Montreal Impact beat Toronto for third consecutive win

Seattle Sounders' Andy Rose vies for the ball with Portland Timbers' Diego Valeri (8) in the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, March 16, 2013, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

MONTREAL - MONTREAL (AP) — Patrice Bernier and Marco Di Vaio scored first-half goals to lead the Montreal Impact to a 2-1 win over Toronto FC on Saturday and maintain its perfect start to the season.

The Impact, who opened with wins in Seattle and Portland to match their total away victories last year, became the first Major League Soccer team to win three games this campaign.

Bernier scored on 34 minutes after Toronto's Ashtone Morgan fouled Andres Romero in the penalty area. Bernier, Montreal's MVP last season, hesitated on approach to his penalty kick and sent Reds goalkeeper Joe Bendik diving to his right before placing the ball into the opposite corner.

Di Vaio made it 2-0 just before halftime when Davy Arnaud sent a ball forward for Di Vaio, who skipped around Bendik to double the home team's advantage.

Toronto reduced the deficit through Robert Earnshaw's 68th minute penalty, but couldn't find an equalizer.

In Seattle, Rodney Wallace headed home an equalizer in second-half stoppage time to earn the Portland Timbers a 1-1 draw with Cascadia Cup rival Seattle Sounders.

Eddie Johnson tapped in a perfectly placed cross from Steve Zakuani in the 13th minute and Seattle held the lead until Wallace scored in the final minutes when Seattle failed to clear the ball from danger and Andrew Jean-Baptiste's centring pass found Wallace completely unmarked.

In Harrison, New Jersey, Bill Hamid's diving save in stoppage time denied Brandon Barklage and the New York Red Bulls its first win of the season.

New York will rue a series of missed chances as it outshot D.C. United 23-4, with France superstar Thierry Henry failing to find the net from his 10 shots at goal.

Elsewhere, Justin Morrow scored in the 74th minute to earn the San Jose Earthquakes a 1-1 draw, after The Crew had taken the lead minutes earlier through Brazilian defender Glauber's header from a Federico Higuain corner.

In Sandy, Utah, Alvaro Saborio scored late in the second half to help Real Salt Lake to a 1-1 draw and a share of the points against the Colorado Rapids in the first leg of the Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry series.

Deshorn Brown scored a late first-half goal for the Rapids who lost goalkeeper Matt Pickens in the third minute when he broke his right forearm defending Kyle Beckerman's corner kick.

In other games Saturday, the Chicago Fire earned its first point of the season in a 0-0 draw at Sporting Kansas City and Jack McInerney scored his second goal in two games to lift the Philadelphia Union to a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution.

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.