Laurent Ciman's goal stands up as Impact blank Sounders
Seattle minus Gold Cup participant Dempsey
Belgian defender Laurent Ciman scored off a header in the 88th minute to give the Montreal Impact a 1-0 victory over the visiting Seattle Sounders on Saturday night at Saputo Stadium.
Ciman connected off Marco Donadel's free kick for his second goal of the season.
"It was tough because we had chances and we just couldn't put them away," Ciman said. "We were mentally and physically solid, and we took advantage of it."
Montreal (7-8-3) won for the sixth time in seven home matches and scored at home for the 21st consecutive game dating to Aug. 2, 2014.
Former Impact goalkeeper Troy Perkins made five saves for Seattle (10-10-2).
"We did a pretty good job overall, except for that one slip," Perkins said. "It's a punch in the gut certainly. But it's also a wakeup call. Those are the games we have to see out."
The Sounders did not have a shot on target all game and hasn't scored in 272 minutes.
Memorable night
The 29-year-old Ciman had three shots, two tackles and 74 passes.
"He's very comfortable with the ball," Impact coach Frank Klopas said. "He's a very experienced player. He jumps very well, so he's a weapon for us in set pieces. The moments he finds throughout the game where he can get forward, I think that's good."
Montreal forward Dominic Oduro praised Ciman,
"He was fantastic," Oduro said. "I don't want to praise him too much or else his head is going to be up there. He played well today. He was excellent, man of the match.
"At the end of the day, he carried us forward today. Everyone has to step up like that. We need individual efforts like that in every game that we play."
Seattle was without star midfielder Clint Dempsey, playing for the U.S. in the Gold Cup.