Ghanaian international Dominic Oduro helped his side Montreal Impact edged ahead of their Canadian rivals Toronto FC in the MLS Eastern Conference final on Tuesday night but they had to wait for their victory.
The match was delayed 30 minutes after it was discovered that the penalty areas were two yards short of regulation size. That meant the lines had to be repainted.
“Obviously, it’s the first time that it’s happened to us,” the Montreal Impact owner, Joey Saputo, told ESPN. “We’ve been in situations like this before where we have 61,000 fans. We had the [Concacaf] Champions League final here.
“It’s the responsibility of the referees to check it out. Unfortunately the referees got here a little bit late whether it was traffic or traffic around the stadium. So it’s unfortunate, but we have to take the responsibility for it. It’s our fault and it’s unfortunate that this has happened.”
The Impact finished 3-2 winners but it could have been much better for the home team. Ambroise Oyongo’s solo run and shot put them 3-0 up after 53 minutes but Toronto clawed late goals back, thanks to Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore.
The second leg takes place next Wednesday in Toronto, where both teams are hoping to reach their first MLS Cup.
