quality in every zone of the pitch”. Neymar scored twice more, either side of Luis Suarez’s ninth league goal of the season (13 all competitions) to push Barca all alone on top of the league, with plenty of thanks to Real Madrid. Midfielder Federico Higuain, who scored the Crew’s goal in the opening game of the series in Montreal, also was credited with an assist. We really want it. You see it in the eyes. “The determination. The fire”. The league will have to decide which match is played in each slot.

The New York Red Bulls will be seeking its second MLS Cup appearance and first MLS Cup title, while Columbus’ lone MLS Cup trophy came against RBNY in 2008.

“We’ve got to have a good start, to control the momentum of the game”, said Biello.

While Columbus could have elected to schematically play to not lose, they instead asserted themselves in the possession battle during the final 30 minutes of overtime, passing efficiently and suddenly looking unsafe on the counterattack where normally they sit back and reset. “And everything in a career is about gaining experience, and for us as a team we’ve gained experience and we’ll be better in the future when these moments arise again”.