Montreal unbeaten in Pennsylvania since 2014
CHESTER, Pennsylvania – The Montreal Impact will begin a sequence of three games in nine days, this Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Union, at Talen Energy Stadium (TVA Sports, TSN, 98.5, TSN 690).
“Honestly, this is a very good team that’s had a very good start to the campaign,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. “They’ve done a good job making their squad progress. It’s a mix of young players and experienced ones, with a dose of speed in their style of play. It’s a very complete team, that plays interesting games. A difficult game awaits. We won there last year, but it’s a complicated place to get points. We need to stay focused, work as a team, and try to cause more problems than we have in previous games.”
Favourable stadium for the Impact
The Impact hasn’t conceded a goal in April yet, a sequence of three consecutive clean sheets and 276 minutes played. On the road, Evan Bush has been perfect for the past 186 minutes. He can also establish a club record if the Union doesn’t score in the first half.
The Impact hasn’t lost in Philadelphia in its past five visits, since 2014, having also won its last two games at Talen Energy Stadium. Striker Maxi Urruti has two goals in four career games against the Union. In parallel, if the Impact scores two goals, it’ll reach 1,000 goals scored in its history.
“It’s going to be a completely different game,” said full-back Bacary Sagna. “This is a different year, we’ve started our season differently, and most importantly, it’s a different part of the season. We can’t think of what’s already happened. I know they’re just a point behind us. They’ve played more games at home than us, but that isn’t any of our concern. We want to play well and bring back points. We’ll need to perform well collectively to do so.”
Important absences for Philadelphia
Jim Curtin has big changes to make for Montreal’s visit. Homegrown defender Auston Trusty is suspended for this one and will miss his first game since the beginning of the 2018 season, while midfielder and Designated Player Marco Fabian is out injured.
On the Impact’s end, Designated Player Nacho Piatti will miss a fourth straight game due to a knee injury. Newcomer Omar Browne won’t be available either, as some of his administrative paperwork has still not been received.
“We’re expecting a battle,” said defender Zakaria Diallo. “The coach repeated this morning that it was going to be a difficult game. Every game is the same, especially on the road. We want to focus on our style of play. We haven’t conceded a goal in three games. We’re going to try building on that and come home with three points.”
Upcoming games
The Impact will play a second consecutive game on the road on Wednesday, April 24, at 7:30pm, against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium (TVA Sports, TSN, 98.5, TSN 690), before playing its second game of the season at Stade Saputo on Sunday, April 28, at 12:30pm, against the Chicago Fire (TICKETS – TVA Sports, 98.5, TSN 690).
