CONTEXT
• In its last game, the Impact shut out the Montreal University Carabins, last Saturday, with goals from midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo (38th) and forward Daniel Antoniuk (60th).
STREAKS
• The Impact is after a third consecutive win after picking up victories against the Lac St-Louis Lakers (6-0) and the Montreal Univerisity Carabins (2-0).
• Forward Daniel Antoniuk, one of the Impact’s new acquisitions, has scored in each of the first two pre-season games — he had a two-goal game against the Lakers and scored once against the Carabins.
• Goalkeepers Greg Sutton and Andrew Weber, who have shared the workload so far, will be looking for a third straight shutout.
NOTES
• So far, 22 players are under contract with the Montreal Impact for the 2006 season, out of a maximum possible of 26.
• Forwards Rachid Madkour and Massimo Di Ioia, as well as midfielders Ibrahim Baldeh and Alpha Bah are still trying to earn a spot on the team.
• Olivier Babineau, Pierre-Rudolph Mayard and Christian Nunez, youth players from the National Training Centre, have left the Impact training camp in order to join the Under-20 Canadian National Team at the 24th Porto International tournament in Portugal.
• Forward Joel Bailey has yet to join the Impact at training camp because he is playing indoors with the Baltimore Blast. He is currently in negotiations with the Impact.
• Goalkeeper Andrew Weber, midfielders Leonardo Di Lorenzo, Kirk Wilson and Simon Gatti, as well as forwards Mauricio Salles and Daniel Antoniuk are the Impact’s new acquisitions.
• During the off-season, the Impact has signed new deals with goalkeepers Greg Sutton and Gerry Argento, defenders Gabriel Gervais and David Fronimadis, midfielders Patrick Leduc, Antonio Ribeiro, Masahiro Fukasawa and Mesut Mert, and forwards Mauro Biello and Darko Kolic.
• Goalkeeper Andrew Olivieri, defender André Hainault, midfielder Adrian Cann and David Di Placido, as well as forwards Eduardo Sebrango, Charles Gbeke and Carlos Garcia have left the club since the end of last season.
COMMENTS
Impact head coach Nick De Santis: "We are hoping to have opponents as good as the Montreal University Carabins. It will be the third game of our training camp and we feel that we are progressing. We are still in a period of adjustments but the players are starting to know each other on the field so it's positive. On the coaching staff side, we have a better idea of what some players can bring to the team. Tomorrow's game will help us make a decision on which players will be starting the first game of the season."
NEXT GAME
• The Impact will play the fourth and last pre-season game of training camp this Saturday, April 15 at 10 am, against the Lac St-Louis Lakers at the Catalogna Soccerplexe in Lachine.
• The team will then fly off to Florida on April 18 to continue its training camp and prepare for its season opener, set for Sunday, April 23 against Miami F.C. The Impact will train at the Sunrise Hilton Sports Complex in Fort Lauderdale.
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Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
