Impact Faces Vancouver Wednesday at Saputo Stadium
July 27, 2010 - U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
Montreal Impact News Release
MONTREAL - The Montreal Impact (6-7-5) ends a four-game home stand at Saputo Stadium on Wednesday, against Canadian rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps (7-3-9), at 7:30 pm (radio-canada.ca/sports, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990).
The Impact is currently in third place in the NASL division with 23 points, seven points behind the Whitecaps, who sit in first place.
The Impact has a winning record of 23-10-6 in 39 regular season meetings with Vancouver (46 GF - 28 GA) but will be looking for its first win in 2010 (0-1-3).
"We have had some excellent training sessions in preparation for this match," said Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos. "We have prepared the team like it's a championship final. We worked on different game situations, knowing that the Whitecaps like to put high pressure and that they can be very dangerous on freekicks."
The last match, on June 30 at Saputo Stadium, ended in a 2-1 loss for the Impact following a goal by Luca Bellisomo in the 90th minute. This was the first loss to Vancouver in Montreal since 2001. In club history, the Impact has lost only four times to Vancouver in 20 regular season games played at home.
Goalkeeper Matt Jordan, who missed the last 11 games due to a groin injury, will be available Wednesday. However, Impact defender Stephen deRoux (cheek), along with Rocco Placentino (groin), Leonardo Di Lorenzo (calf) and Kevin Cossette (ankle) will be sidelined with injuries.
Midfielder Filipe Soares will also miss the match as he will be serving an automatic one-game suspension following his ejection during the last game against St. Louis.
Midfielder Tony Donatelli is the Impact's leading scorer with five goals and 13 points, placing him in 5th place in league scoring, and already establishing a personal best since joining the league in 2006 with Vancouver.
This game will be the first of a series of five games on the road for the Whitecaps, which will then travel to Carolina, St. Louis, Minnesota and Tampa Bay.
Head coach Teitur Thordarson and his team have not won their last two games, losing 2-1 to the Portland Timbers on July 22 and then tying the Minnesota Stars 1-1 last Sunday.
Defender Moulod Akloul (ankle) and forward Randy Edwini-Bonsu (calf) did not make the trip to Montreal but defender Greg Janicki will be available Wednesday after serving a one-game suspension against the Minnesota Stars.
Fans in attendance Wednesday night, as well as on August 11, will be privy to a $1 Lafleur hotdog promotion, starting from 6 pm (when the doors open) until kickoff. Tickets for those matches are available through the Admission Network (514-790-1245 / 1-800-361-4595 / admission.com) as well as at the Saputo Stadium ticket office.
OTHER FACTS
- Many players for both sides have worn the colours of their opponents at some time in their careers. Impact midfielders David Testo and Tony Donatelli, striker Eduardo Sebrango, defender Wesley Charles, as well as goalkeeper Srdjan Djekanovic have all played for the Whitecaps. Whitecaps' midfielder Martin Nash and defender Chris Williams have donned the white and blue in Montreal.
- French midfielder William Nkake continues to tryout with the Impact.
- On July 20, the Vancouver Whitecaps traded midfielder Jonathan Steele and Ricardo Sanchez to Tampa Bay for future considerations. Then last Saturday, midfielder Justin Moose was released by the Whitecaps.
NEXT THREE GAMES
- Saturday, July 31 - IMPACT @ Baltimore - Maryland SoccerPlex - 7pm (palacebaltimore.com)
- Saturday, August 7 - IMPACT @ Carolina - WakeMed Park - 7pm (Radio-Canada, carolinarailhawks.com)
- Wednesday, August 11 - Baltimore @ IMPACT - Saputo Stadium - 7:30pm (radio-canada/sports, CKAC Sports, The TEAM 990)
U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Stories from July 27, 2010
- Rhinos Win in Carolina - Rochester Rhinos
- RailHawks Fall to Rochester 1-0 - North Carolina FC
- Impact Faces Vancouver Wednesday at Saputo Stadium - Montreal Impact
- Timbers Begin Three-Game Road Trip Wednesday - Portland Timbers
- Whitecaps FC Return to Montreal - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Aztex Add Depth to Midfield with Addition of Hemming - Austin Aztex
- Forward Marco Terminesi Joins Impact - Montreal Impact
- Aztex Affiliate Mississippi Brilla Finish Unbeaten Season; Begin Playoffs This Week - Austin Aztex
- USSF D-2 Standings Remain Tight After Week 16 Matches - USSF D-2
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.
