Photo by Dan Hamilton/ USA Today Sports

By RYAN TOLMICH

Undone by the head of Laurent Ciman, the shorthanded Seattle Sounders continue to flounder.

Playing without Clint Dempsey, Brad Evans, Marco Pappa and Obafemi Martins, the Sounders fell to the Montreal Impact, 1-0, on Saturday night at Stade Saputo due to a last-minute Ciman header.

With the loss, the Sounders drop the team’s sixth decision in the past seven contests.

Helping his side earn a clean sheet on the defensive end, Ciman’s biggest contribution came on the attack, as the Belgian international provided the game’s lone finish in the 88th minute.

With Marco Donadel standing over a free kick 35 yards from goal, Ciman darted into the Sounders box and rose in pursuit of the Italian’s ball into the area. The Belgian got his head onto the ball and fired with power, smashing a headed shot past Troy Perkins and into the right side of the goal to earn the Impact all three points.

The result proved to be a well-earned one for an Impact side that proved dominant against their short-handed opposition.

Taking 14 shots with six on target, the Impact outworked the Sounders by a considerable margin, holding the visitors to just three attempts at goal with none ending up on frame.

Maintaing possession for long stretches, the Impact had a chance to take the lead just moments before Ciman’s eventual winner, only for Ignacio Piatti to drill the crossbar in the 81st minute.

It would prove to be no matter, though, as the Impact’s victory puts them into playoff position for the time being, leapfrogging Orlando City SC based on the club’s total wins.

The Sounders return to CenturyLink Field Aug. 1 for a Cascadia clash with the Vancouver Whitecaps, while the Impact face New York City FC at Yankee Stadium the same day.