‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’: Impact Make the Most out of Early Red

The Good...

Di Vaio - How can we not start off with the Man of the Match? Marco Di Vaio has now increased his league leading 17 goals and at the same defined what it means to #Divaye MLS defenders. His finishing has been clinical all season long and he might be entering his best form as the Impact make a run for the Supporter's Shield.

Besides the two goals, Di Vaio was also at the heart of the fifth minute red card when he forced goalkeeper Matt Reis to take desperate action and trip the Italian striker in the box.

Patrice Bernier - What can you say about Bernier? If Di Vaio is the Man of the Match, Bernier was the heart of the Montreal attack. Playing alongside Collen Warner, Bernier completed a staggering 81 of 89 pass attempts for a 91% pass efficiency! That's the highest pass completions and passing percentage for anyone on either clubs. That's also a whopping 33 more completions then Warner. Not only was Bernier the maestro of the attack but he did so without neglecting his defensive responsibilities. Bernier found the time to accumulate 12 defensive recoveries.  Again, that's the highest total from any player on the pitch Sunday night.

What's truly impressive is that it has taken me this long to even mention the two converted penalties by Bernier. If you have yet to see the goals, please refer to any other Bernier penalty highlights from the past two seasons.

Bromara! - The cries of Impact fans for more of an attacking presence from the two outside backs were finally answered. Fans witnessed Jeb Brovsky and Hassoun Camara repeatedly make runs down the wings and contribute to the attack. So much so that three of the four Impact goals originated directly from the attacking duo.  The Felipe penalty call was instigated by  a perfect through pass from Brovsky to the Brazilian; and what can you say about the two spectacular Camara passes to Di Vaio? Without them, we miss out on two more Divayes!

Now let's hope this new trend is a result of a change in philosophy and not due to playing one man up.

Arnaud- In what was quite possibly his best outing of the season; Davy Arnaud made coach Schallibaum look brilliant for placing him as the starting left wing Sunday night. The Impact captain looked inspired from the opening whistle and proved that he could still contribute to the team. Arnaud was often at the heart of turnovers and showed good chemistry with Brovsky and Felipe on the left side.  In what seems like such an absurd statement just a month ago, this Saturday against Columbus, I'd start this version of Arnaud over Romero without hesitation.

Les Ultras! - Their chants were heard on our screens all game long. They provided the Impact players with some home atmosphere and made IMFC fans proud of their fan base. Bravo !

The Bad...

Allowing two goals with a man up - Nobody is going to lose any sleep over the two allowed goals, but it is still worth mentioning. Credit must be given to the Revolution. Despite being a man down early in the game, they still played on the offensive and were able to capitalize on two opportunities.

The Ugly...

Bench Management - Some of you might find it a bit harsh to label Schallibaum's bench management in a 4-2 road win as Ugly....but let me elaborate.

Following Di Vaio's second goal, Impact are leading 4-1 in the 55th minute and are one man up on their opponents. Important to note that Impact are currently in the busiest phase of their season schedule and are fielding  an overused backline that have no experienced subs to fall back on.

The Impact coaching staff were presented with a golden opportunity to give some rest to the likes of Nesta, Ferrari  & Di Vaio while giving some much needed MLS experience to promoted academy defenders Tissot and Lefevre. Instead we witnessed Pisanu and Paponi (loaned players that are questionable to return next season) come into the game.

Why weren't the two young defenders subbed in at that moment? If it's because the coaching staff didn't feel the game was enough at hand to send them out ? If so,  then one must ask if there is enough confidence being shown to these young players.

Share your thoughts, Impact fans. Who impressed you? Who did not? And better yet, what did I get wrong?

More from Mount Royal Soccer:

• The Temptation of Saint Catherine of Bologna : Marco Di Vaio , Family , Bologna and the RossoBlu
• Bulletin de Note du Professeur Brouillard : Impact de Montreal vs New England Revolution
• ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’: Impact Make the Most out of Early Red
• Should Marco Di Vaio's name be among the All-Time MLS Crème de La Crème
• New England Revolution vs Montreal Impact: Highlights, Stats and Quotes