LDN - Sports

Montreal pushes for playoff berth against Colorado

[September 30, 2017] The Sports Xchange

The Colorado Rapids have a chance to play spoiler as they host the Montreal Impact, which are in a tight race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Impact (11-6-14) and Rapids (7-5-18) will take to the pitch at 9 p.m. (EST) Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. It will be the first and only time the two teams meet this season.

It will be the second match in four days for Montreal, which suffered a devastating 1-0 loss to New York City FC at Stade Saputo in Montreal on Wednesday night. It was the Impact's sixth loss in seven games and the fourth straight loss at home.

On the edge of making the playoffs with just three games remaining, the seventh-place Impact, with 39 points, are desperate for a win to help close the four-point gap with the sixth-place New York Red Bulls.

A loss by the Red Bulls, who have 43-points, would help Montreal's chances too.

A Montreal loss and a New York win over Chicago on Saturday would eliminate the Impact from playoff contention.

But Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush feels his team still has a good chance to make the playoffs.

"The least you can do is on game day believe that you can win every individual game," Bush told the Montreal Gazette. "That shouldn't matter if you're first in the league, last in the league, fighting for a playoff spot, every day you should go into it believing you can win the game. If you don't, then you're not a competitor and you don't deserve to be playing.

"I go into every game believing we can win. That's just the way it is."

In the meantime, head coach Mauro Biello had to answer a social media rumor that he would be replaced in the 2018 season. Biello tried to shrug off the rumor to keep it from becoming a distraction to his team.

"I have to concentrate on what I have to," Biello told mlssoccer.com. "Unfortunately, things like that are put out there and there's nothing I can do about that. All I can do is try to put the team in the best position to perform."

The head coach added, "It's important to focus on what I can control and that's trying to prepare the team the best I could."

Focus and a little scheduling luck may benefit Biello and his team Saturday as they face a Rapids team reeling after being officially eliminated from the playoffs after a loss to FC Dallas on Wednesday.

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The Rapids are riding a tide of misery with only one win in their last 13 matches. Colorado is currently submerged in last place in the Western Conference.

But Rapids interim coach Steve Cooke tried to remain hopeful this week.

"There's no point looking back too much. We have to look forward, be positive," Cooke told coloradorapids.com. "We've got a great opportunity to show people that we are a better team than our results have been showing. We've got a great opportunity to show our fans that we care deeply and we are prepared to fight right to the end."

Colorado will be without forward Kevin Doyle, who announced he was retiring due to concussions.

"This year it has been clear to me that heading the ball was becoming problematic and causing me to have repeated headaches," Doyle said in a social media post earlier this week. "Two concussions this season and numerous others over the years have made this more concerning."

Doyle, who is from Ireland, played 16 years in Europe and in Major League Soccer. The 34-year-old appeared in 71 matches for the Rapids since 2015.

Meanwhile, the Impact received good news for the long term.

The club announced this week it had agreed to a contract extension with Argentine midfielder and Designated Player Ignacio "Nacho" Piatti through June 2018.

Impact president Joey Saputo said in a statement, "We are very excited that Nacho has decided to stay in Montreal. He is a world-class player who belongs among the league's elite. Our supporters will have the opportunity to continue to enjoy his great qualities, which will help us reach our objectives."

Piatti, 32, has been with the club since 2014 and has 47 goals in 90 games for Montreal, including 17 goals and six assists this season.

Following Saturday's match, Montreal will get two weeks off before facing Toronto FC at BMO Field in Toronto on Oct. 15.

Colorado will host Dallas FC at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Oct. 7.

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