Salsa Continues to Be Frustrated by Montreal
The Salsa fell short in the first of two American Professional Soccer League semifinal matches against the Montreal Impact, losing, 2-1, Friday night at Claude-Robillard Stadium in Montreal.
The Salsa trailed early in the first half when Lloyd Barker, on an assist by Marco Rizi, kicked the ball past Salsa goaltender Mike Littman for a 1-0 lead at the five-minute mark.
The Impact’s second goal came seven minutes later, after Littman stopped a free kick from 20 yards out, but Jean Harbor knocked the rebound into the net to make it 2-0.
The Salsa scored on a penalty kick by Paulinho late in the first half. The Salsa was playing without three key starters: defender Danny Pena, midfielder Thor Lee and forward Paul Wright.
After a Montreal red card with 20 minutes remaining in regulation, the Salsa had an opportunity to score but was unable to generate any offense.
The Salsa has not been successful against Montreal, losing three times during the regular season.
The teams return to Fullerton for the second semifinal game Sunday. If Montreal wins, it will face either Colorado or Seattle for the APSL Championship. But if the Salsa wins, then a 30-minute mini-game immediately after will determine who advances to the championships Oct. 15.
