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Omar Browne scores in Major League Soccer debut as Impact edge Fire 1-0

Apr 28, 2019 | 12:50 PM

MONTREAL — Omar Browne scored in the 83rd minute in his Major League Soccer debut as the Montreal Impact defeated the Chicago Fire 1-0 Sunday afternoon.

Evan Bush made two saves for his fifth clean sheet of the season for the Impact (5-3-2), who have won two games in a row for the first time this year.

Goalkeeper David Ousted made one save for the Fire (2-4-3), who have lost two consecutive games by a 1-0 score line after going unbeaten for four straight.

Browne broke the scoreless deadlock with seven minutes remaining in the match. The 24-year-old, who signed with Montreal on loan three weeks ago, took on two Fire defenders along the touchline, fired a shot off midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and tapped the rebound past Ousted.

The newly acquired Panamanian striker came off the bench as a substitute in the 40th minute for the injured Clement Bayiha. Browne, the nephew of former Impact player Roberto Brown, saluted the 15,758 in attendance at Saputo Stadium after his goal.

The Impact have recorded four straight clean sheets at home dating back to last season. Montreal is unbeaten at Saputo Stadium in its past eight MLS matches and is 11-1-2 at home in the last 14.

It was just the second home game of the season for the Impact as they continue their surprising start to the 2019 campaign. Montreal was coming off a 3-0 victory against the New England Revolution on Wednesday.

Until Browne’s goal, both teams lacked quality in the final third and could not take advantage of their few chances to start the match.

Chicago came closest to scoring in the first half but Bush and Samuel Piette combined to keep the ball out.

After a Chicago throw-in deep in Montreal’s half in the sixth minute, Nicolas Gaitan fired a left-footed volley from inside the box that Bush parried away. The ball dropped to Nemanja Nikolic, who hit the post to Bush’s left. The rebound fell to C.J. Sapong but his shot on target was blocked by Piette on the goal-line.

The Fire dropped to 0-3-1 on the road this season.

Notes: Ignacio Piatti (knee injury) missed his seventh straight game. … Chicago has been shut out in back-to-back games. … The Fire were playing the second game of a three-game road swing.

Kelsey Patterson, The Canadian Press