Revs Fall to Montreal 1-0, Fail to Clinch Playoff Berth

“I was out with injury for a long time, so to get games in the legs was good”, Jones said. “We need to go out there and battle to earn our spot”. The Impact had a chance to wrap up a berth before this visit to New England (13-11-8), but Orlando City won 2-1 over New York City FC on Friday.

Head coach Mauro Biello, however, says Montreal will aim for victory against New England regardless of the outcome of Orlando’s match. “We have to get points there and go in with a little momentum”. The game will be intense and it will be a good test for us. “But we still have belief and we still know we can do it and we can turn this thing around and get a few results”. And they usually come through with a playoff place on the line. We’re going there first and foremost to earn a playoff spot.

“We’re disappointed in the results we’re getting”, Caldwell said. “Points on the road are extremely precious”.

Montreal (14-13-6, 48 points) bottled up the Revolution attack with a strong commitment to defending, using Italian midfielder Marco Donadel to stifle Revolution playmaker Lee Nguyen. The Impact would fail to make the playoffs if it loses against both New England and Toronto and if Orlando wins its final two matches.

Montreal has played with 10 men for at least the final 27 minutes in the two matchups this season.

With the win, the Impact move ahead of the Revolution and into a fourth place tie with D.C. United in the Eastern Conference.

“Everyone is close in the standings”, said Biello.

But the Revolution’s greatest failings were on offense, as they were unable to break down the Impact defense with a short passing game and failed to exhibit enough patience to threaten in the late stages.

New England Revolution host Montreal Impact on Saturday night only needing a point to secure their place in the Eastern Conference playoffs, with Montreal needing all three to guarantee theirs.

Saturday’s match between the Revs and Impact will be the third this season, with the first one last March ending in a scoreless draw and Montreal winning 3-0 in their second meeting in September.

With Drogba on the team, Montreal has turned its season around. Laurent Ciman will return to the Impact lineup after serving his one match suspension against New England.

“There’s always pressure on the road”, Biello said of Saturday’s match.

New England Revolution are only without Darrius Barnes for this one as the defender is set to miss the rest of the season.