Archive for Montreal Impact
We Did It And We Ain’t Done, Neither
Ben Knight
writes and publishes Onward!
Canada: discuss
Welcome to the morning Montreal becomes the nineteenth franchise in Major League Soccer.
L’Impact – or whatever other name emerges – will join North America’s premier non-Mexican soccer league in 2012. With Toronto FC already there, and the Vancouver Whitecaps launching next spring, Canada will have a sealed and significant place at the highest available level of pro footie.
All of this was all-but-utterly impossible five years ago. Canadian soccer was a perpetually struggling minor-league venture back then. Talk of an all-Canadian league had crashed and burned horribly, one last time.
Let’s be clear on a couple of key points:
Montreal Impact Moving On Up
Duane Rollins
is a Toronto based journalist reach him at The 24th Minute
Well kept secrets
Turns out that Ben was right.
The Montreal Impact are moving on up it would appear. This is good news, of course, if not at all shocking. We might be preparing to welcome them next March if it wasn’t for Joey Saputo’s ill-advised game of chicken with Don Garber during the last round of expansion.
Although there will be those that disagree with me — strongly — Montreal is likely to struggle the most of the three Canadian teams out of the gate. They don’t have the advantage of going first like Toronto, or the history of Vancouver to fall back on. The Impact’s academy is likely the weakest of the three clubs — it’s more of a farm team now — and the expansion market is watered down.
NCC 2010: Vancouver And Montreal Settle For Single Point
BURNABY, BC — The Montreal Impact settled with a 1-1 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps in Montreal’s second Nutrilite Canadian Championship match, Wednesday, at Swangard Stadium, in Burnaby. For a second consecutive game in the tournament, the Montreal team had to play short of one player, yet tallied its first point of the competition.
Forward Peter Byers opened the score at the 32nd minute, but the Whitecaps and forward Marcus Haber, equalized at the 80th minute.
BURNABY, BC — In their opening match of this year’s Nutrilite Canadian Championship, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (0W-0L-1D) earned a late 1-1 home draw with USSF D-2 Pro League rivals Montreal Impact (0W-1L-1D) on Wednesday evening.
Marcus Haber’s late penalty earned the Blue and White a valuable point in the three-club competition after Peter Byers had given the Impact a first-half lead. The Quebec-based outfit also finished the match with nine men after defender Adam Braz and substitute striker Reda Agourram were both sent off late in the game at Swangard Stadium. The result extends Vancouver’s all-time unbeaten record in the Canadian Championship to four matches, while Montreal have now gone a total of seven games without a win in the Voyageurs Cup.
Soares Goal Ends Impact Winless Streak
MONTREAL, QC — A goal from Filipe Soares allowed the Impact to shut out the Puerto Rico Islanders 1-0, Saturday afternoon, in front of 11,554 spectators at Saputo Stadium. This was the Montreal club’s first win this season. With this result, the Impact ended a five-game regular season winless sequence against the Islanders. Montreal also inflicted the Islanders their first loss this season.
“Three points is good and a win is good, but we can do better than that,” mentioned Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos. “One of the positive aspects of this outcome is that last year, we didn’t collect points at home, either against Puerto Rico or Portland, whereas we now have gained four points.”
Soares scored the game-winning goal on an action initiated by midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo on the left flank. After dribbling over a few meters, Di Lorenzo made a deep pass to Peter Byers, who placed the ball for Rocco Placentino behind the Puerto Rican defense. Placentino fired a low point blank shot that Bill Gaudette stopped by coming out of his goal, but Soares took advantage of the rebound and scored his first career goal with the Impact with a high shot near the right post.
“We were disappointed with our loss in Toronto, so there’s no doubt that this win is good for us,” noted Filipe Soares. “The opponent closed up a lot. They were ready for counterattacking but we played better and I’m really happy for the team.”
The Impact came close to doubling the lead at the 80th minute. On a cross from Di Lorenzo, Peter Byers attempted to outplay the Islanders goalkeeper, but defender Logan Emory dove on the goal line to stop the ball from entering the net.
The Impact also obtained a good scoring chance at the 6th minute. After accepting a pass from Filipe Soares, midfielder Rocco Placentino cut in midfield and took a powerful shot from the edge of the 18-yard box, but Bill Gaudette made the save by diving to his left.
“The entire team showed a lot of character today and that’s a good thing because this was a very important match,” declared Placentino. “I’m very confident about my teammates and I’m sure that we will go far this year.”
The Montreal squad played its third regular season match with a 4-3-3 formation. Goalkeeper Srdjan Djekanovic, defender Simon Gatti and midfielder Patrick Leduc each obtained their first start of the season.
Djekanovic registered his 5th career shutout with the Impact after making six saves on 14 shots. He notably stopped midfielder Noah Delgado’s point blank shot at the 36th minute. Djekanovic also stood out when he stopped with his left hand a shot to the far post from Anthony Allison at the 54th minute.
His Islanders counterpart also gave a good performance with nine saves on 14 shots.
Forward Eduardo Sebrango (thigh) and defender Stefano Pesoli (ankle) were out of the lineup due to injuries.
The Impact will play its next game Wednesday against the Vancouver Whitecaps, at Swangard Stadium, in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship (10 pm, Sportsnet). The Montreal squad will play their next regular season game at Saputo Stadium, Saturday, May 8, versus the NSC Minnesota Stars (2:30 pm, Radio-Canada, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990, radio-canada.ca/sports).
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
29th minute – As goalkeeper Bill Gaudette came out of his goal, midfielder Rocco Placentino bypassed him and took a low shot that went just to the left of Islanders goal, after the ball had deflected on Islanders defender Alexis Rivera.
62nd minute – Posted on the six-meter line, defender Hicham Aaboubou took Filipe Soares’ corner kick with a header, but Bill Gaudette stopped the ball by diving without allowing a rebound.
65th minute – Placentino laced a shot 20 meters out that sailed just above the Islanders goal.
78th minute – Forward Kendall Jagdeosingh took a shot 20 meters out that sailed above the Impact’s goal.
90th minute – Forward Reda Agourram laced a strong shot to the far post from inside the 18-yard box, but Bill Gaudette made a diving save, stopping the ball with his right hand.
THE NEXT 3 MATCHES
• Wednesday, May 5 – IMPACT @ Vancouver – Swangard Stadium – 10 pm (Sportsnet)*
• Saturday, May 8 – Minnesota @ IMPACT –Saputo Stadium – 2:30 pm (Radio-Canada, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990, radio-canada.ca/sports)
• Wednesday, May 12 – Toronto @ IMPACT – Saputo Stadium – 8 pm (Sportsnet)*
* Nutrilite Canadian Championship match
