Impact, Whitecaps Lead Semifinals Series

MONTREAL, QC – Two goals in the first half allowed the Montreal Impact (5th) to earn a 2-1 win (halftime 2-1) against the Puerto Rico Islanders (3rd) Thursday night, in front of 9,835 spectators at Saputo Stadium, in the first match of the USL First Division semifinal round. Tony Donatelli opened the score at the 8th minute of play. On a free kick situation, Donatelli unleashed a low, well placed shot 25 meters out from the middle, which traveled to the right of the Islanders wall and goalkeeper Bill Gaudette. This was Donatelli’s second goal in the playoffs.

Roberto Brown scored the insurance goal for Montreal at the 20th minute. After breaking in on defender Scott Jones near the goal line, forward Peter Byers crossed for Brown. The Panamean forward headed the ball from the edge of the six-yard area in the top corner, to the left of Gaudette.

The Islanders narrowed the lead to one goal at the 31st minute when midfielder Jonathan Steele recovered the ball in the middle and then fired a powerful shot 35 meters out to the left of goalkeeper Matt Jordan.

Jordan tied the team record of six playoff wins held by Paolo Ceccarelli. Jordan notably stood out at the 24th minute by saving a strike from Nicholas Addlery with a well calculated dive to his left.

“We wanted to head to Puerto Rico with a win and that’s what we did tonight,” analysed assistant coach Andrea Di Pietrantonio, who was at the helm of the team in replacement of Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos, who served an automatic one-match suspension tonight, following his ejection in the game against Charleston. “We were expecting a very physical match this evening and we responded well. The rhythm changed in the second half. They started putting more pressure on us, but we managed to contain them and obtain scoring chances.”

“We did what we had to do and we went for the win,” noted defender Nevio Pizzolitto, who earned a 25th start with the Impact in the playoffs. “Puerto Rico is a good and solid team. They put a lot of pressure on us, but we worked as a unit from beginning to end and we took the lead in the series.”

“We knew that it was going to be a physical and tough match, but we gave a good performance,” mentioned midfielder Patrick Leduc. “We could have slowed down with a two-goal advance, but we remained focused. We capitalized on their poor start while being aware that what was coming up was going to be difficult. It’s positive for the team to leave for Puerto Rico with a win and a one-point lead.”

With this third consecutive win in the playoffs, the Impact ended a five-match winless sequence against its Caribbean rivals.

Midfielder Joey Gjertsen and team captain Mauro Biello were not available for the match, as they are both currently nursing lower body injuries.

Elsewhere in the league, the Portland Timbers, the regular season champions, are facing in the other semifinal series the Vancouver Whitecaps (7th), at 10:30 pm, at Swangard Stadium, in Burnaby.

The Impact will play the second and decisive match of the aggregate goal semifinal series Sunday at 6 pm at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon (radio-canada.ca/sports, USLlive.com, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990).

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
85th minute – Midfielder Patrick Leduc unleashed a powerful strike from 35 meters out that went to the right of the Islanders goal.

90th minute – After accepting a pass from Islanders forward Fabrice Noel, Jonathan Steele, who was on the right flank, took a shot inside the 18-yard box that Matt Jordan stopped with both hands after diving to the ground.

GAME SUMMARY
PHOTOS

BURNABY, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC defeated Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers 2-1 in the first leg of their USL First Division playoff semifinal series at Swangard Stadium on Thursday evening.

A pair of headed goals by Charles Gbeke and Marcus Haber gave the defending USL-1 champions a slim one-goal advantage for Sunday’s decisive second leg in Portland, Oregon. The result was Portland’s second road loss of the 2009 campaign, with the Timbers’ other away defeat this season occurring in Vancouver on April 25. The win also extended the Whitecaps unbeaten streak in the league to five matches (4W-0L-1D).

Though Thursday’s events did not go according to plan for the top-seeded Timbers, the USL-1 regular season champions will feel they can turn the series around in The City of Roses on Sunday after Portland’s Ryan Pore scored from the penalty spot just before halftime.

Whitecaps head coach Teitur Thordarson made one change to the side that started last Sunday’s goalless draw at Carolina RailHawks in the second leg of their first round playoff series. That change came in attack, as Gbeke replaced Marlon James to partner Haber up front.

Timbers head coach Gavin Wilkinson also made one change to the side that started Portland’s final regular match at home to Cleveland City Stars two weeks ago. Midfielder Pore returned from suspension to replace Japanese striker Takayuki Suzuki in the visitors’ starting XI.

On a cool and wet autumn evening on the Lower Mainland, a Swangard crowd of 4,516 saw an intriguing first half of soccer, with both sides finding the back of the net before the break.

It was the Whitecaps that had the first chance of the match on six minutes. Centre back Luca Bellisomo got on the end of captain Martin Nash’s cross at the far post, but his effort flew wide of the target.

Portland then had a couple of chances of their own. On 13 minutes, Tony McManus side-footed a shot into the arms of Whitecaps goalkeeper Jay Nolly after Geroge Josten found the Timbers midfielder at the top of the Whitecaps box. Two minutes later, Portland’s Swedish import Johan Claesson struck a shot high and wide from long range.

The Whitecaps then responded with a glorious chance just past the midway point of the half. Ansu Toure’s curling cross from the left found Haber at the far post, but with an empty goal to aim for, his header went just wide of the target.

Vancouver fans did not have to wait long for the home side to draw first blood, however, as Gbeke headed home his 14th goal of the year and first of the playoffs on 25 minutes. Takashi Hirano beat Portland’s Brian Farber down the left flank before curling in a fine cross to Gbeke in the Timbers box. The Canadian international’s header struck the ground before beating Timbers goalkeeper Steve Cronin, then hitting the underside of the crossbar, and bouncing into the goal for a 1-0 Whitecaps lead.

Having made the opening breakthrough in the series, the Whitecaps tried to build on their lead, with Portland looking a bit out of sorts, as a result. On 27 minutes, Wes Knight nearly got on the end of Toure’s dangerous cross from the left before an unmarked Haber struck a great chance over the Portland crossbar on 35 minutes after Gbeke failed to initially connect with another Hirano cross from the left.

Things seemed to be going according to plan for Thordarson’s side, but on 43 minutes, the Timbers were given a chance to equalize after match referee Geoff Gamble awarded Portland a penalty. He adjudged Whitecaps right fullback Lyle Martin to have handled Farber’s half-volleyed effort towards goal in the Vancouver box. The decision upset the home side and the Swangard crowd, but that did not bother Pore, as he stepped up to strike home his 11th goal of the season for 1-1.

Portland’s goal had the Whitecaps faithful up in arms over the manner that it was conceded. As the match entered the extra minute of time added on, referee Gamble and fourth official Paul Ward took issue with the protests of Whitecaps substitute Marco Reda, with Gamble showing a red card to the Vancouver centre back. The sending off means Reda will not be available for the remainder of the semifinal series.

The halftime whistle brought widespread jeers from Whitecaps fans, with referee Gamble taking the brunt of the supporters’ frustrations, as both clubs went to their respective dressing rooms deadlocked at 1-1.

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