Impact Starts The Championship Final Saturday In Vancouver
October 9, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Montreal Impact News Release
VANCOUVER, British-Columbia - The Montreal Impact (5th) plays the first of a two-game final of the USL First Division against the Vancouver Whitecaps (7th) Saturday at Swangard Stadium at 9:30 pm (ET) in the first all-Canadian final in history.
The match will be webcast live on the Radio-Canada Sports website and will be broadcast in progress on Radio-Canada Television, starting at 10:30 pm (ET). The game can also be followed live on FOX Sports World, 98.5 FM and THE TEAM 990.
The Impact advanced to the championship final for the third time in club history after eliminating the Charleston Battery 4-1 on total goals and then the Puerto Rico Islanders 4-2 on aggregate goals.
Montreal will set its sights on a third championship, after winning the title in 1994 and 2004. Mauro Biello, Nevio Pizzolitto, Adam Braz, Patrick Leduc and Eduardo Sebrango were part of the team in 2004. Biello and Pizzolitto also won the championship in 1994.
"Being part of the final is huge, especially after the season we lived," noted veteran defender Nevio Pizzolitto, who will be in search of a third championship with the Impact. "This opportunity does not come that often, so when you make it, you must give it all you got to succeed. Winning a championship is something unforgettable. I still remember very well the 90 minutes against Seattle in 2004. What's special is that once you make it there, you want to win for everybody."
"We will be facing a very good and talented team. Like us, they did very well in the playoffs so it will be a tough and tight series," declared forward Eduardo Sebrango, who at 36, could win his fifth championship and a second in a row. "It's always special to be part of a final. It's always different. It would be great to win at Saputo Stadium. To succeed, all players will have to play with more intensity and first, try to get a win in Vancouver."
This is the third time that both teams match up in the playoffs. The Impact was eliminated by the Whitecaps twice in semifinals. In 2006, the Impact was eliminated 2-0 in overtime following goals from Tony Donatelli and Eduardo Sebrango. Then in 2008, after ending the season third in the standings, the Impact eliminated in the quarterfinals the Seattle Sounders 4-3 on aggregate goals, before losing 2-1 against the Whitecaps.
"There is a great rivalry between both clubs because these are two great Canadian teams that are matching up once again and there's a lot of history behind them," noted head coach Marc Dos Santos, finalist for the USL-1 Coach of the Year award. "There's always been an ongoing struggle to be the best club in Canada but once you're in the final, you forget the past. We need to concentrate on how to become better now. We have to approach this match in Vancouver as though it were a one-game final. Then, we will think about the second match in Montreal."
The Impact has a 23-9-5 record in 37 regular season matches against Vancouver (45 GF - 26 GA). In 2009, the Impact earned three wins against the Whitecaps in regular season play: 2-1 June 7 in Vancouver, 2-1 June 20 in Montreal, then 1-0 September 9, at Saputo Stadium. The Impact however lost twice in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship: 2-0 May 20 in Montreal and 1-0 May 27 in Vancouver.
Various players have played for the other team. From the Impact, midfielders Joey Gjertsen, David Testo and Tony Donatelli, as well as forward Eduardo Sebrango and goalkeeper Srdjan Djekanovic have already played for the Whitecaps, whereas Caps forward Charles Gbeke and midfielder Martin Nash have played in Montreal.
"I'm excited to be part of this final and playing against Vancouver is just a bonus. We don't need any more motivation," said midfielder Joey Gjertsen who played for the Whitecaps from 2005 to 2007. "Just as we did against Charleston and Puerto Rico, we will try to keep possession of the ball and control the pace of the game. We have to be ready from the start. Everyone is looking forward to this great championship final."
All players on the Impact lineup will be available for the match, except those who have not traveled to Vancouver with the rest of the team: defenders Alex Surprenant, Hicham Aaboubou and Zanzan, as well as midfielders Pierre-Rudolph Mayard and Ciaran O'Brien.
Defender Geordie Lyall (abdominals) and forward Dever Orgill (knee) will miss the game Saturday. The status of midfielder Gordon Chin (knee) and Ansu Toure (thigh) is evaluated on a daily basis.
The Whitecaps qualified for the final for a third time in four years, after clinching the USL-1 championship in 2006 and 2008. Last year, Vancouver topped the Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1, at Swangard Stadium, in Burnaby. This year, in the quarterfinals, the Whitecaps beat the Carolina RailHawks 1-0 on total goals, and then eliminated the Portland Timbers, the regular season champions, 5-4 on total goals.
The decisive match of the final will be played next Saturday at Saputo Stadium, at 2:30 pm (Radio-Canada Television, FSW, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990). Doors will open at 12:30 pm for a tailgate party.
OTHER FACTS
- The next playoff match will be Patrick Leduc's 20th career match. He will become the 3rd player in club history to reach that mark.
- The four goals scored by Eduardo Sebrango in the playoffs with the Impact were winning goals. In his USL-1 career, six of the eight goals he scored were winning goals.
- The Whitecaps lost only once in their last 14 matches, including four playoff games (6-1-7).
- In the second season half, Vancouver lost only on three occasions in 15 matches (6-3-6).
- Defender Alex Surprenant and the U20 Canadian National Team finished 4th in the Francophone Games, in Lebanon. Surprenant played all four matches and scored one goal in the match for the bronze medal, in a 3-1 loss against Morocco.
USL First Division Stories from October 9, 2009
- Marcus Haber Named 2009 Rookie Of The Year - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Haber named top USL-1 rookie - USL-1
- Timbers' Cronin Loaned to D.C. United of MLS - Portland Timbers
- Impact Starts The Championship Final Saturday In Vancouver - Montreal Impact
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