Since joining the league in 1993, the Impact has a 10-2-5 overall record (25 GF – 9 GA), during its home openers. The Impact shut out the opponent in 12 of its 17 previous home openers.
Montreal will seek its first victory in 2011, after two losses of 1-0 against FC Tampa Bay on April 9 and 2-1 against the Carolina RailHawks, last Saturday.
"The confidence of our players hasn't been touched,” said Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos. “This week was very positive and several of our injured players are back in the line-up, giving us more depth. We have never won a home opener at Saputo Stadium, which is motivation enough for everybody here."
"Everybody needs to be ready for the game,” said team captain Nevio Pizzolitto, who will play his 9th home opener on Saturday. “We want to move up in the standings quickly and tomorrow's game will be important. We need to be better with the ball and have better positioning on the field."
"We need to correct our execution and start off the right foot at home,” added French midfielder Idriss Ech Chergui, who will play his first game at Saputo Stadium. We must give a strong performance tomorrow in front of our fans. We need to win no matter what we do, and turn our scoring opportunities into goals."
The Impact has an overall record of 2-1-0 against FC Tampa Bay. On April 9 in St. Petersburg, the Impact lost 1-0 against FC Tampa Bay. In 2010, the Impact registered a 2-1 win on June 12 at George M. Steinbrenner Field and shut out FCTB 3-0 on September 19 in Montreal.
Midfielders David Testo and Leonardo Di Lorenzo are back in the lineup. Testo played at the end of the last game in Carolina while Di Lorenzo will play in his first game of the season.
Forward Reda Agourram (thigh) and midfielder Hassoun Camara (thigh) will not play in today’s game due to injuries.
Defender Richard Pelletier will serve the third of a six-game suspension, following incidents that occurred after the second leg of the semi-final series in Carolina. Aaboubou is also serving his third game of suspension.
"We must get our three first points of the season tomorrow,” explained forward Ali Gerba, who is three points away from the 50-career point mark with the Impact. Our team's chemistry is settling day by day. We don't expect to have a perfect chemistry early at the start of the season. Once everybody is comfortable, we will be in a good position to get far this season."
Good tickets for the home opener are still available through the Admission network (admission.com / 514-790-1245) or at the Saputo Stadium ticketing office.
Season tickets are still available for the 2011 season via the Impact’s website (impactmontreal.com) and the club’s sales offices at 514-328-3668. All season ticket holders for 2010 will automatically be given seating priority for the 2012 season in Major League Soccer (MLS) by reserving their seats with a $50 reimbursable deposit.
OTHER FACTS
• Last year, the Impact tied 1-1 against the Portland Timbers, on April 25, 2010 at Saputo Stadium. Defender Nevio Pizzolitto scored the lone goal for Montreal on a penalty.
• Captain Nevio Pizzolitto’s next game will be his 300th career game in the US second division. It will be his 279th career game with Montreal. He played 21 games with Richmond in 1999.
• This is also the third game of the season for FC Tampa Bay, which is playing its second season in the league. After a win against Montreal in their first game, FC Tampa Bay lost 2-0 at home against the Puerto Rico Islanders.
• This is the second of four games between both teams this season. The Impact will face FC Tampa Bay again on May 21 in St. Petersburg and on August 10 at Saputo Stadium.
NEXT THREE GAMES
• Wednesday, April 27 – Vancouver @ IMPACT – Saputo Stadium – 8 pm (Rogers Sportsnet East & Pacific, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990)
• Sunday, May 1st – IMPACT @ Edmonton – Foote Stadium – 9:35 pm (fcedmonton.com)
• Wednesday, May 4 – IMPACT @ Vancouver – Empire Stadium – 11 pm (Rogers Sportsnet ONE, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990)
* Nutrilite Canadian Championship
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