Nick De Santis’ men pursue their daily training sessions in view of the quarter-final home-and-away series, which will be determined on aggregate goals. According to De Santis, the first game will be crucial and the key elements to the series will be confidence and the team’s energy level.
“In a two-game series, the first game is always the most important one, especially since we are starting off at home this year,” said De Santis. “It’s therefore essential to start the series with energy. At this point in the season, team confidence is also very important.”
The Impact scored 32 goals this season – good for fifth place overall in USL D1 – and is mostly focusing on offensive tactics during its preparation.
“We need to create a lot of scoring chances,” noted De Santis. “We’re working harder on our offence during training sessions. We want to score goals in the first game to relieve some of the pressure for the second game. At the same time, we’re tweaking some defensive aspects as well. ”
Scoring the first goal was a crucial element of the Impact’s success this year. The team boasted a record of 14-0-2 when it scored first. Conversely, the team has a record of 0-6-4 when it conceded the first goal.
Among regular starters, defenders Simon Gatti (tibia) and Nevio Pizzolitto (thigh) are the only two players who remain uncertain for Friday’s game. De Santis will therefore have a roster of 23 healthy players to choose from for this two-game series, including captain Mauro Biello who is back from an elbow injury. This year, substitute players scored six goals during the regular season.
“Depth becomes a very important factor during the playoffs, right from the first game, because if things don’t go as planned, we can make some changes,” explained De Santis. “Players coming off the bench have to continue to make a difference. Also, some players on this team have won a championship, others haven’t, so we have a good blend of players.”
Tickets for the quarter-final match are available at the Impact office at 514-328-3668 or via the Admission network at (514) 790-1245. Prices are $25 for a reserved seat, $10 (adult) and $5 (children) for general admission.
The second and decisive game of the quarter-final series will be played Sunday, at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium, in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, at 6 pm.
-30-
Source : Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info : 514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
