After arriving to Montreal on Thursday via loan from Seria A club Bologna, Lappalainen had an immediate impact in his MLS debut, scoring two goals to lead the Impact to a 4-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union at Stade Saputo on Saturday. Montreal sits sixth in the Eastern Conference with 33 points (10-11-3 overall record).
A member of the Finland National Team, Lappalainen scored four minutes into his Impact debut. After collecting a pass in the box from Zachary Brault-Guillard, Lappalainen fooled the goalkeeper with a deft touch and cutback, finishing with an open shot into the net to give Montreal an early 1-0 lead (watch goal).
Entering the half with a two-goal lead, Lappalainen then scored his second goal of the match in the 46th minute to give Montreal a 3-0 advantage. The 20-year-old dispossessed a Philadelphia defender at midfield and dribbled down the left flank into the box before finishing with a right-footed shot just inside the far post to cap a tremendous debut (watch goal).
Montreal returns to regular season action when facing the Colorado Rapids at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park on Saturday, August 3 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+ / TVAS).
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
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