MONTREAL -- A.J. Soares scored in the 89th minute as the New England Revolution defeated Montreal 1-0 in the final game of the Impact's expansion season in Major League Soccer.
Soares was inside the box to head Chris Tierney's free kick past the reach of goalkeeper Troy Perkins to the disbelief of 19,988 spectators who watched the Impact dominate most of the game.
The Revolution (9-17-8) ended a 13-game winless run in road matches and won for the first time on Canadian soil, having previously gone 0-5-3 in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
The Impact (12-16-6) ended the campaign with a loss like many they suffered this season -- on a late goal off a set piece.
Montreal wanted a win to secure top spot among the three Canadian MLS clubs and be seeded first for next year's Amway Canadian Championship.
The goal came after Montreal wasted a succession of chances in the second half as New England sat back and played for counterattacks.
A Marco Di Vaio cross got between goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth's legs and rolled along the goal-line, but stayed out as Andrew Wenger failed to react.
Moments later, Wenger won a ball in heavy traffic and fed Di Vaio for another cross that the onrushing Collin Warner couldn't quite get a boot on.
Frustration was evident, and coach Jesse Marsch sent in attacker Justin Mapp for defender Matteo Ferrari in the 70th minute. A minute later, the veteran raced in on the left side and had his shot blocked, then fired another over the bar.
A Di Vaio free kick from 19 yards in front of the goal in the 81st minute got through the wall but was gathered in by Shuttleworth. And a corner with five minutes left in regular time saw Davy Arnaud's close-range shot blocked by defender Blair Gavin.
Even putting veteran striker Eduardo Sebrango in for the final 10 minutes didn't produce a goal for the 39-year-old who may have played his last match for the club.
The Revolution, also playing their season finale, nearly scored on a counterattack after Montreal fullback Jeb Brovsky fell and Troy Perkins needed to make a close-range save on Fernando Cardenas in the 28th minute.
Before the match, midfielder Patrice Bernier was handed the Guiseppe Saputo Trophy as the team's player of the year as voted by fans and the media. Bernier led the club with nine goals and eight assists.
