During its last trip on the West Coast, the Impact tied the Seattle Sounders 1-1, June 28.
“We have to play very well to beat Seattle and that’s exactly what we’ll try our best to do Sunday,” said Impact head coach John Limniatis. “It’s a team that will not let you win just because you showed up. Our last game in Seattle was one of the best games that we played and it was on their field. Game to game, you have to get things better as you go along so this week we concentrated more on attacking in the box to get better opportunities to score.”
In its last game, Sunday, the Impact was shut out 1-0 by the Puerto Rico Islanders, after conceding a goal in the 5th minute.
“We have to be ready from the first whistle,” said defender Adam Braz, who has missed only one game this season. “The game starts in the warm-up and in our pre-game routine. In the last game in Seattle, as well as in a few other games, we conceded goals on set pieces. We have to be more alert of what the other team is doing and get in position quickly.”
“Our championship is strange this year because you can lose a game and be low in the standings and win two games and be among the top teams,” said defender Cédric Joqueviel. “All points are important even more when we play at Saputo Stadium. We are not looking too much at the standings but more at our state of mind, which is still very good so the outlook is positive.”
In their last game, Friday, the Sounders lost 1-0 against the Rhinos in Rochester. The Sounders have not won in their last five games (0-2-3).
The Impact is still first in the USL First Division with only two goals allowed at home and an average of 0.33 goals conceded at Saputo Stadium.
Midfielder Antonio Ribeiro may probably come back Sunday, after having missed the last nine games due to an ankle injury. Defender Gabriel Gervais has aggravated his thigh injury and his status will be evaluated Sunday.
Midfielder Patrick Leduc is the single Impact player who has played and started all 17 Impact games, including the three Nutrilite Canadian championship games. Since the beginning of the season, he played 1,508 minutes of play on a possibility of 1,530 minutes.
OTHER FACTS
• Team captain Mauro Biello’s next match will be its 350th career game in the USL First Division.
• Matt Jordan’s next win will be his 15th with the Impact, good for fourth place in club history, surpassing Paul Shepherd.
• Since the arrival of the Sounders in the league, in 1994, the Impact has a record of 8-12-2 against its West Coast rivals.
• This is the second of three matchups between both teams. The Impact will visit again the Sounders, September 10, in Seattle.
• Forward Sébastien Letoux leads the Sounders with six goals and 14 points. He is currently third in the league in points.
• The Sounders are playing their last season in the USL First Division, as they will join Major League Soccer (MLS) next year.
• Approximately 2,000 people from Pierrefonds Soccer Association will attend Sunday’s game.
NEXT GAMES
• Friday, July 18 – Miami @ IMPACT – Saputo Stadium – 7:30 pm (Radio-Canada, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990, USLlive.com)
• Tuesday, July 22 – IMPACT @ Toronto – BMO Field – 7:00 pm (CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990, cbc.ca)
• Friday, July 25 – IMPACT @ Rochester – PAETEC Park – 8:00 pm (FSW)
• Sunday, July 27 – Rochester @ IMPACT – 3:30 pm (CKAC Sports – THE TEAM 990, USLlive.com)
Nutrilite Canadian Championship
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Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info: 514-328-3668, Ext. 227
