Slender Leads in MLS Conference Finals Leave Everything to Play for in 2nd Legs

The 16-day layoff between the Major League Soccer conference semifinals and the first leg of the conference finals allowed all four clubs to produce excitement on fresh legs on Tuesday. 

The Montreal Impact opened Tuesday’s two-game slate with a 3-2 win against rival Toronto FC in front of over 61,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium. 

Montreal could’ve entered the second leg at BMO Field on November 30 with a three-goal advantage, but a tactical switch helped the Reds secure the middle of the park and score a pair of second-half strikes. 

Seattle will take a slim 2-1 edge into the second leg against the Colorado Rapids on Sunday. As he has been since his summer arrival, Nicolas Lodeiro was in the middle of the action for the home side at CenturyLink Field. 

Despite taking one-goal leads into the second leg, both Montreal and Seattle have plenty of work left to do to preserve their respective advantages and move on to the MLS Cup final on December 10. 

The Impact appeared to be on the brink of a berth in the final through 53 minutes, as they sunk three goals into the Toronto FC net before the Reds woke up from their slumber inside the cavernous Olympic Stadium. 

Dominic Oduro, Matteo Mancosu and Ambroise Oyongo all took advantage of the poor marking in midfield by the visitors to power the home side into a 3-0 lead. 

Perfect ball from @pbernier10. Perfect finish from @Freakyfast8. 1-0. #MTLvTOR https://t.co/TUUxn2lk2K

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2016

But instead of delivering the knockout blow to their biggest rival, the Impact fell victim to two strikes inside the box to put them on notice heading into the second leg in Ontario in a week’s time. 

Toronto’s sudden change in style and motivation came after the introduction of Will Johnson in the 57th minute. The Canadian’s entrance four minutes after the third Montreal goal locked down the middle of the park, as he played alongside Michael Bradley, who scored the final tally of the night in Quebec. 

Johnson occupied the space left open by Bradley when the American moved forward, and he made sure the Impact had no space to counter, as they had done with great success in the first half. 

Ignacio Piatti plowed through the middle of the park with ease on a few occasions, and he benefited from Steven Beitashour’s poor marking to set up Mancosu for Montreal’s second. Oyongo, Montreal’s left-back, was allowed to prance into the same vacant space in the buildup to his 53rd-minute strike that should’ve been …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com