Garcia is a 24 year-old striker from Colombia who has been loaned to the Impact by the Baltimore Blast, a Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) club. Last year, Garcia played with the Virginia Beach Mariners of the United Soccer Leagues First Division. He finished the season with nine assists, the second most in the league. He also scored five goals for a total of 19 points. With the Blast, he scored a goal and added three assists before suffering a serious knee injury on November 12. He underwent surgery a few days later and has now made a complete recovery.
Madkour is a 28 year-old forward. Originally from Morocco, this forward has played in the Moroccan first division from 1995 to 2000. He also played on the Moroccan Junior National Team from 1996-1998. Since he’s been in Quebec, he has played for several clubs in the first division of the senior men’s Quebec Elite Soccer League. Earlier this year, he played a few games for the Laval Dynamites of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. On April 24 with the Impact, he came off the bench in the second half of an exhibition game played against the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM).
“It was important for us to get some depth at the forward position, especially with Eduardo Sebrango’s injury,” said Impact head coach Nick De Santis. “Garcia is a natural and he has strong technical skills, with a good vision of the game. It will be easy for him to adapt to our style of play. He can also play as an attacking midfielder.”
“Madkour also has some nice offensive qualities,” added De Santis. “He’ll get a good opportunity to show what he can do at a higher level. It’ll be a good test for him. We’ll observe him in preparation for next season as well.”
Also of note is the fact that Garcia helped the Virginia Beach Mariners beat the Impact 2-1, on July 2, 2004, when he scored the winning goal in overtime. Therefore, the Mariners put an end to Montreal’s club-record, 12-game unbeaten streak. In 2003, he played for the Williamsburg Legacy, a club in the USL’s Premier Development League, scoring 13 goals. In the NCAA, he tallied a career total of 121 points with William & Mary College.
Garcia will join the Impact for Friday’s road game in Minnesota, against the Thunder (8 pm, RDS, FSC).
-30-
Source: Patrick Vallée
Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
