Montreal Impact failed to get into the MLS play-offs after the 1-1 stalemate with Atlanta United. Defending champions Atlanta United knew that a victory could help Montreal entered into the play-off race as a result of New England Revolution winning 2-0 against New York City. However, Atlanta were able to draw the encounter and hand New England the opportunity to contest in the play-offs by finishing in the seventh and final spot of the Eastern Conference table. Montreal Impact have now been unable to reach the play-offs for three consecutive campaigns.
Atlanta manager Frank de Boer was happy with the compactness shown by his team but they were unable to get the decisive winning goal since they played a lot deeper. Atlanta could have easily picked up a victory if they had pushed for a winner. However, it was a surprise to see Montreal scoring at least once in the game since scoring goals has been a problem for the team. The advantage for the home team was the absence of Josef Martinez, who has been unavailable due to an injury. Clement Diop was able to come up with an impressive five saves while making his debut for the team and the Montreal Impact goalkeeper was able to push Evan Bush to the sidelines for the first time since the end of 2017.
“We played compact and a little bit deeper when we had to. We pressed them when we had to. We could have deserved more. Of course, when you’re so close to three points and you see the results of the other games, it’s quite bitter to only get one point,” saidde Boer.“For me, if you ask me why we didn’t qualify for the playoffs, we lack the possibilities to finish off the quality plays that we create,” said Wilmer Cabrera.