Impact Wraps up 2011 Season
Published on September 25, 2011 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Montreal Impact News Release
MONTREAL - The technical staff and players of the Montreal Impact wrapped up the 2011 season, Sunday afternoon at Montreal-Trudeau Airport, following the team's return to Montreal.
The Impact finished the season with just one loss in its final nine games, battling for a playoff spot right up until the last game of the season, a 4-0 win, Saturday in Atlanta. The team wrapped up the year in seventh place in the NASL standings, only one point behind the Minnesota Stars.
After a difficult start to the season, winning just two times in its first 14 games, the Impact registered the second best record in the league for the second half of the season with seven wins, three losses and four ties. During that period, the team also led the league offensively with 24 goals in 14 games and finished second defensively with an average of 0.86 goal allowed.
"It is hard to accept because this team had all the elements to compete for the playoff championship, but we ran out of time. The beginning of the season put us in that position," said Impact sporting director Nick De Santis. "We wanted to finish on a good run and that's what we did."
"It was a long and tough year for us," added team captain Nevio Pizzolitto. "We had difficulties winning games at the beginning of the season and had to go through a lot of changes, but we stood together and got back on our feet. I am very proud of this team."
Several newcomers made a difference in the second half of the campaign: defender Cameron Knowles, midfielders Ian Westlake and Sinisa Ubiparipovic, as well as forwards Ryan Pore, Eduardo Sebrango and Miguel Montaño.
"During the year, we brought in players with strong personalities and a lot of qualities," added De Santis. "Our players deserved better than this position, but they should be proud of their performance in the second half of the season."
The Impact leaves the North American second division with a record of 265 wins, 155 losses and 71 tied in 491 regular season games, three playoff championships and one Canadian championship.
The Impact will move to Major League Soccer (MLS), North America's first division, starting in March 2012. The team will sport a new roster for its debut in MLS. Head coach Jesse Marsch will hold a one-week training camp involving players from both the 2011 edition, and invited players, starting on Monday, October 3, at Claude-Robillard Sports Complex.
"We were impressed with how certain players performed during the season," added De Santis. "We are looking forward, and the future of this club is very promising."
Joey Saputo, Nick De Santis and Matt Jordan will travel to England Sunday night, joining Jesse Marsch, already in Europe for the past week, to meet with potential players for next season.
North American Soccer League Stories from September 25, 2011
- Impact Wraps up 2011 Season - Montreal Impact
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
