Grande, who scored two goals and one assist in seven games (526 minutes) this season with the Impact, will leave Montreal Tuesday to join his new teammates.
The 27-year-old midfielder was the Impact’s first-round pick at the 1998 college draft but Grande took advantage of his double citizenship to kick off his pro career in Italy. In the spring of 2001, he became the first Quebec-born player to sign a contract with a Serie A club, in Italy, when he signed a three-year agreement with Brescia. He joined the Impact in 2004.
Last season, he started 22 of 23 games for a total of 1902 minutes played. In his first season with Montreal, he tallied four goals and one assist for nine points. He was selected to the First All-Star Team and was voted Newcomer of the Year with the Impact.
This season, after missing five games due to a groin injury, Grande returned to the lineup June 22 by scoring the game-winning goal in a 4-2 victory over the Charleston Battery. He netted his second goal of the season against the Timbers in Portland on June 30 in a 1-0 win.
Grande had recently joined the Canadian national team for the Gold Cup tournament, which was held in the United States from July 6-24, where he played all three games of the first round.
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Source: Patrick Vallée
Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
