L’Impact Joue En Tabarnak ! Jump Back On The Bandwagon !

By: Marco Stucazzo | September 19th, 2008

Ok OK so 4 months have passed and nothing has been said about the best soccer team in Canadia.

It’s been a bumpy road. But where do I start? Let’s go with John Liminiatis. The hard ass-looking ex-player Impact player has been part of the organisation since the good old Centre Claude-Robillard days. Although Montréal started off slow since Limniatis’ arrival, l’Impact have been looking much more like the champions of yester year

I Bet if you ask Nick Desantis he’ll say that it’s the Italian style slow paced training regimen that brings the best out of players as the season progresses closer to its peak.

Sexy calves Desantis has taken the technical director position and is now working the phones and doing a mighty fine job;

24-year-old Tony Donatelli brought in some undisclosed fee with from Vancouver while Charles Gbeke became a Whitecap.

Felix Brillant came in from Norwegian club FK Sparta Sarpsborg after taking part in New England’s Revolution

Rocco Placentino and Sandro Grande have returned home after semi-successful European stints. Both Italo-Canadians have added much experience and talent on the squad since day one.

Peter Byers and Gason « Bubbla » Gregory, from Antigua-and-Barbuda. These 2 speedsters from the Islands have been turning heads already. Byers scored 2 goals on his debut, breaking his duck on the Silverbacks. The 23-year-old Byers was plying his trade with Trinidadian club Jablotech topping the league with 21 goals in 38 games and has scored 18 in 27 matches for his national team.

His Jablotech teammate, 26-year-old winger Bubbla Gregory followed him to Montréal. Bubbla’s a fast winger who scored 27 goals in 47 matches for Antigua and Barbuda so far.

Maybe Byers and Gregory revealed a few Joe Public secrets to Mr. Limniatis before their Group Match because l’Impact owned Joe Public all night on that crappy Saputo pitch. They attacked viciously for the 1st 20 minutes and maintained possession quite well the rest of the game to go on to a solid 2-0 win. Joe Public gave L’Impact some problems on the counter and set pieces but nothing that Matt Jordan couldn’t handle. The Trinidadians didn’t look like the squad that spanked the New England Revolution with a 6-1 aggregate.

Montréal is in Group C with Mexicans Fc Atlante, CD Olimpia from Honduras and Joe Public Fc.

Some exciting stuff coming up for the Impact !

Here’s the full schedule;

CONCACAF CL
• 17 septembre – Joe Public FC @ IMPACT – 20h
• 24 septembre – Atlante FC @ IMPACT – 20h
• 2 octobre – IMPACT @ CD Olympia – @ Honduras – 22h
• 8 octobre – IMPACT @ Joe Public – @ Trinité & Tobago – 20h
• 21 octobre – CD Olympia @ IMPACT – 20h
• 28 octobre – IMPACT @ Atlante FC – @ Mexique – 22h

Our next game will be in Minneapolis facing some Thunder. L’ Impact (12-11-5; 41 points) is playing its last game of the regular season Saturday. The Minnesota Thunder (9-11-9; 36 points) will be awaiting at the National Sports Centre, in Blaine, in the suburbs of Minneapolis

Oh yeah and did I omit the fact that we also made the USL playoffs! We’re facing the Islanders on September 21st.

Are you excited Joey Saputo?

L’accession à la phase des groupes de cette compétition nous assure déjà un rayonnement inédit non seulement sur la scène nationale, mais également partout sur le continent. Cette qualification à la prochaine ronde démontre à quel point la Première division de la USL peut être compétitive.

Progressing on to the group phase of the Concacaf CL not only gives us unprecedented national exposure but also opens us to the whole continent (I’d like to mention that Mr. Saputo is referring to ALL of America for the geographically challenged readers) this qualification demonstrates how competitive the USL can be.

Fall is going to be an exciting season for l’Impact all I can say is Allez L’Impact!

ALLEZ L’IMPACT!

Now if someone could just do something about that horrible pitch…