Playing its 11th home opener in club history, the Montreal team will be aiming for its ninth win. It has a 8-1-1 record so far in home opening games.
“We’re excited about our first game,” said Impact head coach Nick DeSantis. “It will be great to see our fans. We have a 3-0 record and there are certain expectations, but regardless, we have to be a dominant team on our field. The first game at home will set the tone for all the others.”
“We want to kick off the season on the right foot at home, like we did on the road,” added midfielder Patrick Leduc, who has been picked twice in a row on the A-League Team of the Week since the season started. “We can feel the same kind of atmosphere on the team than we had before our season opener in Puerto Rico. We’re looking forward to being back in front of our fans, they’ll give us even more energy.”
The Mariners, who have a 1-2-1 record so far, were among the A-League’s most improved teams last year, going from a 6-19-3 record in 2002 to 14-9-5 in 2003.
Among the players returning with Virginia Beach this year are Dante Washington, a former MLS player who scored 18 goals in 26 games last year, and Roland “Pato” Aguilera, who collected 10 goals and nine assists in 2003. Both were picked on A-League all-star teams.
“They have very dangerous players, and I expect a good attacking team,” said DeSantis. “They beat us 2-0 at home last year. It will be a tough game.”
“I expect some open-style play,” pointed out Leduc. “They don’t have a system where the only thing they do is to try to bottle up the opponent’s play.”
As for the Impact, coach DeSantis has made it clear since training camp started that he wanted his team to put more emphasis on going forward. His players have responded with five goals scored in three away games, while allowing none.
“We expect a pretty offensive-minded game,” said Leduc.
In last year’s first game at Claude Robillard Stadium, the Impact played in front of 7,128 spectators, a team record for attendance at a home opener.
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SOURCE:
bcomm
INFO:
Stéphane Banfi
514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
