The Montreal Impact U16 and U18 teams will kick off their third season in the USSDA, a development league for academies in the United States.
As like last year, the two teams will play in the Northeast Division, which includes the New York Red Bulls and the New England Revolution, two Major League Soccer academies. The Impact U16 and U18 teams will meet three new teams this year: NJCSA, Players Development Academy and Continental FC Delco.
The season will start on September 13, as the Impact U16 and U18 teams will face the Empire Revolution. The two teams will play at 11:30am and 2pm on the synthetic field at Stade Saputo.
To mark the beginning of the new season, here is a preview of the two rosters.
Impact U16
Head Coach: Wilfried Nancy
Goalkeepers: Charles Desrochers, Christopher Hansen, Mathieu Pinheiro-Borges and Juan Camilo Gil-Marin
Defenders : Marques Antoine, Protais Mutambala, Steven Alberici, Jackson Pickard, Mouhamed Touré, Garven Michée Metusala, Franck Sany Kong and Raphael Garcia
Midfielders: Moulay Hamza Kanzi Belghiti, Benjamin Delisle, Luca Ricci, Kevin Tran, Esleyder Luarca, Santiago Gonzalez, Tristano Fasulo, Mathieu Choinière, Alexis Stevens and Luca Piccioli
Forwards: Don Junior Bobe, Gabriel Wiethaeuper-Balbinotti and Marco Pinna Cavallini
Impact U18
Head Coach: Jason Di Tullio
Goalkeepers: David Paulmin, James Pantemis et Yann Fillion
Defenders: Abdoulaye Samaké, Thomas Meilleur Giguère, Juliano Cobuzzi, Aron Mkungilwa, Leonardo Kossaka, André-Cédric Zibi and Simon Lemire
Midfielders: Pierre Lamothe, Samuel Duffek, Nevelo Yoseke, David Choiniere, William Thavixay, Louis-Philippe Paquin, Heikel Jarras, Marco Dominguez, Jimmy-Shammar Sanon and Mohamed El Alaoui Abdallaoui
Forwards: Alexandar Kulic and Claudio Di Zazzo
Busy month of August for the Impact U23
The Impact U23 team is coming off a busy month of August, in which they played nine matches and made two pre-season trips to New Brunswick and New Hampshire, finishing with a record of six wins, two draws and one loss with 20 goals scored and 10 goals conceded.
The U23 team has added some new faces since the beginning of August. Seven players who played a part in the U18’s third place in the USSDA playoffs last June joined the U23 squad.
Results:
August 7 and 10 - Draw 1-1 and win 3-1vs the University of Charleston
August 16 - Win 4-1 against vs UQAM
August 19 - Win 3-1 against New Brunswick Semi-Pro league champions
August 21 - Win 3-2 against the winners of the New Brunswick Cup
August 23 - Win 2-0 against University of New Brunswick
August 28 - Win 2-1 against South New Hampshire University
August 29 - Loss 1-0 against Dartmouth University
August 31 - Draw 2-2 against McGill University in Mont-Tremblant
