MONTREAL -- Young fullback Karl Ouimettes first Major League Soccer goal was the stuff of dreams. The 21-year-old headed in the game winner in the 84th minute to cap a comeback 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday afternoon that put the Montreal Impact a big step closer to making the playoffs. The Impact academy product from Repentigny, Que., said he lay in bed the night before the game visualizing how he should play in various situations and what it would feel like to get a goal. It came true on Justin Mapps free kick after a foul by the Unions Raymon Gaddis. Mapp curled a ball into the penalty area where three Impact players were open. Ouimette was the one to nod it home. "It felt magical," said Ouimette, who was awarded with a post game face full of shaving cream by his teammates. "There are no words. I put it in and everyone was jumping on me." The win put Montreal (14-12-7) solidly into playoff position heading into their final regular season game next Saturday in Toronto, although final positions among the top five in the Eastern Conference are still to be determined. The Union (12-11-10), who began the day in a fourth-place tie with Montreal and Chicago, saw their post-season hopes all-but dashed. "This was a playoff game without the playoffs," said Philadelphia coach John Hackworth. "Both of us had to win. We did a good job in the first half, but we couldnt finish it off." The victory lifted a great weight off a Montreal side that had gone winless in six games and that was shut out in the last three. They looked headed for more disappointment when midfielder Fabinho put the visitors ahead in the 29th minute, but veteran Marco Di Vaio scored his 20th goal of the season in the 64th minute to tie the game before Ouimette had the Saputo Stadium crowd on its feet with the game-winner. "Its not finished yet, but given our last string of games and a lot of disappointment, to come out on top in the last home game of the regular season feels good," said Mapp. "Every team Ive been on has had stretches like this, but unfortunately, it came at the end of the season when were trying to lock up a playoff spot. "Its a big three points here, but weve got one other huge game, so its not over yet." After a flat first half, the Impact played with an intensity they havent shown in more than a month. They used their legs. They won one-on-one battles. They got to balls first. Coach Marco Schallibaum took veterans Patrice Bernier and Davy Arnaud out and sent in Andrew Wenger and Andrea Pisanu to add fresh legs and the pressure increased. "We came out much different in the second half," said Wenger. "There was desperation. "We dug ourselves out." Before he was substituted, Arnaud fed Di Vaio in the penalty area and saw the MLS scoring leader spin and beat goalie Zac MacMath. It ended the Impacts 337-minute scoring drought dating to a Maxim Tissot goal in a 2-2 tie in Chicago on Sept. 28. And it made Di Vaio only the 11th in MLS history to score 20 in a season. "It gave us 30 seconds to breath," Wenger said of the goal. "But a tie wouldnt do it for us today. "Thankfully, we kept fighting." Conor Casey nearly got one for the Union as he headed Fabinhos corner off a post in the 24th minute. Then Philadelphias two Brazilians combined as Jose Kleberson sent a pass to a charging Fabinho, who caught Hassoun Camara looking as he blasted a high shot in from a bad angle in the 29th. The only disappointment for Montreal was to see veteran defender Alessandro Nesta hobble off the field in the closing minutes with a right calf injury. Before the game, the former Italy international was presented with a painting and given a standing ovation to mark his final home game. The 37-year-old former AC Milan great, a four-time UEFA all-star, will retire after this season. He hopes to be back in time to play at least one game. "My calf, in the last five minutes I felt something," he said. "If I can play, for sure Im going to be on the field. "It was a beautiful day. Thank you everybody for the big experience. I love this city. I dont know. Maybe in the future well meet again." Notes: Arnaud and Matteo Ferrari returned from one-game suspensions. Ouimette played left back in place of Job Brovsky (ankle). . . One of the Unions top midfielders, Michael Farfan, sat out due to yellow card accumulation. Buffalo Sabres Pro Shop Buffalo Sabres Store . - The Denver Broncos kept rookie wide receiver Tavarres King from joining the Green Bay Packers by promoting him to their active roster Tuesday. https://www.cheapsabres.com/. The (14-15-5) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 33 points. They trail sixth place Nashville and fifth place Dallas by two points. Wholesale Sabres Jerseys . Peko, a fourth-round pick in 2006, started all 16 games and a playoff loss to San Diego last season. He was second on the line with 72 tackles and had a career-high three sacks. Sabres Jerseys China . Cruz set the tone with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Baltimore scored eight times in the eighth to pull away for a 12-3 victory in Game 1. The major league leader with 40 homers during the regular season, Cruz added an RBI single to his early blast off Max Scherzer.Ed note: The Whitecaps formally introduced Carl Robinson as their new head coach Monday, December 16. The Vancouver Whitecaps have found a replacement for head coach Martin Rennie, who was fired at the end of the 2013 MLS season. And they didnt have to look very far. Rennies former assistant coach, Carl Robinson, will be officially announced as Vancouvers new head coach on Monday, bringing an end to the clubs six-week search for Rennies replacement. This will be Robinsons first job as a head coach after serving the past two seasons as an assistant coach in Vancouver. I knew Robinson as a player when we were on opposite sides of the Old Farm derby in England; I played for Ipswich Town, while Robinson played for our biggest rivals, Norwich City. He was a difficult opponent to play against, and someone who was clearly a leader on and off the field. He never suffered fools and was never afraid to call someone out if they werent performing up to the required standards. He had a very strong tactical understanding of the game as a player, and the fact that he has taken this and other leadership skills into his career as a coach is not a surprise. Robinson didnt jump straight into a head coaching position after calling time on his playing career, though. It was a transition he took gradually, taking the time to educate himself and gain experience as an assistant coach first. He holds the UEFA Pro license - the highest coaching license awarded by Europes governing body. One of Robinsons strengths as a coach is his conviction; he has a clear philosophy about how he wants the game to be played and he believes in his coaching ability. He is, however, open-minded; he is the first to admit that he still has a great deal to learn. Robinson relates very well to younger players, something that will be important for the Whitecaps, who have stated their desire to see more young players graduate from their academy to their first team. Players like Russell Teibert have already made that breakthrough, but others - like Sam Adekugbe, Bryce Alderson, Marco Bustos and Kianz Froese - are expected to do the same in years to come.dddddddddddd Critics will argue that being the head coach requires a different approach to being an assistant, that you sometimes need to be ruthless with players when you are the man in charge. They will suggest that Robinson might have a difficult time making the transition from being someone the players look to as a friend to being someone who now holds their professional aspirations in his hands. Those critics dont know Robinson very well, though. He wont change the way he interacts with the players - because he wont have to. He has always been a straight talker, and even as an assistant coach was never afraid to offer players praise or constructive criticism, depending on what was required. This is one of the reasons that so many Whitecaps players wanted Robinson as Rennies replacement in the first place - he is honest with them. As a player, more than anything you want your coach to be honest with you. If you know where you stand, what you need to do to get in the first team and what you need to do to stay there, youre happy. Because playing time is the currency that means the most to players. There wont be any mind games with Robinson. Players wont be strung along, taken advantage of or treated poorly. Every player will know exactly where they stand with him, and those that arent pulling their weight will know what areas of their game they need to improve to warrant more playing time. He wont keep everyone happy (no coach ever does) but the players will get nothing but honesty from Robinson, which means he will earn their respect. Critics will suggest that Robinson was third or fourth choice for the Whitecaps, that Bob Bradley and Jason Kreis were always their preferred options, and that Robinson is simply the best of the rest. Those critics might be right - but that doesnt mean the Whitecaps have made the wrong decision hiring Robinson. In fact, I think it is a blessing in disguise and might just be the best decision theyve ever made. ' ' '