The game in 100 words (or less): Look out, America, for the Canadians of Major League Soccer are here, and they mean business. Saturday night saw the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC thrash the Philadelphia Union (5-1) and D.C. United (4-1), two playoff-caliber teams in their own right, each at home, to move to within four and six points, respectively, of New York City FC, the current leaders of the Eastern Conference. The stars for the two sides? Would you believe me if I told you Sebastian Giovinco and Didier Drogba each scored a hat trick on the night? Of course you would, because they’re Giovinco and Drogba. At their best, it’s hard to argue any team in the East is better than either Montreal or Toronto. Here’s to 180 minutes of Drogba vs. Giovinco in the Eastern Conference finals.
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Three moments that mattered
19' — Silky smooth build-up ends with a Drogba tap-in — If you’re allowing Drogba chances that are this easy, good luck to you. The real story here, though, is the backheel by Piatti. A moment like this is enough to flip me into a second-assist advocate.
.@didierdrogba puts the bow on a sweet @impactmontreal move. #MTLvPHI https://t.co/LjEA8g5a9V
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 24, 2016
42' — Drogba slots home a rebound for 2-0 — Unlucky carom on the rebound, but you’re really not doing a great job of “don’t give Drogba chances that are that easy,” Union defense.
HT: Two for @didierdrogba. Two for @impactmontreal. #MTLvPHI https://t.co/43ZP43YWvK
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 24, 2016
52' — Drogba gets his hat trick — The Union are really, really not doing a good job of making life even the least bit difficult for Drogba.
Hat trick complete for @didierdrogba. #MTLvPHI https://t.co/b9xDNNwSGU
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 24, 2016
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Man of the match: Didier Drogba
Goalscorers: Drogba (19', 42', 52'), Pontius (72'), Piatti (87'), Mancosu (90+1')
Three moments that mattered
21' — Giovinco ends his skid with a stunning free kick — It had been eight full games since Giovinco last scored a league goal for TFC, by far the longest such streak of his time in MLS. The wait was (almost) worth it. (WATCH HERE)
39' — Giovinco does it again — What is there to say at this point? The angle is ridiculous. The power is ridiculous. The swerve is ridiculous. Giovinco is a ridiculous player. (WATCH HERE)
90+1' — A hat trick for Seba — Not to be outdone, Giovinco bags his third of the night.
Another hat trick hero. #TORvDC https://t.co/rJ2tTNgNp9
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 24, 2016
[ FOLLOW: All of PST’s MLS coverage | Standings | Stats | Schedule ]
Man of the match: Sebastian Giovinco
Goalscorers: Giovinco (21', 39', 90+1'), Jeffrey (24'), Delgado (29')