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United reclaims first place in Eastern Conference after cruising past Impact

United Impact (Getty Images)

D.C. is once again in sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference, with the Montreal Impact being their latest victim.

United cruised to a 3-0 victory over the expansion Impact in front of a season-high crowd of 18,302 at RFK Stadium on Saturday night. Chris Pontius scored his third goal in two games after a great dribbling effort just before halftime, and Robbie Russell and Hamdi Salihi each found the back of the net in the second half.

Pontius' goal was the highlight of the game, as he fought off a defender, dribbled by two more and hit a low shot past Impact goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to break the deadlock.

The result combined with the New York Red Bulls' 1-1 draw with Toronto FC pushed United ahead of the rival Red Bulls atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Here are the match highlights:

 

What do you think of United's 3-0 win over the Impact? How impressed are you by Pontius' goal? Surprised by the Impact's performance?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Fast or MLS fast? that is the question. He definitely has some skills on the ball, but whether those are MLS skills or Skills also remains to be seen.

    His known pluses seem to be – Strength, Attacks the goal with the ball at his feet whilst remaining in control, Striking accuracy from distance, Accuracy with both feet, Scorers’ confidence, Versatility – just started playing forward this year.

    He’s a good man to have on your squad.

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  2. Don’t be shocked unless he gets scores even more between now and then. I do like his versatility for the Nats though at some point. I just don’t see Klinsmann experimenting in the middle of qualifying. Mexico game is prep for the rest of this round.

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  3. Correct. Pontius creates most of his own goals from beautiful first touches and dribbling, unlike Wando who is usually makes an awesome run or is in the right spot at the right time. Not taking anything away from him, but Pontius is a more versatile/creative player.

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  4. Uh, he’s pretty fast. Maybe he doesn’t have the speed of pre-accident Charlie Davies, but he’s far more athletic than you are giving him credit for. Also while yes crossing isn’t his best attribute, he’s not horrendous at it. Comparing him to Wondo? I guess if you think he’s as slow as you make him out to be, but rewatch the game at Chivas USA last season to see some of his breakaway speed.

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  5. Meh. I’m a huge fan of PartyBoy, but I’m not sure the game you see out of him these days translates so easily to international football.

    He doesn’t have the speed or crossing ability to play on the wing at that level, I think. And at forward… He strikes me as having a pretty similar game to everyone’s least favorite national team pick, Wondo.

    Give him another shot in January to impress. I’m ok with that. I do really like how he fits into DC’s style of play, which is ‘win the ball and get forward quickly and in numbers’

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  6. “past Impact goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts…”?

    Unless I suddenly became color blind and now can’t tell the difference between black and white, I’m sure that Evan Bush was playing last night.

    Did Franco Panizo even go to the game? That’s just embarrassing reporting.

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  7. “Pontius’ goal was the highlight of the game, as he fought off a defender, dribbled by two more and hit a low shot past Impact goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to break the deadlock.”

    Really? Donovan Ricketts?

    Anyway, great game, although I thought the Impact had the ball for far too long during stretches in the first half, luckily their attack had very little bite to it. United will continue to improve and they have better depth than most MLS teams do.

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  8. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see European clubs start sniffing around for his services in the next couple of years!

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  9. Pontis’ goal was sick. I will be shocked if Pontius is not called up for the U.S. V Mexico friendly! Can’t wait to see him donning the U.S. Jersey.

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  10. Chris Pontius is one of my favorite players in MLS. Dude is good, ready for him to get some serious looks with the USMNT now that he back from injury and showing out again.

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  11. Solid win. Six home wins in a row. 10-3-2 since March 24th. Road games coming up against the Crew and Dynamo, but they’re looking pretty good. United is poised to make a run for the Cup and SS.

    Sorry MLS. DCU is back. 🙂

    Reply

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