MONTREAL IMPACT

[Frank Cunha]

Miami FC drops a 1-0 decision at the Montreal Impact Friday night in front of 11,873 fans



Miami, May 25, 2007 - Montreal had two scoring chances in the 10th and 12th minutes but Pat Hannigan made two great saves to deny the home side from getting on the scoreboard.



The Impact took the lead in the 36th minute. Montreal floated a free kick from the offensive third into the middle of a crowd of mixed white and blue jerseys in the middle of the box. Charles Gbeke was the first to the ball and his header snuck by the Miami FC defenders and into the back of the net.



Montreal came close in the 41st minute as well. Martin Fabro found himself alone in on the Miami FC goal but Hannigan’s charge toward him was enough to force a shank wide of the goal.



Miami FC dominated possession in the middle third for the majority of the first half but an inability to break through to the final third and create scoring chances sent Chiquinho de Assis’s side into the locker room searching for answers.



It looked like Miami FC might have found the answers they were looking early in the second half. In the 47th minute, Zinho whipped a free kick into the box which Montreal goalkeeper Matt Jordan unsuccessfully attempted to grab. The ball bounced across the face of the goal but an Impact defender beat Luchi Gonzalez to the ball and cleared it over the sideline.



Nico Mosquera had Miami FC’s best chance of the second half. His right-footed blast from inside the Montreal 18-yard box in the 83rd minute dipped and skipped towards goal. Jordan knelt to make the save and the ball ricocheted off of this chest out of the box and to an Impact player.



Chiquinho made numerous offensive substitutions throughout the second half but was unable to find the right combination for his side. The game ended 1-0 in favor of the Montreal Impact. Miami FC looks to rebound quickly as they prepare for Sunday’s clash with the Rochester Raging Rhinos.

[jec1]

Montreal tied with Minnesota 1-1, now they sit 7-4.

[Frank Cunha]

Sounders club California 4-0
Minnesota drubs Carolina, Montreal tops Atlanta

9/5-6 Round-Up: The Impact moved into a tie for first with Portland Wednesday night with a 1-0 win over Atlanta... On Thursday, the Sounders moved back into first place with a 4-0 win over California. Meanwhile, Minnesota put a hold on Carolina's playoff hopes with a 5-0 victory over the RailHawks

[Frank Cunha]

YOUNG QUEBEC PLAYERS WITH THE IMPACT
A number of young Quebec players kicked off training camp with the Impact, January 7. Young prospects Alex Surprenant, Cristian Nunez, Massimo Di Ioia and Olivier Babineau are gaining more experience since their arrival in Fiuggi with the club, for the two-week pre-season winter tour in Italy. For team captain Mauro Biello, an experience like this one is priceless and beneficial for a young player's career. More details: News

[Frank Cunha]

one of this three teams will play in next year Concacaf CL
the winner of the round robin tournament

Montreal, Toronto FC or Vancouver
THE IMPACT TOWARDS CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The Canadian Soccer Association announced, Wednesday, a new six-match competition between the Montreal Impact, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Toronto FC to determine Canada's 2008-09 entry in the new CONCACAF Champions League. The three clubs will play in a home-and-away round-robin tournament from May to July 2008. All details : News

IMPACT 3 HONDURAS 1
The Montreal Impact signed a third consecutive win at training camp, Monday, beating the Honduran national team 3-1 (2-0 at halftime), in its second exhibition game at the Sunrise Soccer Complex, in Florida. Dwight Barnett, Leonardo Di Lorenzo and Charles Gbeke scored for the Impact. The Impact and Honduras, ranked 43rd in the world by the FIFA, played a 70-minute game. The Impact, which has now a record of four wins, two losses and two ties, in eight exhibition games, will face its USL First Division rivals, the Miami FC Blues, Sunday, March 30. All details : News

IMPACT 5 LYNN 0
The Montreal Impact shut out Lynn University 5-0 (3-0 at halftime), March 22, in its first pre-season game in Florida. Forward Roberto Brown scored two goals in the first half, scoring on a penalty in one occasion. Team captain Mauro Biello also scored twice, while midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo found the back of the net in the second half. All details : News

IMPACT TO PLAY ITS 2008 HOME OPENER MAY 19
The Impact will kick off the 2008 First Division United Soccer Leagues season on Saturday, April 12, against the Whitecaps, in Vancouver. The club will play its first game in its new home, the Saputo Stadium, for the 15th home opener in its history, Monday, May 19, against their Canadian rivals. The 2008 schedule: Calendar

2008 SEASON TICKETS AT THE SAPUTO STADIUM
The 2008 season tickets at the new Saputo Stadium are still available. Living up to its reputation, the Impact continues to offer soccer at an affordable price, with season tickets starting at 150$, notably in our new supporters section. Come cheer on your favourite soccer team at their new home next season! To purchase 2008 packages, call 514-328-3668. More info: Tickets

[Frank Cunha]

USL First Division
× 22:00 0' [3] Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Carolina RailHawks [8]

× 23:00 0' [5] Seattle Sounders - Charleston Battery [1]

× 20:00 0'FT [4] Rochester Raging Rhinos 1 - 1 Montreal Impact [11] 0-0

× Guatemala Liga Nacional

[Frank Cunha]

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Roberto Brown scored twice, including a penalty in the 73rd minute, to give the Montreal Impact a 2:1 win at CD Olimpia on Wednesday and remain unbeaten in the CONCACAF Champions League™.

With the win, the Canadian champion extended its unbeaten streak in the tournament to five matches, allowing one goal.

