Even if the team was eliminated from the USL First Division after a 2-0 loss, Sunday in Vancouver, the Impact’s season is not over.
“Yes we lost in the playoffs but we still have the chance to play in a very important competition,” said Impact head coach John Limniatis. “It will be a tough game so we have to get back our concentration fast and be ready for that game if we want to continue progressing.”
“We have to move on and forget the last game,” explained midfielder Félix Brillant. “The win is crucial tomorrow. Offensively they are strong but because they leave spaces behind I hope that we will be able to take advantage of their defensive weaknesses.”
With a win Wednesday, and a win from Atlante FC against CD Olimpia, who are also playing on tomorrow, the Impact would qualify for the quarterfinal round in the CONCACAF Champions League.
“When you advance in a competition, the next game is always the most significant,” added Limniatis. “Tomorrow’s game is the most important game of the season. We have the chance to qualify but we don’t know which team will show up because their last results were very different.”
In its last game in the CONCACAF Champions League, October 1, the Impact defeated CD Olimpia by a 2-1 score at National Stadium, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
“I think that the team can repeat tomorrow what it did against CD Olimpia,” mentioned Sandro Grande. “It’s a team that moves the ball well. We will have to continue playing well defensively and maintain possession of the ball. The key will be to score early in the game.”
In the first game between both teams, on September 17 at Saputo Stadium, the Impact had won 2-0. Defender Stefano Pesoli and midfielder Tony Donatelli had scored the two goals.
In five games in the CONCACAF Champions League, including the two preliminary round games against Real Esteli FC, the Impact has allowed only one goal. Montreal also tied Mexican club Atlante FC 0-0, September 24, at Saputo Stadium.
The 22 players who traveled to Vancouver also made the trip to Trinidad-and-Tobago, except for Adam Braz, who returned to Montreal for personal reasons.
Midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo, who missed the last two games due to a light concussion, should be back in the line-up.
On the Joe Public FC side, forward Gregory Richardson, who leads the team in goals since the beginning of the tournament, will miss the game due to a one-game suspension for a red card he received in the last game against Atlante FC, won 1-0, October 2.
The Impact will then play its last two games of the tournament, Tuesday October 21 against CD Olimpia at Saputo Stadium, and the following Tuesday, October 28 against Atlante FC, in Cancun, Mexico.
Note that the top two clubs from each group will advance to the knock-out phase and play a home-and-away elimination. The quarter final round, a home-and-awat series on aggregate goal, will take place the last week of February and the first week of March.
ABOUT JOE PUBLIC FC
• In the home-and-away series giving access to the group phase, Joe Public FC beat the New England Revolution 6-1 on aggregate goals.
• The club was founded in 1996 and its president is Jack Warner, who is also the CONCACAF President and a FIFA Vice President.
• Joe Public won the Trinidad & Tobago championship in 1998 and 2006. The same two years, the team also won the Caribbean Club Championship.
IMPACT IN THE CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE
• Tuesday, October 21 – CD Olimpia @ IMPACT
- Live at 8 pm: Radio-Canada.ca/sports, bold TV, CBCSports.ca, CKAC Sports
- Tape delayed: Radio-Canada (11:45 pm), CBC (midnight)
• Tuesday, October 28 – IMPACT @ Atlante FC – Mexico
- Live at 10 pm: bold TV, CBCSports.ca, Radio-Canada.ca/sports
- Tape delayed CBC (midnight)
PHOTOS PÉPÉ
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Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info: 514-328-3668, Ext. 227
