Montreal Impact head coach Nick De Santis has selected 24 players on his roster for the 2005 United Soccer Leagues First Division season that started April 29 in Puerto Rico.
The Impact remained undefeated after four games on the road and currently boasts a record of 2-0-2.
"Once again this season we want to play more offensive soccer, especially at home," said Impact head coach Nick De Santis. "I’m very satisfied with the first four games. We played very well defensively, allowing only one goal. We will have to score more goals, but scoring is the toughest part of soccer."
The 2005 edition of the Montreal Impact is very similar to last year’s championship team. In nets, goalkeeper Greg Sutton, the league MVP last year, will be assisted by Andrew Olivieri and Gerry Argento, who came to terms with the club today.
The Montreal backline, the best in the league last year, remains the same with defenders Gabriel Gervais, Nevio Pizzolitto, Adam Braz, Mauricio Vincello and Adrian Cann. Defenders Jason Di Tullio, David Fronimadis and Abraham François, who all suffered knee injuries last year, are expected to be back in action this season.
In the midfield, the Impact can count once again on Sandro Grande, Zé Roberto, Patrick Leduc, Antonio Ribeiro and captain Mauro Biello. They are joined by newcomers Mesut Mert, Lars Lyssand and Masahiro Fukasawa.
Offensively, forward Eduardo Sebrango, the team’s leading scorer last year with eight goals and three assists, will be flanked by veteran Darko Kolic and newcomers Nicolas Lesage, Sita-Taty Matondo and Kevin Wilson, who already scored two goals this season.
Six players from last year’s edition are no longer with the club: defender André Hainault, midfielders Yuri Lavrynenko and Chris Williams, and forwards Fred Commodore and Chris Lemire. Defender Lloyd Barker is now assistant coach with the club.
The Impact will play the fifth game of a six-game road stretch on Sunday, against the Toronto Lynx, and will travel to Rochester to play the Rhinos on May 21. The two teams will square off once again May 29, for the Impact’s 12th home opener, at Claude-Robillard Sports Complex.
-30-
Source: Patrick Vallée
Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