Elvis Turcios accounted for the lone strike by Olimpia, which lost its second in three games and remained in third place I Group C.

The Impact climbed alone atop the group with seven points, pending the outcome of Atlante’s home match Thursday against Joe Public in Cancun, Mexico.

"It was a great victory for us - we didn't plan it that way," Brown said. "A lot of people didn't expect it from us but we knew we had a great team and we live like a family and we knew we can go anywhere and get three points. We recognize what we can do to get the three points, and that’s what we did tonight. Brown converted his winning penalty despite Olimpia goalkeeper Noel Valladares diving to his left and getting a hand to the ball, as its momentum carried it over the line.

The Impact continued the surprising run of teams from the United Soccer Leagues – essentially the second division of North American soccer, having held Mexican giant Atlante to a 0:0 draw and beating Joe Public 2:0.

Montreal’s win came in its first away match of the Group Stage and despite the club’s tortuous schedule of late.

Wednesday’s match was the fourth game of five games in 10 days for the Impact. The crowded schedule also has included cross-continent travel from Montreal to Seattle and back, and then to Central America in less than a week.

Brown gave the Impact the lead when he scored just three minutes into the match. The Panamanian got behind the Olimpia defense to head in a corner from Joey Gjertsen for his first goal of the tournament.

The goal took some of the momentum out of Olimpia, which looked to feed off the boisterous pro-Olimpia crowd at Tegucigalpa’s Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino.

But Olimpia equalized in the 34th minute when Turcios tied the match following some sustained pressure.

Turcios, after a fake start, spun a free kick from 28 yards out over the Impact wall and by Impact goalkeeper Matt Jordan.

The goal was the first the Impact has allowed in five tournament matches and snapped Jordan’s shutout streak at 394 minutes.

Olimpia coach Juan Castillo tried to inject some offence by inserting Wilmer Velasquez, the club’s all-time leading scorer, to start the second half.

Any chance of a comeback was dashed when Bonilla sent off Turcios with a red card in the 87th minute.

The game then degenerated with Olimpia’s Oscar Garcia receiving a straight red in the 90th minute for an elbow to the head of Impact midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo.

Montreal next heads to Macoya, Trinidad, to take on Joe Public on 8 October, while Olimpia stays home to host Atlante that same night.

IMPACT 2 CD OLIMPIA 1

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Un doublé de l'attaquant Roberto Brown a permis à l'Impact de Montréal de vaincre le CD Olimpia 2-1 mercredi, lors de son troisième match dans la phase des groupes de la Ligue des Champions de la CONCACAF, devant 7224 spectateurs bruyants au Stade Tiburcio Carias Andino (Estadio National) à Tegucigalpa, au Honduras.

Après avoir été accroché dans la surface de réparation, l'attaquant Roberto Brown a lui-même pris le tir de pénalité et a marqué le but vainqueur à la 72e minute. Sur le jeu, le gardien Noel Valladares a plongé du côté gauche, a touché de la main droite le ballon, mais n'a pas été en mesure de bloquer le tir de Brown.

Brown avait ouvert le pointage dès la deuxième minute en déviant de la tête le coup de pied de coin du milieu de terrain Joey Gjertsen. Brown a sauté à la ligne des six mètres, battant en hauteur le gardien de CD Olimpia Noel Valladares.

Le CD Olimpia a marqué son seul but du match à la 33e minute. Le milieu de terrain Elvis Danilo Turcios a tiré avec précision un coup franc dans l'axe, tout juste à l'extérieur de la surface de réparation, battant le gardien de l'Impact Matt Jordan dans la partie supérieure à sa droite. Il s'agissait du premier but encaissé par l'Impact et Jordan en cinq matchs de la Ligue des Champions.

"C'est incroyable un résultat comme celui de ce soir, après avoir joué autant au cours des dernières semaines," a déclaré l'entraîneur-chef de l'Impact John Limniatis. On s'attendait à un match difficile, mais quand tu travailles fort et que tu y croies, tu peux réaliser de belles choses. Nous avons été efficaces ce soir tant défensivement qu'offensivement."

"C'est tout un résultat!," s'est exclamé le vétéran défenseur Nevio Pizzolitto. "Nous avons fait ce que nous devions faire ce soir, soit récolter trois points. Personne ne croyait que nous pouvions le faire. C'est incroyable ! Nous sommes restés concentrés pendant 90 minutes. Ils ont eu quelques chances de marquer, mais rien pour battre Matt (Jordan)."

L'Impact a terminé le match avec l'avantage d'un joueur, alors que le milieu de terrain du CD Olimpia Elvis Danilo Turcios a été expulsé en toute fin de deuxième demie pour avoir taclé illégalement Leonardo Di Lorenzo.

Après trois matchs dans la Ligue des Champions de la CONCACAF, l'Impact demeure au premier rang du Groupe C. Le club mexicain Atlante FC affrontait aussi ce soir Joe Public FC.

Le milieu de terrain Sandro Grande et l'attaquant Peter Byers ont raté le match en raison d'une suspension d'un match pour avoir écopé de deux cartons jaunes. Le milieu de terrain Félix Brillant, qui soigne un virus, est aussi demeuré à Montréal.

Le onze montréalais disputera son prochain match dans la Ligue des Champions de la CONCACAF le mercredi 8 octobre contre Joe Public, au Stade Marvin Lee, à Trinité-et-Tobago.

Entre-temps, l'Impact disputera sa série demi-finale de la Première division de la USL contre les Whitecaps de Vancouver. Le premier match aura lieu vendredi au Stade Saputo puis le match retour sera joué dimanche, au Stade Swangard, à Vancouver.