Impact to Play their First Pre-Season Game in Italy
Published on February 3, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Montreal Impact News Release
FIESOLE, Italy - The Montreal Impact will play its first preseason game in Italy Wednesday against Pisa (Serie B - second division), at 3 pm (9 am, Eastern time).
"It will be great to play against a second division team," said Montreal Impact head coach John Limniatis. "We are not familiar with this team, but we will adapt to them during the game. This matchup will not only enable us to work on execution and physical endurance, but also on organization. This trip is an excellent occasion to come together as a team."
"I played them a few times in my career," said midfielder Rocco Placentino. "It's going to be a very good test because they are a quality team. It will show us where we are right now physically and tactically."
The Impact arrived in Italy on Saturday and is staying in Fiesole, located 10 km from Florence. Despite the rain, the team trained during the past two days.
"Everything is running smoothly since our arrival, except for the rain, which hasn't stopped since Saturday. This means that we cannot use the natural grass field," noted Limniatis. "The game against Pisa comes as a surprise since it was confirmed here, yet it's very positive as we are here to play games."
"We are focused," said Placentino. "We have to think on doing well here because we have an important game on February 25. The next few weeks will be a sequence of improvements until that game. The coaching staff is motivating us a lot. We may have said the word Santos Laguna 25 times since our arrival, just to understand well why we are here. It's not a vacation. We are here to prepare ourselves and do well against that Mexican team."
Limniatis currently relies on a 22-player roster, including Cameroonian forward Leo Steve Bessong Libiih, who is trying out with the club. Defender Alex Surprenant will join the team on Thursday after staying with the U-20 Canadian national team.
For this first game in Italy, goalkeeper Matt Jordan will be in the nets for the Impact. The Montreal club should make several changes in its starting eleven during the second half. Note that the Impact will play a second game in 24 hours, Thursday, against AC Pistoiese (Serie C1). Since the beginning of training camp, the Impact has a 3-0-0 record in preseason play.
The Montreal club is currently training for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals against Mexican club Santos Laguna. The game in Montreal will be played February 25 at Olympic Stadium.
USL First Division Stories from February 3, 2009
- Impact to Play their First Pre-Season Game in Italy - Montreal Impact
- RailHawks Sign Two-Time USL-2 Defender of the Year Mark Schulte - North Carolina FC
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