Montreal Impact shutdown by the Columbus Crew: Ohio Blues at Hostile Crew Stadium

A 2-week break should have rested an older experienced Montreal Impact squad. But it also made them rusty as Les Bleus de Montreal faced a desperate Columbus Crew team. The Crew were coming off recent bad results but the desperation to win took over as Columbus eased its way to a 2-0 win at home.

Early in the game, Matias Sanchez gets a loose ball after Dominic Oduro is fouled. Right outside the box, Sanchez picks up the loose ball and unleashes a low shot that is deflected by Jeb Brovsky. The deflection beat Troy Perkins , who anticipated the initial shot, and it's 1-0 for the Crew at the 6th minute.

Alert after being scored on early, the Montreal Impact almost got scored on by the Crew via Dominic Oduro. The Ghanean had his close range shot saved by Troy Perkins. The initial gorgeous cross came from Federico Higuain.

A few minutes later, Andrew Wenger received a precise pass from Patrice Bernier to only see his powerful shot kicked away by Andy Gruenebaum kick.

Call it a bad play, laziness or a lack of concentration but the Crew's 2nd goal hurt and probably killed any hope the Impact had for a comeback. Oduro steals the ball in midfield after Collen Warner's loses the ball too easily. A streaking Oduro picks up speed ,as he always does, and beats Troy Perkins to his left with a low shot.

One could say that the game was pretty much done then. Right before half-time, Andrew Wenger stole the ball from Chad Marschall and headed towards the box. His 1-on-1 was being setup perfectly as he froze Gruenebaum on a strong shot that went wide. It was probably the goal that Montreal needed to get back into the game

But the Impact pressed even more in the second half but the Crew got the most dangerous chances. Between an Oduro parried volley and a Higuain lob attempt, the game started to dwindle down without really having any rhythm or life to it; at least for the Impact.

The Montreal Impact is still on top of the Eastern Conference with 26 points and 3 games on hand on the New York Red Bulls. Those game in hands are so important to continue winning. The summer months of MLS are when you make or break your season aka the MLS Playoffs.

Back home at Stade Saputo, Montreal faces the Houston Dynamo that might be without Oscar Boniek, who was injured during World Cup qualifiers for Honduras. Games against the Dynamo are never drama-free and usually very physical. At this point, the Impact needs to do what it has been doing best:

Stay Pragmatic and Win.