[MLS PLAYOFFS: Houston-Montreal] The Houston Dynamo lived up to reputation for stepping things up in the playoffs with a 3-0 win over the Montreal Impact in theirplay-in game that drew an announced crowd of only 10,476 fans at BBVA Compass Stadium. But the big story was the Montreal meltdown that featured three second-half red cards. Impact coach
The Dynamo, which has reached MLS Cup the last two years and four times in its previous seven seasons in MLS, was in total control after opening the game with goals from
Bruin brushed aside challenges from the Montreal defense to put the game away in the second half after Colombian Nelson Rivas –playing his first game of the season — was red carded.
“La chute” of the Impact was completed when Italian star Marco Di Vaio and Argentine
Smartly, referee Mark Geiger chose not to addon any stoppage time to a game in danger of spilling out of control.
Bruin Goal #1:
Oct. 31 in Houston
Houston 3 Montreal 0. Goals: Bruin(Clark) 16, Garcia (pen.) 27. Bruin (Ashe) 72.
Houston — Hall; Sarkodie, Boswell, Brunner, Ashe; Garcia,Creavalle, Clark, Davis (Driver 83); Barnes (Cummings 79), Bruin (Weaver 79).
Montreal — Perkins; Camara, Ferrari, Rivas, Brovsky; Bernardello, Warner(Felipe 62), Pisanu (Romero 55), Wenger (Paponi 62), Mapp; Di Vaio.
Yellow Cards: Houston — Ashe 89; Montreal –Rivas 35.
Red Cards: Montreal — Rivas 70, Romero 89, Di Vaio 89.
Referee: Mark Geiger.
For all the slagging MLS refs get, Geiger did an excellent job on this game. He should already have red-carded Rivas in the first half for serious foul play (he got yellow), but it was maybe one of those challenges where you only really see the depth of the violence in the replay. Great call on the penalty kick too, judging that it was inside the box – a lot of refs, especially in a playoff game, would have bottled it and given a direct free kick outside the area. The puritan in me says, ‘Shame on Montreal’. The fan in me says, ‘Exciting finish to a game that was long since over.’