Impact loses 2-0 to AS Roma in fun atmosphere at Stade Saputo

Honor, hard work. fair play and intensity were at Stade Saputo as the Montreal Impact faced AS Roma, only its second European opponent in a friendly at Stade Saputo since playing Olympique Lyonnais in 2012.

Goals from Dzeko and Nainggolan, early in the first half, was enough to seal the deal for I Giallorossi . It was a good performance for the home team that fielded a mix of MLS starters, bench players and young Academy prospects that did not look out of place. That includes offensive midfielder David Choiniere ( who just recently signed an MLS HGP contract) and Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, highly touted future star of the club.

Ballou was impressive as he came on for about 30 minutes, more than enough to explain all the rumours sending him to the Premier League. And he is only 17 years old.

Montreal goes back to the MLS routine as soon as this Saturday as it hosts the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening at Stade Saputo.

LINEUPS

MTL – GK-Eric Kronberg (Maxime Crépeau 46’); D-Donny Toia (Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé 67’), Victor Cabrera (Wandrille Lefèvre 46’), Kyle Fisher (Thomas Meilleur-Giguère 67’), Amadou Dia; M-Marco Donadel (Hernan Bernardello 31’, Balou Jean-Yves Tabla 67’), Patrice Bernier (Kyle Bekker 46’), Ignacio Piatti (Michael Salazar 31’, Johan Venegas 67’), Dominic Oduro (Lucas Ontivero 46’, Anthony Jackson-Hamel 67’), David Choinière; F-Didier Drogba (Matteo Mancosu 46’)

Unused sub – GK-Evan Bush

ROMA – GK-Alisson; D-Emerson (Moustapha Seck 46’), Juan Jesus (Norbert Gyömbér 46’), Kostas Manolas (Stephan El Shaarawy 46’), Alessandro Florenzi; M-Daniele De Rossi (Federico Ricci 64’), Kevin Strootman (Gerson 46’), Radja Nainggolan (Francesco Totti 46’), Diego Perotti (Riccardo Marchizza 46’); F-Edin Džeko (Leandro Paredes 46’), Mohamed Salah (Juan Iturbe 46’)

Unused subs – GK-Bogdan Lobont, Andrea Romagnoli, Lorenzo Crisanto; D-Eros De Santis, Vasilis Torosidis; M-William Vainqueur, Lorenzo Di Livio, Christian D’Urso; F-Edoardo Soleri

GOALS

ROMA – Džeko (Perotti) 6’

ROMA – Nainggolan (Salah) 21’

CAUTIONS

ROMA – Iturbe 76’

ROMA – Gerson 79’