October 02, 2016 - 1:40 PM
ORLANDO, Fla. - Dominic Oduro scored in a second straight game, Evan Bush had his sixth shutout of the season and the Montreal Impact beat Orlando City FC 1-0 on Sunday to move into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Montreal (11-10-11) has won two in a row and sits one point ahead of fifth-place D.C. United. Orlando (7-11-14) was eliminated from playoff contention.
Oduro scored in the 56th minute. He took a feed from Matteo Mancosu and used the outside of his right foot to beat goalkeeper Joe Bendik on breakaway.
"We thought that maybe we would just need one play toward the goal to score and give ourselves that extra burst of energy," said Impact captain Patrice Bernier. "We did do that with a nice combination with Dominic and Matteo. This was not a straightforward game at all, but this good result put pressure on teams below us."
Six minutes prior, Ignacio Piatti had a one-on-one opportunity but he had a heavy touch near the 18-yard box and Bendik came out of his area to deny it.
Orlando City had several good scoring chances in the second half. But Bush made a great reaction save in the 62nd minute to keep out Cyle Larin's point-blank shot and Julio Baptista's open shot near the penalty spot in the 70th sailed over the crossbar. Bush also got a hand on Larin's header in the 88th.
"You build your composure throughout the year," said Bush. "Our guys showed a lot of character, and this is a season-defining win. We seem to be at our best when there's a lot at stake. We push each other through in those moments."
— With files from The Canadian Press
News from © The Associated Press, 2016