NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Club de Foot Montreal

Marco Di Vaio's Swan Song Saturday at Stade Saputo

October 24, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club de Foot Montreal News Release


MONTREAL - As the Montreal Impact's 2014 season comes to a close this Saturday versus D.C. United at Stade Saputo, so does the career of legend Marco Di Vaio.

Excellent tickets for the game are still available on ticketmaster.ca or at the Stade Saputo ticketing office prior to the game.

The Impact's first ever Designated Player will leave the club as its all-time leading scorer in MLS, with 33 goals - seven game winners - and added nine assists in 75 regular season games played for a total of over 5,700 minutes, including 63 starts (prior to his final game).

"Marco has been the standard for all young soccer players, having played at the highest level in Europe and for players like me, to watch and admire from afar, and now we got to be team mates," said Patrice Bernier. "He came here, even at 37 and scored 20 goals last year. He's been an ambassador for the team locally and internationally. Not having him as my locker room neighbor anymore will be sad for me personally, but we are all focused to end the season on the right note in honour of Marco. Hopefully he can score in his final game, putting an exclamation point onto all the work he's done for the club."

"We are expecting a lot of energy tomorrow," said head coach Frank Klopas. "I know all the players are ready to give their all to make it a special night for everyone. Marco is a guy that works extremely hard and that's why he's been able to play for so many years at the highest level."

"All good things come to an end and we hope that the city and the fans will give Marco the sendoff he deserves," said Hassoun Camara. "I am truly honoured to have been able to play alongside him. He's brought so much credibility to the team around the world and so much on the field."

DCU has had an incredible turnaround season as it hass clinched first place in the Eastern Conference, following a 2013 season in which the black and red finished dead last in the league with only three wins.

D.C. United can count on strikers like Luis Silva, Fabian Espindola and Eddie Johnson who scored 11, 10 and seven goals so far this season respectively.

However, former Impact captain Davy Arnaud could miss the game due to an ankle injury.

There will be three new faces on the backline this weekend as both Hassoun Camara and Heath Pearce were shown red cards versus TFC last Saturday, while Matteo Ferrari will also miss the match due to yellow card accumulation.

Special presentations are planned for Il Bomber and a number of initiatives are on the agenda as the Impact celebrates Fan Appreciation Day as well.

Game Notes:

Striker Jack McInerney has scored five career goals in MLS against D.C. United, two with the Impact and three with Philadelphia. Midfielder Patrice Bernier has two career goals and two assists against D.C. United. As part of the league wide initiative by MLS W.O.R.K.S., MLS matches in October are played with commemorative pink goal nets, corner flags and sideline towels. All 2014 adidas Official Match Balls are bearing a MLS WORKS Soccer Kicks Cancer pink ribbon sticker. MLS goalkeepers are also raising awareness by sporting pink goalkeeper kits during their home matches. In addition, IMFC will be augmenting the initiative by honouring five cancer survivors as special guests, with one assisting in the honorary coin toss, while the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation will be on site collecting donations all around the stadium. At halftime, Judy Yankowski, who represented the Impact in the MLS WORKS Community MVP contest, will also be honoured. DCU played Panamanian club Tauro in CONCACAF Champions League group play, winning 1-0 and securing top seed in the quarter-finals. It will face Alajuelense. Defender Steven Birnbaum is receiving a lot of hype as a rookie of the year candidate while head coach Ben Olsen is being considered as a coach of the year candidate after leading the team to a 18-9-7 record.

Check out the Club de Foot Montreal Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from October 24, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central