MONTREAL – Both Montreal Impact teams playing in the Development Academy will fly on Tuesday for Indianapolis, where the 2016-17 playoffs group stage will be played.
For a second consecutive year, both Bleu-blanc-noir teams were part of the 32 teams that qualified for the first round of the playoffs. The teams are split into eight groups. Each team will play three games in five days to determine the group winner, which will qualify for the quarterfinals, on July 7 and 8.
The semifinals and finals will be played on July 14 and 16, at the National Training Center, in Los Angeles.
The Impact U16 starts against Atlanta United FC this Thursday, followed by a clash with Players Development Academy on Saturday. The team will play its third game against Chicago Fire on Monday, June 26. All games kickoff at 3:30pm.
On the same dates, the Impact U18 will face Texans SC Houston, Sacramento Republic FC and Sockers FC. Their games will be played at 5:30pm, just after the younger team.
“We want to show our qualities and our identity with complete performances that will lead to the wins we need to make it to the next round,” said Impact U16 head coach Nicolas Gagnon. “The teams we face represent three good challenges, but we have the quality to succeed. Our main opponent will be ourselves, but we overcame it more and more by the end of the season.”
In the past, the Impact U18 made it twice to the semifinals, in 2014 and 2015, finishing third and fourth respectively. However, it would be a first for the Impact U16 if this year’s edition goes through the group phase.
The Impact U18 finished its season with 14 wins, four losses and six draws, scoring a total of 63 goals in the process. They finished second in their group. The Impact U16 ended theirs with 13 wins, six losses and seven draws, with a total of 55 goals scored. They finished third in their group.
