The Montreal Impact completed their six-game season-opening string of road matches with another positive result on Tuesday, stifling a Wayne Rooney-less D.C. United in a scrappy 0-0 draw at Audi Field.
Both sides made changes to their starting XIs for this rare Tuesday night match, with the visitors featuring a young lineup with six Canadians, three of them Homegrowns, while D.C. played without the suspended Rooney and also began with Lucas Rodriguez on the bench, with Ulises Segura asked to fill Rooney's influential shoes at the No. 9 spot.
That probably contributed to a choppy first half marked by lots of spirited midfield battling, but not a single shot on either goal.
Things opened up a bit after the break, and Montreal fullback Zachary Brault-Guillard came closest to scoring in the 55th minute when he made a long run into the D.C. penalty box and laced a low, angled drive that forced a nimble diving parry from Bill Hamid.
Quincy Amarikwa unsettled the Impact defense with his work rate and physicality after he came in up top in the 64th minute, but the home side still couldn't muster a shot on target and the Quebec club were happy to exit with the road point.
Goals
- None
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: D.C.'s reliance on Rooney (Roonliance?) was underlined here, while IMFC – who have a similar relationship with Ignacio Piatti, who's currently injured – can take heart from earning eight points from their 2-2-2 record on the six-game road swing.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: On a night with precious few clear chances, United can thank Hamid for keeping his wits about him and denying Brault-Guillard his first MLS goal:
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Montreal holding midfielder Samuel Piette handled his grunt work with aplomb, anchoring the IMFC midfield and getting stuck in where necessary to make sure his team posted a second consecutive clean sheet.
Next Up
- D.C. United: Saturday, April 13 at Colorado (9 pm ET; MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US, DAZN in Canada)
- Montreal Impact: Saturday, April 13 vs. Columbus (1 pm ET; TVAS in Canada, MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US)
