Montreal Impact's Bernardo Corradi (2nd R) celebrates his goal with team mates Felipe Martins (2nd L), Collen Warner (R) and coach Jesse Marsch (L) during the second half of their MLS soccer match against Portland Timbers in Montreal, Quebec, April 28, 2012. REUTERS/Christinne MuschiChristinne Muschi/Reuters
The way the Montreal Impact are playing at Olympic Stadium, the team may not want to move to its new venue next month.
Bernardo Corradi and Sinisa Ubiparipovic each scored in the second half Saturday to lead the Impact to a 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers in MLS action.
Montreal remained undefeated in three games at the domed stadium, the expansion club's home for two more regular-season contests until renovations at the adjacent Saputo Stadium are completed.
"We felt all along like the team's coming together in a good way," Impact coach Jessie Marsch said. "We know we can still get better but, and this is no disrespect to Portland because they do have a good team, despite their slow start, I think today was a pretty good performance and a dominant performance from start to finish."
Corradi gave the Impact the lead in the 76th minute on a penalty after Collen Warner's shot struck the arm of Portland's Steven Smith in the 18-yard box.
Corradi stepped up to the penalty spot and fired a shot past Timbers goalkeeper Joseph Bendik, who replaced injured starter Troy Perkins earlier in the second half.
Ubiparipovic, who came on for Sanna Nyassi 68 minutes in, added an insurance goal in the 83rd from in close as Montreal picked up its second MLS victory before 19,223 spectators.
The Impact, which improved to 2-5-2 overall, drew D.C. United 1-1 in Washington on Wednesday for their first road point.
Portland fell to 2-5-1. The Timbers beat Sporting Kansas City 1-0 at home a week earlier, dealing the Eastern Division leaders their first loss of the season.
Timbers coach John Spencer will be happy not to have to return to Olympic Stadium.
"I think that the field was very poor. I thought it matched our performance," Spencer said. "I don't think we played well at all today."
Perkins left the game after he was kicked in the face by Nyassi when he slid out to block a ball in the 63rd minute. The Portland goalkeeper left the field with his cut and bloodied nose covered by a towel. Nyassi got a yellow card on the play.
"For me Nyassi should get a red card," Spencer said. "He's caught him in the face. You see the goalkeeper's gone down, you know, has control of the ball and he's well under his feet and split his nose open, split his face open. As I say, I'm absolutely bewildered why he only gets a yellow card from that challenge."
Montreal dominated possession for most of the scoreless first half and enjoyed a number of good scoring opportunities. Impact captain Davy Arnaud's touch soared over the goal 14 minutes in on a feed from Justin Mapp, who drove in from the left side along the goal-line.
Arnaud also set up Felipe Martin's shot in the 23rd minute that forced Perkins to make a diving stop, as well as Corradi's shot which went wide to the right in the 44th minute.
"Obviously you don't want to miss chances like that but it happens," Arnaud said. "You have to keep going. You have to keep pushing and we responded really well. We created more chances and obviously you want to finish every chance you get but at the end of the day we get three points and that's the most important thing."
Impact goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts lunged to his right in the 38th minute in to make a diving save on Timbers captain Jack Jewsbury's shot from the right side.
"It's always good to have a clean sheet," Ricketts said. "It's reward for all the work we've put in so far this season and we've been done on some simple plays so it was good to have a shutout today."
Montreal hosts Toronto FC on Wednesday night in its first Amway Canadian Championship game of the season.