PITTSBURGH, PA – FC Montreal lost 1-0 to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on the road Saturday night, at Highmark Stadium.
Pittsburgh scored the only goal of the night in the 79th minute. Rob Vincent took a shot from outside the box, initially blocked by Montreal’s defence, but Kevin Kerr buried the rebound in the top of net.
In the beginning of the game, FC Montreal’s offence pushed the game, applying pressure on Pittsburgh’s defence. In the 7th minute, winger Fabio Morelli even blocked the goalkeeper’s clearance.
“Our pressure was really good,” said Morelli. “We played as a team, so it helps us when we apply pressure together.”
The Riverhounds had their share of opportunities in the first half as well. In the 26th minute, Kevin Kerr cut into the box from the right side, but his shot to the second post missed the target.
In the 50th minute, Drew Russell headed the ball into the box off of a throw, finding Vincent, whose shot was blocked by Maxime Crépeau with a dive to his left.
In the 63rd minute, the Bleu-blanc-noir found its best chance to score. Midfielder Nazim Belguendouz played forward to winger Victor Ndiaye. He beat the defender before taking a low shot, but the ball hit the post.
“We were good in regards to the game plan,” added Morelli. “We didn’t have enough attacking chances. We had a tough time on deep balls and not enough shots on net.”
“It was an average game,” said FC Montreal’s head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “I’m glad we were able to stay organized against the best attacking team in the league, but then we were timid with the ball. We have to find a way to score and not hit the post. We didn’t challenge the defenders enough.”
FC Montreal’s next game will be against the Wilmington Hammerheads FC, on Thursday, June 25, at 2:30pm, at Stade Saputo. Admission is free and you can also stream the game at www.impactmontreal.com/fcmontreal.
LINEUPS
FC Montreal: Maxime Crépeau, Frank Zoue (Zachary Sukunda 67’), Chakib Hocine, Mélé Temguia, Janouk Charbonneau, Nazim Belguendouz (Marco Dominguez 74’), Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, Frédéric Lajoie-Gravelle (Alessandro Riggi 76’), Mastanabal Kacher (Zakaria Messoudi 63’), Victor Ndiaye, Fabio Morelli
*MLS players
Pittsburgh Riverhounds: Calle Brown, William Hunt, Sterling Flunder (Miroslav Cabrilo 70’), Anthony Arena, Fejiro Okiomah, Kevin Kerr, Rob Vincent, Max Touloute (Tyler Pasher 60’), Stephen Okai, Drew Russell (Boris Zivanovic 74’), Michael Green
GOALS
PIT: Kevin Kerr 79’
CAUTIONS
MTL: Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé 34’
