Impact To Play Home Opener May 9
Published on January 23, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Montreal Impact News Release
MONTREAL - The Montreal Impact revealed Friday its 2009 schedule in the United Soccer Leagues First Division. The club will play its first game at Saputo Stadium, Saturday May 9, at 3:30 pm, against the Rochester Rhinos for the 16th home opener in club history.
The Impact will kick off the 2009 season in the USL First Division Saturday April 18, against the Charleston Battery. Following three games on the road, the Impact will play the next three matchups at home. The games at Saputo Stadium will mainly be played Wednesday evenings and late afternoon on Sundays.
"Once again, we will start the season on the road. It will not be easy, but it's something that we need to do every year due to the weather in Montreal, so we are used to it," said Impact head coach John Limniatis. "The schedule is well balanced this year, considering that we will play our home games on Wednesday and Sunday, which will give us time to recover. This will also be beneficial for our fans, who will take advantage of this regularity, which is similar to how it's done in Europe."
For a second consecutive year, the 11 league teams will be playing a 30-game schedule, whereby each club will play each opponent three times during the regular season.
The Impact will play three rematches of its 2008 semifinal series against its Canadian rivals and defending champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps, June 21 and September 9, in Montreal, as well as June 7 in Vancouver.
In 2009, the Impact will face two new teams: the Austin Aztex and the Cleveland City Stars. The Aztex will be in Montreal for the first time Sunday, May 17, while the first matchup against Cleveland will be held Wednesday, July 22, also at Saputo Stadium. Note that the Atlanta Silverbacks and the Seattle Sounders will not return in 2009.
The Montreal club will play its last season game at Saputo Stadium September 13 against the Minnesota Thunder and will end its regular season September 18 against the RailHawks in Carolina.
Once again this year, the top seven teams will advance to the playoff tournament, with the Commissioner's Cup winner (regular season champion) receiving a bye into the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, the #2 - #7 seeds will compete in two-leg aggregate score series, with the three winners advancing to semifinals. New in 2009, the final will also be played in an aggregate goal home-and-away series, October 10 and 17.
Note that the 2009 season tickets are currently available by dialling 514-328-3668 or visiting www.impactmontreal.com.
The Impact will play its third exhibition game of training camp Saturday against the Montreal University Carabins, at the Bell Sports Complex, at 8 pm. In its first two pre-season games, the Impact registered two wins by shutout, scoring a total of 10 goals.
2009 IMPACT SCHEDULE*
Game Day Date Opponent Time Stadium
1 Saturday April 18 @ Charleston 7:30 PM Blackbaud Stadium
2 Friday April 24 @ Miami 8:00 PM Tropical Park Stadium
3 Saturday May 2 @ Porto Rico 7:00 PM Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium
4 Saturday May 9 vs Rochester 3:30 PM Saputo Stadium
5 Friday May 15 vs Charleston 7:30 PM Saputo Stadium
6 Sunday May 17 vs Austin 3:30 PM Saputo Stadium
7 Saturday May 30 @ Rochester 7:35 PM Paetec Park
8 Thursday June 4 @ Portland 10:00 PM PGE Park
9 Sunday June 7 @ Vancouver 10:00 PM Swangard Stadium
10 Sunday June 21 vs Vancouver 3:30 PM Saputo Stadium
11 Tuesday June 23 vs Miami 7:30 PM Saputo Stadium
12 Sunday June 28 @ Portland 8:00 PM PGE Park
13 Sunday July 5 vs Charleston 3:30 PM Saputo Stadium
14 Saturday July 11 @ Minnesota 8:05 PM National Sports Center
15 Wednesday July 15 @ Rochester 7:00 PM Paetec Park
16 Sunday July 19 vs Puerto Rico 3:30 PM Saputo Stadium
17 Wednesday July 22 vs Cleveland 7:30 PM Saputo Stadium
18 Saturday July 25 @ Austin 8:30 PM Nelson Field
19 Saturday August 1 @ Miami 8:00 PM Tropical Park Stadium
20 Sunday August 9 vs Minnesota 3:30 PM Saputo Stadium
21 Wednesday August 12 vs Portland 7:30 PM Saputo Stadium
22 Saturday August 15 @ Puerto Rico 7:00 PM Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium
23 Sunday August 23 vs Austin 3:30 PM Saputo Stadium
24 Sunday August 30 vs Carolina 3:30 PM Saputo Stadium
25 Wednesday Sept. 2 vs Carolina 7:30 PM Saputo Stadium
26 Saturday Sept. 5 @ Cleveland 7:00 PM Krenzler Stadium
27 Wednesday Sept. 9 vs Vancouver 7:30 PM Saputo Stadium
28 Friday Sept. 11 @ Cleveland 7:00 PM Krenzler Stadium
29 Sunday 13-sept vs Minnesota 3:30 PM Saputo Stadium
30 Friday 18-sept @ Carolina 7:00 PM WakeMed Park
*Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.
USL First Division Stories from January 23, 2009
- Defender Alex Surprenant with Canada's U-20 Team - Montreal Impact
- 'Caps Quartet Earn U-20 Call-Up - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Impact To Play Home Opener May 9 - Montreal Impact
- Whitecaps Begin Championship Defence On April 11 - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Carolina RailHawks Announce 2009 USL-1 and Fox Soccer Channel Schedule - North Carolina FC
- 2009 USL First Division Schedule Announced - Cleveland City Stars
- Timbers Unveil Schedule For 2009 Season - Portland Timbers
- 2009 USL-1 season details unveiled - USL-1
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