MLS Club de Foot Montreal

Impact Hosts San Jose Earthquakes at Stade Saputo Saturday

Published on September 19, 2014 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club de Foot Montreal News Release


MONTREAL - With the San Jose Earthquakes in town, one thing is for sure, the Montreal Impact can expect a physical battle this Saturday at Stade Saputo (7:30pm - TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690).

"We are expecting a physical game," said assistant coach Mauro Biello. "They are very direct in their play. They are a desperate team, who needs every point, so we have to be ready for that."

"The intensity will be high," added Karl W. Ouimette, "They like to play crosses into the box and push forward, which opens things up. We have been pretty successful offensively in recent weeks, so it should make for an exciting game."

Adding to the intensity, the Quakes are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, with a record of 6-11-10, good for 28 points and eighth spot in the Western Conference.

"They have a knack for making things hard for their opponents," explained Eric Miller. "They try to get under your skin. They are going to hit you and be physical the whole game. Nothing will be easy, but as long as we stay focused and committed to our game, we will be fine. But they also have some quality players, like Wondolowski, who much like Di Vaio, will hurt you if you give him time and space."

Since returning from World Cup duty in Brazil, striker Chris Wondolowski has been a goal scoring machine. He has eight goals and four assists in 12 games overall, scoring at least a goal or an assist in nine of those contests.

In addition, at the ripe age of 38, Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch is enjoying one of his best seasons. A league-leading 110 saves with seven games remaining in his campaign, Busch has already surpassed Troy Perkins' 2013 MLS-best 109 saves.

On the other side of the fence, the Impact will still have to manage its roster, playing a fifth game in just 15 days.

"We will probably rotate some guys as we've played a lot of games, while different players will get some playing time," added Biello. "We are preparing for a good stretch run to end the season, for our next Champions League game on October 22 and next season."

The Impact does have a couple of players who are on hot streaks of their own, with Di Vaio and Piatti both involved in scoring the game's only goal Wednesday night versus the Red Bulls. The first half strike brings the Italian striker's total to five goals and two assists and the Argentine midfielder's total to four goals and three assists in their last seven games played across all competitions.

The Impact's next game will be in Columbus to take on the Crew next Saturday at 7:30pm, at Crew Stadium.

GAME NOTES

In its next regular season home game, the Impact will reach one million fans in attendance since joining MLS in 2012. The club has so far drawn 988,111 spectators in total between Olympic Stadium and Stade Saputo. Felipe will be available this Saturday after serving an automatic one-game suspension, last Saturday at New England, due to an accumulation of yellow cards, but defender Krzysztof Krol will miss the game against San Jose after receiving a red card last week against New England. Quakes forward Steven Lenhart will miss Saturday's game due to a suspension following an accumulation of yellow cards. The Impact is undefeated in its last three regular season games at home, following wins against Chicago and Columbus, and a tie versus the LA Galaxy, and in its last five games including the CONCACAF Champions League (4-0-1). Earthquakes added Argentine midfielder Matias Perez Garcia to its lineup. He (Tigre) and Impact midfielder Ignacio Piatti (San Lorenzo) both played in the Primera Division in Argentina from 2012-14. Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch and Impact head coach Frank Klopas were teammates with the Chicago Fire in 1999.

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