Bernier Penalty Shot Leads Montreal To Tie With Chivas USA

MONTREAL (AP) — Patrice Bernier scored from the penalty spot in the 80th minute, and the Montreal Impact tied Chivas USA 1-1 on Sunday night.

Bernier's goal came after Mario De Luna took down Sanna Nyassi on the left edge of the penalty area.

Eric Avila scored for Chivas (3-10-4), the last place team in the Western Conference. Chivas has gone 13 games without a win, dating to a 2-1 victory over Vancouver on March 30.

Chivas opened a three-game road trip with a 0-0 tie in Dallas and will be looking to add more points when the club visits Toronto FC on Wednesday night.

Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, who stopped Marco Di Vaio and Felipe Martins on early point-blank chances, has seen his team get stronger under new coach Jose Luis Real.

"We knew this would be a tough game, and we came prepared and we put in a smart performance," Kennedy said. "We didn't leave ourselves too vulnerable.

"We stayed compact and limited their chances. It was a great point for us."

The East-leading Impact (9-4-4) are winless in three games and have allowed eight goals in that span. Montreal's recent defensive woes surfaced again when low-scoring Chivas took a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute.

After Hassoun Camara lost the ball near the halfway line, Jose Correa's sent a cross into the middle. Jorge Villafana put a left-footed shot off the bar, and Avila put in the rebound from the edge of the penalty area.

Chivas played a cautious defensive game and it worked through a scoreless first half, although the Impact had a handful of chances.

Chivas defender Carlos Borja took a yellow card but saved an almost certain goal when he pulled Di Vaio down from behind just outside the area in the 39th minute.

Montreal reached the halfway mark of its second season. The Impact were 5-9-3 as an expansion team last year at the midpoint.

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