Wilson, a native of Jamaica, was part of the 1998 Montreal Impact edition, finishing third in the team scoring race with nine goals and 22 points, in 1642 minutes of play. He recently played for the Arnett Gardens Football Club, a First Division club in Jamaica where he was the second top scorer with eight goals. He joins the Impact for the 2005 season, pending international clearance.
Lesage, a Trois-Rivières native, joined the Impact’s training camp in March, notably scoring two goals in pre-season games. Last season, the 25-year-old forward played for the Toledo Slayers in the Premier Development League (PDL) of the United Soccer Leagues (USL). He also played with the University du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriots from 1999 to 2004.
“It was important for us to sign these two forwards,” said Montreal Impact head coach Nick De Santis. “Wilson is a player with a lot of experience who is very familiar with the North American brand of soccer. He will also bring us a lot of speed up front. Lesage did very well during camp and earned his spot. He’s worked his way into the roster. And with his physical abilities he has good potential, especially in the box."
“I’m very happy to join the Impact,” said Lesage. “I thought I would be going back in the PDL for the 2005 season. Finally, all the efforts over the past few weeks paid off.”
COMMODORE INJURED
The Montreal Impact also announced that striker Frederick Commodore could miss the 2005 season due to a serious muscular injury to his leg and foot. Commodore, the club’s second top scorer last season with eight goals and one assist, aggravated an old injury during training camp.
He has been released from the club and is currently in Baltimore, where he will undergo further examinations.
“It’s a major loss for the team but Freddy agrees with the decision, said Montreal Impact head coach Nick De Santis. “It will allow him to take the necessary time to get better. We also had to release him to open up a foreigner spot on our roster. But needless to say, we hope he comes back soon and we’ll always have room for him.”
Forward Eduardo Sebrango, who sprained his ankle during the pre-season match against the Concordia Stingers Wednesday is recovering well and he should be available for the opening game against Puerto Rico.
In other news, the Impact announced that forward Matthew Palleschi and defender Aziz Ahmamad were cut from the team. Midfielder Alpha Bah will stay with the club but will play the 2005 season with an amateur senior club.
LAST PRE-SEASON GAME
The Impact will play its fifth and last pre-season game of its training camp this Sunday at 10 am, against the UQAM Citadins, at Concordia’s Loyola Campus.
“They are a very organized team which will give us a good challenge and that’s what we want, added De Santis. We want to end the camp on a positive note before kicking off the regular season.”
Montreal will defend its First Division United Soccer Leagues championship title with a double-header in Puerto Rico, against the Islanders, April 29 and May 1. The Impact will play the 12th home opener of its history at Claude-Robillard Stadium May 29, in a showdown against the Rochester Raging Rhinos.
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Source: Patrick Vallée
Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
