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MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact takes on another direct Eastern Conference rival, this Saturday night, as the Philadelphia Union comes to Stade Saputo for a 7:30pm kickoff (TVA Sports [pregame show at 7pm], 98,5fm [pregame show at 6:30pm] & TSN Radio 690 [pregame show at 7pm]).
Excellent tickets for reserved seats in the grey category, as well as general admission tickets, are still available on impactmontreal.com.
“We want to come out strong and finish strong this weekend,” said Montreal Impact head coach Mauro Biello. “We came out with a lot of energy the last time that we played the Union, created a lot of changes, scored the early goal. But the momentum changed, and they had a bit too much of the ball. We want to avoid that against an Eastern Conference rival.”
The Impact advises supporters to get to Stade Saputo early and to use public transit. Pie-IX Blvd. will be partially closed in the northbound direction, from Pierre-de-Coubertin Ave. to Mont-Royal Ave., preventing vehicles from turning right on Sherbrooke East St. Traffic disruptions are also scheduled on Pierre-de-Coubertin Ave., between Viau St. and Pie-IX Blvd., until the end of the season.
Please also take note of the full implementation of new security measures upon entering the stadium. All bags larger than 35 cm x 35 cm x 15 cm are prohibited. The full rules and regulations can be viewed on impactmontreal.com. The club will, however, introduce measures to speed up access to the stadium.
No. 300 for Oduro?
A handful of Impact players will reach significant MLS milestones this Saturday – with Dominic Oduro, in particular, about to make history. Should he play against the Union, Oduro will make his 300th MLS appearance, 11 seasons into his career. Oduro will be the 33rd player in league history to reach that number, the 13th among currently active players. The only other player to have reached that mark wearing the Bleu-blanc-noir is Justin Mapp, who played his 300th MLS game on August 22, 2015, also against the Union.
Ambroise Oyongo, for his part, could play a 50th game in the North American elite, as could Ignacio Piatti – who has also started every game he’s played in MLS. Piatti will return into the fold this Saturday after missing the Impact’s most recent game through suspension. He remains the second-top scorer in MLS, with 11 tallies.
“This is a very important game for us,” said Ignacio Piatti. “We have to win at home. We want to move up in the standings. The Union just played 120 minutes in the Cup, but this is no excuse for us. We have to go onto the field and win this game.”
Piatti and teammates Didier Drogba and Laurent Ciman have all been invited to the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game, which will be played on Thursday, July 28, at 7:30pm EDT at the home of the San Jose Earthquakes, Avaya Stadium. The Impact will send the most representatives of all MLS clubs to the All-Star team, which will take on English Premier League club Arsenal. Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau will also be in San Jose, playing the 2016 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game on July 27 at 9pm EDT against Mexico’s U-20 national team.
Sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, the Bleu-blanc-noir is only four points behind second-placed Philadelphia with two games in hand. The Impact has only lost twice in its last 12 games.
Another crucial meeting against the Union
While Philadelphia no longer leads the Eastern Conference, as was the case the last time these two teams met – a 1-1 tie on May 14 – , the Impact and the Union remain among the top teams in the Conference, along with New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls.
Despite the sudden departure of playmaker Vincent Nogueira, the Union has kept scoring goals and leads MLS with 34 goals in 20 games – but the team has only scored nine goals in as many road games.
“The Union managed to freshen up its play and remain competitive,” said Hassoun Camara. “It shows that a team can succeed on the long term when it does things collectively. Similarly, we have an opportunity to bounce back from last Sunday as a team, and we really want to do well in front of our fans.”
The Impact’s all-time record against the Union stands at four wins, three losses and four ties. At home, the Impact has won four of six games against Philadelphia.
The Union will have to make do without Ilsinho, who was sent off against the Red Bulls last weekend and will be suspended this Saturday. Midfielder Maurice Edu, who suffered a tibia injury in March, has returned to training with his teammates but is likely to still be unavailable for weeks.
Following games
The Impact returns on the road next weekend, playing D.C. United at RFK Stadium on Sunday, July 31, at 6:30pm EDT (TVA Sports, 98,5fm & TSN Radio 690). The next MLS game at Stade Saputo will be played on Saturday, August 6, against the Houston Dynamo (TVA Sports, 98,5fm & TSN Radio 690). Excellent individual tickets are still available for this game on impactmontreal.com.
The Impact will also play an international friendly against A.S Roma on Wednesday, August 3, at 7:30pm at Stade Saputo. Members (season ticket holders) already have their tickets for this match, identified as the “Game to be determined”. Excellent tickets for this great event are also still available.
