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Club de Foot Montreal

Impact Continues Preparation against Tampa Bay Rowdies Saturday Night

February 16, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club de Foot Montreal News Release


ST. PETERSBURG, Florida - The Montreal Impact will play its third preseason game, this Saturday night at 7:30pm, against the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium, this time for the first game of the Rowdies Suncoast Invitational tournament. The game will be broadcast live on the club's website, impactmontreal.com.

"An organized team is a very important foundation," said head coach Rémi Garde. "We have not conceded any goals from open play, just from a set piece, and we have had more scoring opportunities than we have conceded. I truly believe that to attack well, you need to defend well. The players feel the direction we are going in and I am very satisfied so far with the way they have reacted."

Defensive rigour a priority

In two preseason games so far, the Impact has only conceded one goal, which came during its last victory, a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire. Although this is an eloquent statistic, the way the Bleu-blanc-noir has kept its opponents at bay showcases the work done by the team since the beginning of training camp.

"One goal in 180 minutes is not bad'" said defender Jukka Raitala. "We worked on our defensive structure, our configuration, and on working as a unit, not as individuals. It is going in the right direction. I am happy to see how well the team works together."

Montreal will once again have to play a game in a hostile environment. After the Las Vegas Lights FC's inaugural game in its own stadium, it is the Rowdies' turn to host the Impact on their own turf.

"The beginning of our schedule will be difficult, with a lot of games on the road," said midfielder Samuel Piette. "Normally, when a team plays away from home, it suffers a little more. Tomorrow will be a big test here. There are loud supporters and it will be good to play in a stadium where the conditions will be similar to when we play a game on the road in MLS."

Tampa Bay will play its second preseason game after having faced FC Cincinnati at IMG Academy last Saturday, in a 1-0 loss for Stuart Campbell's men. The Rowdies can also count on Joe Cole, a former Chelsea player, in their roster.

Upcoming games

The Impact will continue its preseason preparations against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, February 21 at Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex, and against New York City FC on Saturday, February 24 at 5pm at Al Lang Stadium, also as part of the Rowdies Suncoast Invitational.

The team will kick off its season with two games on the road, in Vancouver on March 4 and Columbus on March 10, before playing its home opener at Olympic Stadium on Saturday, March 17, at 3pm, against its biggest rival, Toronto FC.

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