Designated Player Nacho Piatti healthy and available
MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact will look to get back to its winning ways, this Saturday at 8pm, when the leaders in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia Union, visit Stade Saputo. Excellent tickets remain available on impactmontreal.com.
“This is a team we know well, and it’s a very important game in the season,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. “On their end, they’re a team that works well together. They’re used to playing with each other and they’re confident right now. It’s up to us to play on their weaknesses, because there are areas we can exploit.”
Stade Saputo's gates will at 6pm, allowing you to take advantage of the summer. From 6pm to 7pm, the 2-for-1 special on all drinks will be in place, and animations, numerous activities, and photobooths will be available beneath the stands. Video game enthusiasts can try their luck against LyesMTL, the Impact's eSports player in the BMO Celebration Zone, on FIFA 19 on PS4. Finally, a new pregame ritual, during which supporters will be able to welcome players in the stadium's North stand, will take place as of 6pm, 90 minutes before kickoff. Please note as well that our new IMFC grilled cheeses made by chef Danny Smiles will henceforth be on the concessions' menu at Stade Saputo, starting as low as $2.83 (plus tax).
The MLS bag policy will be in place for this game. Backpacks, camera bags, and big tote bags, as well as any bag larger than 35cm x 35cm x 15cm will not be accepted inside the stadium.
Also, please note that more traffic than usual is to be expected in the Sherbrooke/Pie-IX/Pierre-de-Coubertin/Viau area, as well as to access the different parking lots around Stade Saputo due to roadwork.
The Viau metro station is undergoing an important renovation project. Construction on the new bus rapid transit corridor (BRT) on Pie-IX Boulevard has begun, and as such, traffic on Pie-IX between the A40 and Pierre-de-Coubertin Street will be impeded, while bus routes may be diverted. The P1, P2, P3, P4 parking lots are available. The P5 parking lot is reserved for Members with a parking pass.
Timely reinforcements
Argentine Designated Player Nacho Piatti made his return on Wednesday, playing close to an hour in Montreal’s win in the Canadian Championship quarterfinal and scoring a goal from the spot. His next goal will allow him to join Mauro Biello in the club’s record books, Biello being the club’s record goal scorer across all competitions. The Impact will also be able to count on its new recruit, Lassi Lappaneinen, from Finland, who arrived on loan from Bologna FC 1909 officially on Thursday. Finally, if he plays nine minutes, goalkeeper Evan Bush will reach the cap of 15,000 minutes played in MLS, the American already leading the club in that category.
“Wednesday’s win was good for group morale,” said defender Zachary Brault-Guillard. “It gave us confidence to move forward. It isn’t easy to bounce back, so it felt good. Now, we have a huge game coming Saturday. We’ll need to be more attentive and show character. They’re first, so we’ll need to stay diligent. It’ll be up to us to make the right choices and bounce back in front of our supporters.”
Impact successful at home against Union
The Philadelphians never had much success at Stade Saputo, with only two wins and a draw in nine visits to Montreal. Up front, Nacho Piatti has been a nightmare for the Union’s defense: the Argentine has four goals and six assists in eight games against Jim Curtin’s men.
Rémi Garde won’t be able to count on Samuel Piette, still suffering from an abdomen injury, or on Victor Cabrera, who suffered an elbow injury midweek. Bacary Sagna will also be unavailable for this one, having received a red card in Columbus last week.
“They’re a very good collective group,” said midfielder Ken Krolicki. “You can see them defending and attacking as a unit. They have quality players all over the pitch. Regardless of the opponent, we’re playing at home, in front of our supporters, and we expect to win this game.”
Union on top of East, but slowing down
The leaders in the Eastern Conference visit Montreal in the middle of a difficult stretch away from home, having won just one of their last five games outside of Pennsylvania. Also, full-back Kai Wagner is suspended, while Jamiro Monteiro will be unavailable due to an ankle injury.
“They’re first right now, and they’ve been collecting wins,” said centre back Rudy Camacho. “We played them earlier in the season, and it’s a game that didn’t go well on our end. Now, we’re playing at home, and we know we have to do everything possible to collect points at home and reach our goal, which is to make the playoffs.”
Upcoming games
The Impact will head to the Rockies on Saturday, August 3, at 9pm EDT, to face the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (TVA Sports, 98.5, TSN 690). Montreal will then return home for the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinals on Wednesday, August 7, at 7:30pm against Cavalry FC (TICKETS – 98.5, TSN 690).
