MLS Club de Foot Montreal

Impact Hosts Sporting Kansas City Saturday at Stade Saputo

Published on June 29, 2018 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club de Foot Montreal News Release


MONTREAL - The Montreal Impact will host Sporting Kansas City, a former rival now in the Western Conference, this Saturday at 7pm at Stade Saputo. Excellent tickets are still available on impactmontreal.com.

"It's a team that's had an excellent first half of the season," said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. "They can be very quick in possession and they transition extremely rapidly. They can put a lot of intensity into a game, which they did most notably in the second half against Houston. We're expecting a more elevated opponent than what we faced in the last few games."

IMFC Summer will once again shine bright in the stadium's corridors, from the second the doors open at 5pm. The 2-for-1 special on all drinks will be in place until 6pm, and a DJ, accompanied by a host, will set the atmosphere. Also, by arriving early, supporters can take advantage of a plethora of activities offered by our partners.

The MLS bag policy will be in place for this game. Backpacks, camera bags, and big tote bags, as well as any bag larger than 35cm x 35cm x 15cm will not be accepted inside the stadium.

Also, please note that more traffic than usual is expected in the Sherbrooke/Pie-IX/Pierre-de-Couberton/Viau area, as Viau Street will be closed southbound between Beaubien Street and Rosemont Boulevard. The Impact strongly suggests using public transportation to get to the stadium and exit at Viau metro station. Drivers are welcome to use P1 parking lot, on Pierre-de-Coubertin, P3 on Pie-IX, and P4 on Sherbrooke.

Bleu-blanc-noir finding its way

With three wins in its last four games, all coming with clean sheets, Montreal has cut the deficit separating it from sixth place, synonymous to qualifying for the MLS Cup playoffs. Only three points away from the Philadelphia Union, the Impact is back in the race.

"It's a good team, considering they're at the top of the standings," said midfielder Saphir Taïder. "We know it won't be an easy game, but on our end, we need to focus on what we need to do, like we did in the last few games, and try to take these three points."

The Impact's climb in the standings parallels with the return to form of Nacho Piatti, selected on Friday for the MLS All-Star game: the Argentine has scored three goals in his last two games. In his career against Sporting Kansas City, Piatti has scored twice in three games, while Italian striker Matteo Mancosu has one goal in one game.

An opponent in form

Sporting Kansas City arrives in Montreal following a spectacular comeback at home against the Houston Dynamo. Trailing 0-2 at the half, Peter Vermes' team won the game 3-2, scoring twice in the last 10 minutes thanks to Daniel Salloi, Diego Rubio and Khiry Shelton.

"They're a very good team in the league," said defender Daniel Lovitz. "We know that we have confidence. The most important part is to understand this league. Any game is impossible to call, especially games in which we feel that we have the advantage being at home, regardless of the opponent. It's a great opportunity for us to put ourselves up against one of the better teams in the league right now, and to really throw ourselves at them and find out where we are."

For SKC, defenders Jimmy Medranda and Brad Evans will watch from the sidelines, just like midfielder Felipe Gutierrez, all out because of injuries, while defender Matt Besler remains questionable.

Upcoming games

The Impact will be back home on Saturday, July 7, when the Colorado Rapids visit Stade Saputo (TICKETS - TVA Sports, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690). The Bleu-blanc-noir will then make the short trip towards the Big Apple, to the Bronx, for a game against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, July 11 at 7pm (TVA Sports, TSN, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690).

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