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Club de Foot Montreal

Impact Kicks off Champions League Tuesday at Stade Saputo

August 4, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club de Foot Montreal News Release


MONTREAL - With the Impact embarking on its second straight CONCACAF Champions League tournament, Tuesday's game at Stade Saputo against El Salvador's C.D. FAS has importance on two levels, opening the tournament on the right foot and changing the team's momentum.

Excellent tickets are still available via ticketmaster.ca or at Stade Saputo's ticket office before the game.

"It's a tournament, so it's like a sprint," explained captain Patrice Bernier. "Every game is extremely important. We want to start the tournament well to get some positive behind us, not only for the players on the field, but for the fans and the organization. When you are having a tough season, a Cup like this can put can change the momentum with some good results."

One challenge the Impact will face will be playing a team that not too much is known, coming from Central America.

"They played their first game on Saturday as they just started their season," said Impact assistant coach Mauro Biello. "We are expecting them to play a very short game, but not be as physical as we are accustomed to in MLS. They'll be very technical."

"We don't know much about them, but they don't know that much about us," added Bernier. "So it's the same for both sides."

FAS lost its opening game of the 2014/2015 season 1-0 last weekend.

The team qualified by finishing as the runner-up with the best aggregate record in 2013-14 season, with Isidro Metapan both winning the Apertura 2013 and Clausura 2014.

The Santa Ana club also took part in the 2012-2013 CONCACAF Champions League edition, finishing third of a group including the Houston Dynamo and Club Deportivo Olimpia.

One advantage the bleu-blanc-noir has is opening the tournament at home.

"We want to advance to the quarterfinal stage," added Biello. "We won the Canadian Championship, that was one of our goals, but we wanted to win that tournament to go as far as we can in Champions League. Being the first game at home, it's really important to set the tone for the rest of the games."

The Impact will play its next game in Champions League play again versus C.D. FAS on August 20, in El Salvador, while it will face the third member of its group, the New York Red Bulls, on September 17 at home and on October 22 in New Jersey.

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